Subscribers

Subscribers are the contacts stored in your subscriber lists. Each subscriber belongs to one or more lists and has an email address, a subscription status, and optional custom field data. Managing subscribers effectively is essential for targeted email campaigns, automations, and maintaining a healthy sender reputation.

This article covers how to browse, add, import, edit, export, and manage subscribers across your lists.

Browsing Subscribers

To view subscribers for a specific list, navigate to Subscribers from the main menu and select the list you want to work with. The subscriber management page displays a filterable list of all subscribers in that list.

[[SCREENSHOT: Subscribers browse page showing the left sidebar with status filters, the subscriber table, and pagination controls]]

Status Filters

The left sidebar provides status-based filters. Each filter shows the number of subscribers in that status:

Status	Description
Active	Subscribers who are confirmed and eligible to receive emails.
Unsubscribed	Subscribers who have opted out of receiving emails from this list.
Pending	Subscribers awaiting opt-in confirmation (applies to double opt-in lists).
Soft Bounced	Subscribers whose email addresses returned a temporary delivery failure.
Hard Bounced	Subscribers whose email addresses returned a permanent delivery failure.
Suppressed	Subscribers whose email addresses are on a suppression list.

Click any status filter to view only subscribers matching that status.

Segment Filters

If segments have been defined for the list, a Segments section appears below the status filters. Click a segment name to view only subscribers matching that segment's rules. A Manage Segments link is also available for quick access to the segment configuration page.

TIP

Segments are dynamic filters based on subscriber data and activity. For details on creating and managing segments, see the Segments article.

Subscriber Table

The main content area displays a table of subscribers with the following columns:

Column	Description
Checkbox	Select individual subscribers for bulk actions.
Email Address	The subscriber's email address. Click to open the subscriber's edit page.

Use the Select All and Select None links above the table to quickly select or deselect all subscribers on the current page.

Pagination

When the list contains more subscribers than a single page can display, pagination controls appear on the right side. Navigate between pages using the numbered page links or the first/last page shortcuts.

Bulk Deletion

To delete subscribers in bulk:

1. Select subscribers using the checkboxes or click All to select everyone on the current page.
2. Click Delete Subscriber in the toolbar above the table.
3. Confirm the deletion when prompted.

DANGER

Deleting subscribers is permanent and cannot be undone. The subscriber and all associated data (activity history, custom field values) are removed from the list.

Advanced Filtering

The advanced subscriber browse provides a powerful rule-based filtering system that allows you to search for subscribers using multiple criteria combined with AND/OR logic.

[[SCREENSHOT: Advanced subscriber browse showing the filter rule board with multiple rules applied, the subscriber table with custom columns, and sorting controls]]

Building Filter Rules

Click Create advanced filter rules to expand the filter panel. The filter board allows you to build complex queries:

1. Click Add new rule to add a filter criterion. A dropdown appears with all available fields organized into two groups:

   • Available fields — subscriber data fields such as email address, subscription status, subscription date, and all custom fields defined for the list.
   • Activity fields — engagement-based fields such as email opens, link clicks, and bounces from specific campaigns or autoresponders.

2. For each rule, select a field, an operator, and a value. The available operators depend on the field type:

   Text fields: Is, Is not, Contains, Does not contain, Begins with, Ends with, Is set, Is not set.

   Number fields: Equals to, Is greater than, Is smaller than.

   Date fields: Is, Is not, Is before, Is after, Is set, Is not set, In the last X days, Not in the last X days, In the next X days, Not in the next X days, Is exactly X days ago, Is exactly X days from now, Between, Not between.

3. Add multiple rules to narrow your results. Click the AND/OR toggle to switch between combining rules with AND (all rules must match) or OR (any rule must match).

4. Click Add segment rules to apply an existing segment's rules to the filter. Click Remove segment rules to clear them.

5. Click Clear the board to remove all filter rules and start over.

6. Click Apply Filter to execute the filter and display matching subscribers.

Customizing the Results View

After applying a filter, you can customize how results are displayed:

• Show fields — Click the dropdown to select which columns appear in the subscriber table. Available columns include all default fields and custom fields.
• Sort by — Select a field to sort results by, and choose Ascending or Descending order.
• Export — Click the export icon to export the filtered subscribers.
• Delete — Select subscribers using checkboxes and click the delete icon to remove them.

