I just ran my first automation and I’m wondering if I set it up wrong because the numbers aren’t lining up.
Email #1 sent to 3,903 | Wait 1 day | Match conditions = Open email #1 in the last 2 days | If Yes send Email #2
993 contacts opened email #1 and matched the conditions above, but only 500 contacts were sent email #2. That’s a difference of 493 contacts with no unsubscribes or bounces.
Why didn’t the other 493 contacts that opened email #1 get email #2? Is it because my condition (last 2 days) needs to be longer?
Additionally, 2,601 contacts went into the queue as a “no” status, and when I compare the queue contacts to the open contacts there’s a difference of 309 contacts. Where did they go?
This is just one example, but I have differences like this across the whole automation. If anyone can shed some light as to why this is I would be very grateful.
For the 493 missing contacts between opens and Email #2:
The most common reasons for this gap are:
Timing of the condition check - Your “opened in the last 2 days” condition is checked at the exact moment each contact hits that step. If someone opened the email on day 1 but didn’t reach the condition check until day 3, they’d fail the condition.
Contact suppression - ActiveCampaign has built-in protections that might prevent sending if contacts have:
Recently received too many emails
Been marked as less engaged
Hit daily sending limits
Data processing delays - There can be slight delays between when opens are tracked and when they’re available for condition matching.
For the 309 contact difference in your “no” queue:
This is likely contacts who:
Unsubscribed or were suppressed between the initial send and the condition check
Had delivery issues (soft bounces, etc.)
Were removed from lists or had their status change
My recommendations:
Extend your time window - Try “opened in the last 3-4 days” to account for processing time
Add a wait step - Consider adding a few hours wait before your condition check
Check your contact records - Look at a few specific contacts who should have gotten Email #2 but didn’t - their activity timeline will show exactly what happened
I hope this helps you get to the bottom of whats going on!