List
Let's clarify once more that a List is an environment of contacts, and a Group is a subset of recipients within a chosen List. It is most common to have only one main List, but multiple Lists can be created. Each List is completely independent of the other (administrators, statistics, message settings, etc.) What Lists share in common are the Recipient Fields and sending bandwidth.
- A recipient can be assigned to more than one List at the same time: if he/she clicks on the Unsubscribe button of one newsletter he/she will still remain subscribed to all other Lists.
- If you delete a recipient from a List, they are permanently removed from that List. However, they will remain part of other Lists in your console.
- The subscriber status of a recipient can only be changed at the List level. (Subscribed, Unsubscribed, Pending.)
Group
If you want to subdivide users within a List, it is useful to create Groups.
- When you import contacts to a List, different sets of recipients can be assigned to one or more groups.
- You cannot send a message to multiple Lists at the same time. Instead, you can send the same message to more than one Group within that List.
- A group can be created or deleted at any time and the contact information that it contains will not be affected.
- A group will only be assigned to one List and will not be automatically assigned to other Lists.
- If you remove a recipient from one group, they still belong to the other groups in which they were assigned.
Unsubscrbe, Delete, Remove
It is crucial to understand the differences among the following terms
- Remove: To take out a recipient from a Group (s). The recipient's subscriber status does not change, and still belongs to the List and all other other groups to which it was assigned.
- Unsubscribe: To change subscriber status from Subscribed to Opted-out. This affects the recipient's status only at the List level (not across multiple Lists). Also, if a recipient is unsubscribed from within a group, it still remains in that group and all other groups to which it was assigned, but now holds the unsubscribed status.
- Delete: To delete a recipient is to permanently eliminate the record at the List level. Therefore, if it is deleted at the Group level, it will be eliminated from all groups and the List. We strongly discourage deleting a recipient, because if it is re-imported by error, there is no record if the recipient opted-out in the past, and it could mistakenly be sent messages. We recommend only changing the status to Unsubscribed.
Click to learn how to assign recipients to your group(s).