Adding a Single Subscriber

To add a single subscriber manually:

1. Navigate to the subscriber list where you want to add the subscriber.
2. Click Add Subscriber in the toolbar.
3. Select the Form import method on the flow selection page.

[[SCREENSHOT: Add single subscriber form showing the email address field, custom fields, and import settings checkboxes]]

4. Fill in the subscriber information:

Field	Description
Email Address	The subscriber's email address (required).
Custom Fields	Any custom fields defined for the list. Required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).

5. Configure the import settings:

Setting	Description
Update if subscriber already exists	When checked, updates the existing subscriber's data if the email address is already in the list. When unchecked, duplicate email addresses are skipped. Checked by default.
Do not send opt-in confirmation email	Only appears for double opt-in lists. When checked, the subscriber is added without sending a confirmation email.
Trigger behaviors/automations	When checked, any journeys or automations configured for new subscribers are triggered. Unchecked by default.

6. Click Next to add the subscriber.

The results page displays whether the subscriber was added successfully, was a duplicate, or failed validation.

Importing Subscribers

Octeth provides multiple methods for importing subscribers in bulk. Navigate to the subscriber list, click Add Subscriber, and choose an import method on the flow selection page.

[[SCREENSHOT: Import flow selection page showing the available import methods — Copy and Paste, Form, and From File]]

Copy and Paste

Use this method to quickly import a small number of subscribers by pasting data directly.

1. Select Copy and Paste on the flow selection page.
2. Paste your subscriber data into the text area. Each line represents one subscriber. Fields within a line should be separated by the delimiter you select.
3. Configure the data format:

Setting	Description
Field Terminator	The character that separates fields in each line. Options: Comma (,), Semicolon (;), Tab, Pipe (|).
Field Encloser	The character that wraps field values. Options: None, Single quote ('), Double quote (").

4. Click Next to proceed to field mapping.

From File

Use this method to import subscribers from a CSV, XLS, or XLSX file.

1. Select From File on the flow selection page.
2. Upload your file using the file selector.
3. Configure the data format:

Setting	Description
Field Terminator	The character that separates fields in your file. Options: Comma (,), Semicolon (;), Tab, Pipe (|).
Field Encloser	The character that wraps field values. Options: None, Single quote ('), Double quote (").

INFO

The maximum upload file size is displayed on the upload form. If your file exceeds this limit, split it into smaller files or ask your administrator to increase the upload limit.

4. Click Next to proceed to field mapping.

Field Mapping

After entering or uploading data, the field mapping step displays a preview of the detected fields. Map each column from your data to the corresponding subscriber field.

[[SCREENSHOT: Field mapping step showing imported columns on the left mapped to subscriber fields on the right via dropdown selectors]]

For each detected column, select the matching subscriber field from the dropdown:

• Skip this field — Ignores the column during import.
• Email Address — Maps to the subscriber's email address (required — at least one column must be mapped to Email Address).
• Custom Fields — Any custom fields defined for the list appear as mapping options.

TIP

If a column in your data contains a valid email address, Octeth automatically pre-selects the Email Address mapping for that column.

Suppression List Options

Choose whether imported email addresses should also be added to a suppression list:

Option	Description
Don't add to suppression list	Subscribers are imported without being suppressed (default).
Add to global suppression list	Imported addresses are added to the global suppression list, preventing emails across all lists.
Add to list-specific suppression list	Imported addresses are added to this list's suppression list only.

INFO

The suppression list options are useful when importing a list of addresses that should be blocked from receiving emails, such as known bounces or complaint addresses.

Import Settings

Setting	Description
Update duplicates if subscriber already exists	Updates existing subscriber data when a matching email address is found. Checked by default.
Do not send opt-in confirmation email	Only appears for double opt-in lists. Skips sending confirmation emails to imported subscribers. Checked by default.
Trigger behaviors/automations for new subscribers	Triggers configured journeys and automations for each imported subscriber. Unchecked by default.

WARNING

Enabling Trigger behaviors/automations during a large import can generate a high volume of automated emails and journey enrollments. Use this option with caution for large imports.

Click Next to start the import.

Import Results

The results page displays real-time progress as subscribers are imported.

