Workflow settings help you control who enters your workflow, how often they can enter, and which contacts can receive its emails. Review them before activation so the workflow matches the experience you want to create.
Open and edit Settings
- Open your workflow in Automation 2.0.
- If it is active, pause it before making changes. You can edit settings when the workflow is Draft or Paused.
- Select the Settings tab.
- Update the options you need. Changes save automatically as you go.
- Review your workflow, then select Review & Activate when you are ready to make it live.
Mission Assistant can help you build the workflow steps, but you need to set the workflow's entry rules and email eligibility yourself in Settings.
Choose how often a contact can enter
Workflow entry rules decide whether a contact can enter once or return to the same workflow. These rules apply to the whole workflow, even if it has more than one trigger.
Only once
Choose Only once when a contact should go through the workflow just one time. This is useful for a welcome journey that should not repeat for the same person. Only once is the default for new workflows.
Every time
Choose Every time when the workflow should start each time a contact qualifies. For example, you might want to send a thank-you message after each new donation. For workflows that check for matching contacts on a schedule, consider whether the same contact should enter again at the next check. If not, choose Only once or Custom interval instead.
Custom interval
Choose Custom interval when contacts can return, but only after a waiting period. This is useful for follow-up journeys that may repeat without starting again too soon.
- Select Custom interval under workflow entry rules.
- Enter an amount.
- Choose a duration in months or years.
For example, set the amount to 9 and the duration to months to allow a contact to enter again after nine months. With a one-year interval, the same contact cannot enter again within that year, even if they qualify several times. The interval controls when a contact can enter again. It does not create a delay between steps or automatically bring the contact back into the workflow; they still need to qualify for a trigger.
Choose who can receive workflow emails
Email settings apply to the emails sent by Send email actions in this workflow. By default, workflow emails are sent only to contacts whose subscription status is opted in. You can choose to include other statuses using the options below.
Include contacts with an unknown status
Turn on Include contacts with an unknown status if the workflow should send emails to contacts who have neither opted in nor opted out. Before enabling it, check that sending these contacts the planned emails is appropriate for your organization's consent practices.
Include opted-out contacts
Turn on Include opted-out contacts to allow workflow emails to be sent to contacts who have unsubscribed. Use this option carefully. An unsubscribe expresses the contact's preference not to receive emails. Only enable it when the planned communication is appropriate under your organization's consent practices and applicable requirements. If a contact cannot receive an email because of these settings, their workflow entry can show as Stopped in Activity. This is different from Failed, which indicates an error. Open the entry details to understand what happened.
Exclude a group of contacts
Use Exclude segments when everyone in a saved segment should be kept out of this workflow. For example, you may want to exclude a group already receiving a similar follow-up through another workflow. Under Exclude segments, use Search and select to find and add the segments you want to exclude. Contacts in those segments cannot enter this workflow.
Exclude individual contacts
Use Exclude contacts when specific people should not enter, without needing to create a segment for them. Under Exclude contacts, use Search and select to find contacts by name and add them to the exclusion list.
Check your settings before activation
Before selecting Review & Activate, confirm:
- Entry rules: Should this journey happen once, every time a contact qualifies, or only after a waiting period?
- Email settings: Do the selected subscription statuses match who should receive your emails?
- Exclusions: Have you left out any groups or individuals who should not enter?
If you paused an active workflow to make changes, review it again before reactivating it.