Create a Dynamic List

What is a Dynamic List and How is it Different from a Static List?

There are two types of lists: static and dynamic.  A static list is a list that you upload and members of that list can only be added/deleted by importing additional records into that specific list. Dynamic lists however do not require that any data be uploaded into that specific list. Instead, you simply define rules which tell the list which records should be included, and the list is built "dynamically" by eMail Networks based upon those rules.

Dynamic lists differ from regular lists in that:

1. Rather than uploading individual subscribers into a list, you can define custom fields that are used by the system to query and "dynamically" select subscribers to be included in the list.
2. Any subscriber who meets the criteria of the dynamic list will be included at the time of send.  Therefore, dynamic lists will generally use more up-to-date data than regular lists, and as the name implies, dynamic lists can change regularly based upon the number of records which match the rules of the list.

In order for dynamic lists to work properly, you will need to create any custom fields that will be used such as City, State, Zip, Type, before creating the dynamic list rules. These custom fields will also then need to be populated with the appropriate data.  To learn more about creating custom fields, go here.

Building Your Dynamic List

To create a dynamic list:

1. Open the Subscribers & Lists folder and click Lists
2. Click the Add List button at the top of the grid and then select the type Dynamic
3. Type in a list name for the dynamic list
4. Select the lists you want to use as a basis for your dynamic list  
5. Create rules to filter these lists
   1. Click the icon to add another rule or the  icon to delete the rule
   2. Select a custom field or subscriber interaction, such as they opened an email in the last 30 days, from the first drop down menu
      1. Note: the difference between Subscriber Interactions By Job and Subscriber Interactions By List are that "by jobs" refers to email messages sent, and "by list" refers to interactions by list. 
      2. Note: for dates, the format must be the exact same format as the custom field.  You can also type "TODAY" to always use the current date
   3. Fill out the other rule options
6. Click Save Rules
7. To view the approximate list count from the specified rules, click Save and Show List Count

Dynamic List Options

Filter by Custom Fields

1. The custom field value is compared to a specific value (Ex: custom field is equal to "USA")
2. The custom field value is a date (Ex: custom field is before "07/14/2014"):
   
   
   1. The value TODAY can be written in the text box to always get today's value (Ex: custom field is before "TODAY")
   2. You can also enter "TODAY-30" which would be today's date minus 30 days

Filter by Subscriber Interactions

1. The subscriber clicked a specific link or link alias
2. The subscriber clicked a link or opened a message in a specified Job (live message send)
3. The subscriber clicked a link or opened a message sent to a specified List

Filter by Geo Location

1. Nearby Zip by Custom Field: the custom field is close to a specified zip code (Ex: customfield is within 10 miles of zip code: 22102)
2. Nearby Zip by IP Address: the subscriber opened a message at an IP address near a specified zip code (Ex: opened message from IPs within 15 miles of zip code 22101)
3. Regions by IP Address: the subscriber opened a message from IPs in a specific region (Ex: opened message from IPs in MI)

Example 1

In this example, the dynamic list will pull all subscribers who fit these criteria:

• On the "Main List"
• Have a Gmail email account
• Opened the message 2 times, 1 time, or not at all in the past month. 

Here's a screenshot:

Create Static Lists from Dynamic Lists

If you want to create a permanent snapshot of a dynamic list at the current moment:

1. Click Create Static List
2. Name the Static List
3. Click Create New List

Learn more about splitting a these dynamic lists: Splitting a List

Note: Please contact your account administrator if you do not see this tool enabled in your account.