[[SCREENSHOT: Import results page showing the progress bar, total imported count, duplicates count, and failed count]]

A progress bar shows the current completion percentage. Below it, the following statistics are displayed:

Metric	Description
Total subscribers	The total number of records in the import.
Total imported	The number of subscribers successfully added or updated.
Total duplicates	The number of duplicate email addresses encountered. Click Download to get a file of duplicates.
Total failed	The number of records that failed validation. Click Download to get a file of failures.

TIP

Download the duplicates and failures files to review which records were not imported and why. Common failure reasons include invalid email address format and exceeding subscriber limits.

Editing a Subscriber

Click a subscriber's email address in the browse table to open their profile page. The subscriber profile is organized into three tabs: Profile, Enrolled Journeys, and Activity.

[[SCREENSHOT: Subscriber edit page showing the profile tab with tags, default fields, and custom fields in a card layout]]

Subscriptions Sidebar

If the subscriber exists in multiple lists, the left sidebar displays all lists the subscriber belongs to. Click a list name to view the subscriber's profile in the context of that list.

Profile Tab

The Profile tab displays the subscriber's data organized into sections:

Tags

Displays all tags currently applied to the subscriber as badges. Click the x button on a tag badge to remove it. Click Add a tag to assign a new tag.

TIP

Tags are lightweight labels for organizing and targeting subscribers. For details on creating and managing tags, see the Tags article.

Default Fields

Displays the subscriber's core system fields in a card layout:

Field	Description
Email Address	The subscriber's email address. Click to edit inline.
Bounce Type	Current bounce status: Not Bounced, Soft Bounced, or Hard Bounced (read-only).
Subscription Status	Current status with a colored badge: Subscribed, Unsubscribed, or Opt-In Pending (read-only).
Subscription Date	The date the subscriber was added to the list (read-only).

Custom Fields

Displays all custom fields defined for the list with their current values. Field types include text inputs, dropdowns, checkboxes, date pickers, and more, depending on how the custom field was configured.

INFO

Custom fields store additional subscriber data beyond the email address. For details on creating and managing custom fields, see the Custom Fields article.

Enrolled Journeys Tab

Displays a list of journeys the subscriber is currently enrolled in, including the journey name, enrollment date, and current status.

Activity Tab

Displays a visual timeline of the subscriber's engagement history. See Subscriber Activity for details.

Subscriber Statuses

Every subscriber has a subscription status that determines whether they can receive emails. Statuses change based on subscriber actions, bounce processing, and manual operations.

Status	Description	Can Receive Emails?
Subscribed	The subscriber is confirmed and active.	Yes
Unsubscribed	The subscriber has opted out of receiving emails.	No
Opt-In Pending	The subscriber signed up on a double opt-in list but has not yet confirmed.	No
Soft Bounced	A temporary delivery failure occurred (e.g., mailbox full).	Depends on configuration
Hard Bounced	A permanent delivery failure occurred (e.g., address does not exist).	No

How statuses change:

• Subscribed → Unsubscribed — The subscriber clicks an unsubscription link, or an administrator manually unsubscribes them.
• Opt-In Pending → Subscribed — The subscriber clicks the confirmation link in the double opt-in email.
• Opt-In Pending → Unsubscribed — The subscriber clicks the rejection link in the double opt-in email, or the pending period expires.
• Subscribed → Soft Bounced / Hard Bounced — The bounce processing system detects a delivery failure and updates the status.
• Unsubscribed → Subscribed — An administrator manually re-subscribes the subscriber.

INFO

Suppression is not a subscription status — it is a separate mechanism. A subscriber can be both "Subscribed" and "Suppressed". Suppressed subscribers are excluded from email delivery regardless of their subscription status. For details, see Suppression Lists.

Subscriber Actions

The subscriber edit page provides a Subscriber Actions dropdown menu with the following operations:

[[SCREENSHOT: Subscriber Actions dropdown menu expanded showing all available actions]]

Action	Description
Unsubscribe from this list	Changes the subscriber's status to Unsubscribed for the current list. Only available when the subscriber is currently Subscribed.
Re-subscribe to this list	Changes the subscriber's status back to Subscribed. Only available when the subscriber is currently Unsubscribed.
Add to suppression list	Adds the subscriber's email address to the suppression list, preventing email delivery across applicable lists.
Remove from suppression list	Removes the subscriber's email address from the suppression list. Only available when the subscriber is currently suppressed.
Tag subscriber	Opens a dialog to assign one or more tags to the subscriber.
Untag subscriber	Opens a dialog to remove tags from the subscriber.
Enroll in a journey	Enrolls the subscriber in a selected journey automation.
Unenroll from a journey	Removes the subscriber from an active journey.
Mark as hard bounced	Manually sets the subscriber's bounce type to Hard Bounced. Only available when the subscriber is not already hard bounced.
Mark as not bounced	Clears the subscriber's bounce status. Only available when the subscriber is currently bounced.
Unsubscribe from all lists	Unsubscribes the subscriber from every list they belong to.
Export VCard	Downloads the subscriber's information as a VCard (.vcf) contact file.
Delete subscriber	Permanently removes the subscriber from the list.

