Automations

Automations allow you to create powerful email workflows that run automatically when specific events occur. Instead of manually sending emails, you can set up automated sequences triggered by subscriber actions, content updates, or external systems.

How Automations Work

Every automation consists of three main parts:

1. Trigger – The event that starts the automation (e.g., new subscriber joins a list)
2. Steps – The actions to perform (e.g., wait 1 day, then send welcome email)
3. Conditions – Optional logic to branch the workflow based on subscriber data

Available Trigger Groups

Subscriber Triggers

These triggers fire based on changes to subscriber data:

• Subscriber Created – When a new subscriber is added to the system
• Subscriber Joins List – When a subscriber is added to a specific list
• Subscriber Leaves List – When a subscriber is removed from a list
• Tag Added to Subscriber – When a tag is applied to a subscriber
• Tag Removed from Subscriber – When a tag is removed from a subscriber

Content Triggers

These triggers fire when content is published or updated:

• Post Published – When a new post, page, or custom post type is published
• Post Updated – When an existing published post is updated
• Post Subscription Created – When someone subscribes to a post/page for updates

WordPress Triggers

These triggers integrate with WordPress user actions:

• WordPress User Registered – When a new WordPress user signs up
• WordPress User Login – When a user logs in (with optional inactivity filter)

Email Engagement Triggers

These triggers fire based on email interactions:

• Email Opened – When a subscriber opens an email
• Email Clicked – When a subscriber clicks a link in an email
• Email Not Opened – When a subscriber hasn’t opened an email after X days

Webhook Triggers

For integrating with external systems:

• Incoming Webhook – When external systems send data via HTTP POST

Available Actions

Once triggered, automations can perform these actions:

Communication

• Send Email – Send a custom email or use a saved template

Timing

• Wait – Pause the automation for minutes, hours, days, or weeks

Segmentation

• Add Tag – Apply a tag to the subscriber
• Remove Tag – Remove a tag from the subscriber
• Add to List – Add subscriber to another list
• Remove from List – Remove subscriber from a list

Integration

• Webhook Call – Send data to external services (Zapier, Make, custom APIs)

Creating Your First Automation

1. Go to WP Outreach → Automations and click New Automation
2. Give your automation a name (e.g., “Welcome Sequence”)
3. Select a trigger from the dropdown (e.g., “Subscriber Created”)
4. Configure trigger options if available (e.g., specific list or tag)
5. Add steps to your workflow using the visual builder
6. Set the automation status to Active when ready
7. Click Save

Best Practices

• Test first – Use a test subscriber to verify your automation works as expected
• Use wait steps – Space out emails to avoid overwhelming subscribers
• Personalize content – Use merge tags like {{first_name}} for personalized emails
• Monitor results – Check automation statistics to optimize performance
• Start simple – Begin with basic automations and add complexity as needed

Learn More

Explore the detailed documentation for each trigger type to learn about configuration options, use cases, and examples.