Lists, segments and tags: which do I want?
Three ways to group people, one table showing what each can actually do.
- automations
Three ways to group the people you can email, and they are not interchangeable. Picking the wrong one is why a sequence sometimes never starts.
A list is static
A named bucket. People are put on it, by a form or by you, and they stay until removed.
A list is the only thing an automation can watch. If you want something to happen when someone signs up, it has to be a list.
Inside the form builder, lists are called audiences. Same object, different word.
A segment is live
A saved question, like "members who cancelled" or "contacts from the webinar". It re-answers itself every time you look, so it is always current.
Great for a one-off email. Useless as a trigger, because there is no moment when somebody joins a question.
A tag is a label
A word stuck on a person. Useful for marking things you know: vip, refunded, came-from-instagram.
You can email everyone with a tag, and an automation can add one or check for one mid-sequence. A tag cannot start a sequence.
What each can do
Send a broadcast to it: lists yes, segments yes, tags yes.
Start an automation: lists only.
Add or remove inside an automation: lists and tags.
Check in an if-then branch: lists and tags.
All three are on every plan, free included. Automations themselves need Creator.
Common questions
Should I make a list per lead magnet?
Yes. It is the cheapest thing you can do for your future self. A list named after the thing they downloaded tells you what someone wanted. One list called Subscribers tells you nothing.
Can someone be on several lists?
Yes, as many as you like.
Why can I not delete a list?
Because something is using it: a form, a funnel signup section, or a live automation. Drry names which. Detach it there first.
Do members and contacts mix?
Yes. If a member's email matches a contact's, Drry shows one person with a Member badge, and their tags are combined.