Subscribers

What Are Subscribers?

Subscribers are the individuals on your mailing lists—the people who will receive your campaigns. Each subscriber has a unique email address within your workspace, along with optional personal details like name and tags.

Think of subscribers as your audience database:

• Email address — Their unique identifier
• Personal info — First/last name, custom fields
• Subscription status — Subscribed, unsubscribed, or bounced
• Segments — Grouping for targeted campaigns

Every campaign you send is delivered to a subset of your subscribers based on targeting rules and segments you define.

Accessing Your Subscribers

View All Subscribers

To see your complete subscriber list:

1. Click Subscribers in the sidebar
2. You'll see a paginated table of all subscribers in your workspace

Each row shows:

• Email address (clickable to view details)
• First name (if available)
• Last name (if available)
• Subscription status
• Segments (if assigned)

Filtering and Searching Subscribers

Quick Search

Find subscribers using:

Search by email or name:

• Partial matches work (e.g., "john" finds "john@example.com" and "John Smith")
• Case-insensitive search
• Real-time results

Example searches:

• user@example.com — Exact email
• john — Any subscriber with "john" in email or name
• smith — Last names containing "smith"

Filter by Subscription Status

Narrow results by status:

Common filter scenarios:

• Show only Subscribed → To see active audience
• Show only Unsubscribed → To review who opted out
• Show only Bounced → To identify bad email addresses

Combine Filters

Use multiple filters together:

• Search: "user@gmail.com"
• Status: "Subscribed"
• Result: That one subscriber, if they're subscribed

Viewing a Subscriber Profile

Click any subscriber's email address to see their complete profile:

Subscriber Details Section

Basic Information:

• Email address
• First name
• Last name
• Subscription status
• Join date
• Last updated date

Segment Membership:

• All segments this subscriber belongs to
• Used to organize targeted campaigns

Messages Section

Complete history of emails sent to this subscriber:

Use this to:

• Track engagement with specific subscriber
• Verify message delivery
• Troubleshoot email issues
• See if they opened/clicked campaigns

Engagement Summary

If tracking is enabled, see:

• Total emails sent to this subscriber
• How many they've opened
• How many links they've clicked
• Recent activity timeline

Adding Subscribers

Manual Addition (Single Subscriber)

Add one subscriber at a time through the interface:

1. Go to Subscribers
2. Click + New Subscriber
3. Fill in the form:

• Email (required) — Must be unique in your workspace
• First Name (optional)
• Last Name (optional)
• Subscribe — Toggle to set subscription status
• Segments (optional) — Choose relevant segments

4. Click Save

Use this for:

• Adding a single person manually
• Testing before importing bulk lists
• Adding subscriber as they sign up

CSV Import (Bulk)

Import hundreds or thousands of subscribers at once:

1. Go to Subscribers
2. Click the ⋯ (menu) button
3. Click Import Subscribers
4. Prepare your CSV file (see format below)
5. Click Browse and select your file
6. Optionally assign segments to all imported subscribers
7. Click Upload

CSV File Format

Your CSV file must have:

• Header row (first row) with column names
• Data rows (one subscriber per row)
• Columns in this exact order:

Example CSV:

id,email,first_name,last_name
,john@example.com,John,Smith
,sarah@example.com,Sarah,Jones
42,mary@example.com,Mary,Wilson

Explanation:

• Row 1: Headers (required, exact names and order)
• Row 2: New subscriber John Smith
• Row 3: New subscriber Sarah Jones
• Row 4: Update existing subscriber (ID 42) with new email

CSV Upload Steps

1. Prepare your file:

• Use Excel, Google Sheets, or any text editor
• Save as .csv format
• Include header row with exact column names
• Verify email addresses are valid

2. Select file:

• Click Browse button
• Choose your prepared CSV file

3. Assign segments (optional):

• If you have segments created, choose which ones apply
• Note: Segments apply to ALL subscribers in the import
• To assign different segments to different subscribers, do separate imports

4. Upload:

• Click Upload button
• Wait for confirmation

5. Review results:

• Successfully imported: How many subscribers added/updated
• Errors: Any rows that failed (and why)
• View import log for details

CSV Import Behavior

Creating new subscribers:

• Email doesn't exist → New subscriber created with that email and names

Updating existing subscribers:

• Email already exists → First and last names are updated
• To update email address: Must include id field (from export)

Duplicate prevention:

• Emails are unique per workspace
• Importing same email twice in same file → Uses first occurrence, skips duplicates

