When should you use an ActiveCampaign List, or a Tag? Or maybe it should be a Custom Field? Or even a Segment??
This is THE most important question ActiveCampaign users ask, and expert Kay Peacey has the definitive answer for you.
In this blog we go over the most important things you really need to know about how Lists are used in ActiveCampaign – and how NOT to use Lists!
Lots of ActiveCampaign users get into trouble using Lists in ways that don’t work well – it’s not your fault, because it’s not obvious when you start using ActiveCampaign. Especially if you’re migrating to ActiveCampaign from MailChimp, MailerLite or Kit.
TL:DR: Having too many Lists is the biggest thing that can make life hard in ActiveCampaign.
Kay Peacey is about to save you from falling into a big ActiveCampaign Lists mistake so you can easily send the right email to the right person at the right time, and stay out of trouble with ActiveCampaign unsubscribes.
It’s time to say goodbye to wondering about Lists vs Tags, Custom Fields vs Lists, and how to Segment your Contacts in ActiveCampaign the right way 🙌
Follow these steps to use ActiveCampaign Lists the right way
Try ActiveCampaign now with a two week free trial
Watch Kay Peacey explain how NOT to use ActiveCampaign Lists
Try ActiveCampaign now with a two week free trial
Learn how many ActiveCampaign Lists you should have
You can have as many Lists as you like in ActiveCampaign with Plus plan or above.
But you will have a much easier time working in ActiveCampaign if you have no more than five Lists.
Lists seem like they would be great for segmenting groups of contacts, like people who signed up for a webinar, or bought a product, so that you can send them Campaign emails.
But in ActiveCampaign, you should definitely use Tags and Custom Fields for segmenting contacts and deciding who to send emails to, instead of having lots of Lists. The powerful Segments features in ActiveCampaign mean you don’t need to have lots of Lists – phew!
The easiest method is to have only one ActiveCampaign List.
Two ActiveCampaign Lists is okay. Three ActiveCampaign Lists is manageable with care and expert guidance.
Four or more ActiveCampaign Lists is where Unsubscribes start to get really complicated and difficult, leading to spam reports or unintended unsubscribes
Trust me on this, and go learn how to use tags and custom fields and segments – you can thank me later.
Know what the problem is with ActiveCampaign Lists
Using lots of Lists in ActiveCampaign almost always leads to a mess with unsubscribes.
People who do want some of your emails don’t get them.
And people who don’t want any of your emails still get sent to.
Messing up ActiveCampaign email sending means lost sales, complaints, unsubscribes and spam reports (which are super-bad for your email deliverability).
Lots of lists are not a good thing in ActiveCampaign – use Tags and Custom Fields instead to create Segments
So what are ActiveCampaign Lists are actually for then?
Get our FREE Accelerated ActiveCampaign training now
Discover what an ActiveCampaign list is really for
The main job of an ActiveCampaign List is to let everyone involved know whether it’s OK, or not OK, to send a contact a campaign or automation email.
- A contact who is actively subscribed to at least one List can be sent emails.
- A contact who is unsubscribed from all Lists cannot be sent emails.
The only thing a List really tells you is whether ActiveCampaign, and you (the account owner), and the contact, are all happy to keep sending and receiving emails.
Read that sentence at least three times, and keep it in mind.
Note – We’re talking about bulk-email-sending here – that’s your Campaign and Automation emails.
Personal and 1:1 emails in ActiveCampaign do not rely on List status to be sent either direct by you, or using ActiveCampaign personal sending features.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Understand that you are not in control of Lists in ActiveCampaign
Here are the most important things you need to know about contacts and lists in ActiveCampaign:
Three things you need to know about ActiveCampaign contacts and lists
- Contacts can, and do, take themselves off Lists by hitting the Unsubscribe link in an email
- If they Unsubscribe from an automation email they often get unsubscribed from ALL your Lists (I know – take a moment – you’re not the first to get a shock on this point)
- Contact email addresses can bounce as undeliverable, and then ActiveCampaign takes them off the List
This means you are not in control of whether a contact is on a List or not.
Yes that’s right.
You’re not in control of whether a contact is on an ActiveCampaign List.
And that’s why you should not use Lists to keep track of stuff and decide who to email about a webinar, a product, or whatever.
In ActiveCampaign Lists are not reliable for keeping track of things you want to know about your contacts.
I recommend using tags, custom fields and Segments for that sort of thing, instead of lists.
Happy to teach you how in our ActiveCampaign Academy…
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Know what to do if you have a lot of Lists in ActiveCampaign
Once you’ve realised you need to lose some Lists in ActiveCampaign, your challenge is how to reduce them without breaking anything.
Three things to keep in mind when removing ActiveCampaign Lists
- Contacts need to be moved safely to a main list without accidentally resubscribing people who don’t want emails or unsubscribing people who do want emails. Yikes.
- You have to be super careful about deleting unused lists – data can be lost easily!
- Whatever you had intended to track with a list, will need to be moved to a tag or custom field
The only thing a List should control is whether ActiveCampaign, and you (the ActiveCampaign account owner), and the contact-person, are all happy to keep sending and receiving emails.
Work towards getting your ActiveCampaign account down to maximum five lists.
ActiveCampaign Lists FAQs
Why shouldn’t I use lists for segmentation in ActiveCampaign?
Using lists for segmentation is risky because you can easily lose control of your contact’s status. An unsubscribe from an automated email can remove them from all your lists, making it impossible to email that contact again.
How should I segment my contacts if not by lists?
Segment your contacts using tags and custom fields. These tools give you more flexibility and control without the hassle of managing numerous lists.
What happens if a contact hits unsubscribe on an automated email?
When a contact clicks unsubscribe on an automated email, ActiveCampaign may remove them from all lists they’re on. This is called a global unsubscribe and can cause chaos if you rely on multiple lists.
How does ActiveCampaign handle bounced emails?
ActiveCampaign automatically removes contacts from the list if their email hard bounces. This helps maintain email deliverability but can also make managing lists more complex.
If a contact marks my email as spam, what happens?
If a contact reports your email as abuse (aka spam report), they are permanently removed from the list and ActiveCampaign won’t allow them to be added back, manually or automatically.
Conclusions about how to use Lists in ActiveCampaign
In summary, relying on multiple lists in ActiveCampaign isn’t just a bad idea; it can be outright detrimental. Kay Peacey recommends sticking to a single list strategy and using tags and custom fields for segments.
Still confused or need more help? Kay Peacey and the ActiveCampaign Academy are excellent resources to consider. Get the training and support you need to clean up a mess of too many Lists, and make effective use of ActiveCampaign without the headaches of multi-list management.
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
Get help with how to use Lists in ActiveCampaign (or to cleanup your Lists)
The most common thing new members of my ActiveCampaign Academy want help with is how to untangle the mess of Lists in their account.
We have a whole chunk of training on how to safely reduce List count without breaking stuff – think of us like your ActiveCampaign safety-blanket.
Got too many Lists? You’re not alone, and help is at hand.
Just one month of support from Kay Peacey and the Slick Business team inside the membership can totally transform your ActiveCampaign account from spaghetti-lists nightmare to smooth-running marketing machine.
Come on in and we will help you untangle your lists, no matter how many you have!
Learn more about our ActiveCampaign Academy membership
Fast, effective training & support for ActiveCampaign users everywhere