WARNING

Unsubscribe from all lists affects every list the subscriber belongs to across your account. Use this action carefully.

Subscriber Activity

The Activity tab on the subscriber edit page displays a visual timeline and detailed log of the subscriber's engagement history.

[[SCREENSHOT: Subscriber activity tab showing the timeline visualization at the top and the activity log table below]]

Timeline

The timeline is a horizontal visualization spanning the subscriber's history. Activity events are displayed as colored markers:

Color	Activity Type
Blue	Email opens
Purple	Link clicks
Red	Unsubscriptions
Green	Subscriptions
Yellow	Forwards
Orange	Bounces

Hover over a marker to see the date and details of that activity event.

Activity Log

Below the timeline, a table lists each activity event in chronological order:

Column	Description
Color	A colored indicator matching the activity type.
Date	The date and time the activity occurred.
Action	The type of activity (e.g., Opened, Clicked, Subscribed).
Entity	The name of the related campaign or autoresponder (clickable link).

Exporting Subscribers

To export subscribers from a list:

1. Navigate to the subscriber list and click Export Subscribers (or access it from the subscriber management toolbar).

[[SCREENSHOT: Export Subscribers form showing the subscriber filter dropdown, file format selector, and field multi-select]]

2. Configure the export settings:

Field	Description
List Name	The name of the list being exported (read-only).
Subscribers	Select which subscribers to export. Options include: Active subscribers, Suppressed subscribers, Unsubscribed subscribers, individual segments (listed under a Segments group), Soft bounced subscribers, and Hard bounced subscribers.
File Format	Select the export file format: CSV, XML, or Tab-delimited.
Fields	Select which fields to include in the export. Hold Ctrl (or Cmd on Mac) to select multiple fields. Both default fields and custom fields are available. At least one field must be selected.

3. Click Export Subscribers to submit the export request.

Export History

Click View Export History on the export page to see all previous export requests.

[[SCREENSHOT: Export history page showing a table of export requests with status badges and action buttons]]

Each export request displays:

Column	Description
Request Details	The export name (or "Subscriber Export" if unnamed), export ID, list name, and submission date.
Status	The current status of the export with a colored badge: Pending (grey), Processing (yellow), Completed (green), or Failed (red).
Elapsed Time	The time elapsed since the request was submitted, or the total processing time if completed.

Available actions for each export:

• Rename — Click the pencil icon to rename the export for easier identification.
• Download — Click the download icon to download the completed export file. Only available for completed exports.
• Delete — Click the trash icon to remove a failed export request.

Subscriber Tags

Tags are lightweight labels that help you organize and target subscribers. You can create tags, assign them to subscribers, and use them in segments and journey triggers.

Managing Tags

Navigate to Tags within a subscriber list context to browse, create, and manage tags.

[[SCREENSHOT: Subscriber Tags page showing the browse tab with a list of tags and their IDs]]

The tag management page provides three tabs:

• Browse Subscriber Tags — Displays all tags with their names and IDs. Select tags using checkboxes and click Delete to remove them.
• Create a New Tag — Enter a tag name and click Create to add a new tag.
• Edit Tag — Appears when editing an existing tag. Update the tag name and click Save.

Assigning Tags to Subscribers

Tags can be assigned to subscribers in several ways:

• From the subscriber's profile page, click Add a tag in the Tags section.
• From the Subscriber Actions dropdown, select Tag subscriber.
• During import, tags can be mapped to a custom field.
• Automatically via journey actions.

To remove a tag from a subscriber, click the x button on the tag badge in the subscriber's profile, or select Untag subscriber from the Subscriber Actions dropdown.

TIP

For comprehensive details on tag management, including using tags in segments and journey triggers, see the Tags article.