Segment assignment:

• All subscribers in one import get same segments
• To use different segments per subscriber, use API or do multiple imports

Common CSV Issues

"Invalid CSV format"

• Header row missing
• Column names don't match exactly (case-sensitive)
• Columns in wrong order

"Duplicate email address"

• Two rows have same email in one file
• Email already exists in workspace
• Remove duplicates and retry

"Missing required field"

• Email column is empty
• Check that all data rows have email addresses

API Import (Programmatic)

For advanced automation, use the API to create and update subscribers:

POST /api/subscribers
{
  "email": "user@example.com",
  "first_name": "John",
  "last_name": "Doe",
  "subscribed": true,
  "segments": [1, 2, 3]
}

See the Subscribers API documentation for full details.

Updating Subscribers

Edit Single Subscriber

To change a subscriber's details:

1. Go to Subscribers
2. Click their email address to open profile
3. Click Edit button
4. Update any of:

• First name
• Last name
• Subscription status (toggle Subscribe switch)
• Segments

5. Click Save

What you can edit:

• ✅ Name, segments, status
• ❌ Email (must delete and re-add to change)

Bulk Update via CSV

To update multiple subscribers at once:

1. Export current subscribers (see Exporting Subscribers below)
2. Edit the exported file with updates
3. Make sure id column is filled for updates
4. Upload the modified CSV
5. Existing emails will be updated; new emails will be created

Update via API

Programmatically update subscriber information:

PATCH /api/subscribers/{id}
{
  "first_name": "Updated Name"
}

Exporting Subscribers

Download your subscriber list for backup, analysis, or migration:

1. Go to Subscribers
2. Click the ⋯ (menu) button
3. Click Export Subscribers
4. File downloads as CSV

Exported file contains:

• id — Subscriber ID (needed for updates via CSV)
• email — Email address
• first_name — First name
• last_name — Last name
• subscribed — Subscription status (true/false)
• segments — Segment IDs assigned

Uses for export:

• Backup — Save your list regularly
• Migration — Move to another email platform
• Analysis — Analyze data in Excel or Google Sheets
• Re-import — Update multiple subscribers via CSV

Segments

Segments allow you to organize subscribers into groups for targeted campaigns.

What Are Segments?

Segments are tags or categories for your subscribers:

• Newsletter subscribers — People who opted into newsletter
• Premium users — Paid customers
• Inactive users — Haven't opened email in 90 days
• Geographic regions — USA, Europe, Asia, etc.

A single subscriber can belong to multiple segments.

Using Segments

When creating/editing subscriber:

• Check the segments that apply to this subscriber
• One subscriber can have many segments

When creating campaign:

• Choose which segments to target
• Only subscribers in selected segments receive campaign
• Enables precise audience targeting

Example workflow:

1. Create segments: "Newsletter", "Premium", "Trial"
2. Import subscribers and assign appropriate segments
3. Send newsletter to "Newsletter" segment only
4. Send product announcement to "Premium" segment

See the Segments documentation for detailed setup.

Subscription Status Management

Understanding Statuses

Subscribed

• Subscriber is active and able to receive campaigns
• Default status for newly added subscribers
• Can manually toggle to Unsubscribed

Unsubscribed

• Subscriber has opted out and will not receive campaigns
• Set when subscriber clicks unsubscribe link
• Can be manually changed back to Subscribed if they re-engage

Bounced

• Email provider rejected the message as undeliverable
• Typically means email address is invalid or no longer exists
• Should be cleaned up from your list

Pending

• Subscription awaiting confirmation (double opt-in)
• Subscriber hasn't clicked confirmation link yet
• Only used if double opt-in is enabled

Manual Unsubscribing

To manually unsubscribe a subscriber:

1. Go to Subscribers
2. Click the subscriber's email
3. Click Edit
4. Uncheck the Subscribed checkbox
5. Click Save

The subscriber is now unsubscribed and won't receive future campaigns.

Unsubscribe Links

Automatic Unsubscribe Links

Laravel Mail Platform can automatically inject unsubscribe links into your emails, allowing subscribers to opt out themselves.

How Unsubscribe Works

1. Subscriber clicks unsubscribe link

• Link included in email footer

2. Confirmation page loads

• Subscriber sees: "Are you sure you want to unsubscribe?"
• Two options: Confirm or Cancel

3. If they confirm:

• Subscription status changes to "Unsubscribed"
• They see confirmation message
• Offered option to resubscribe

4. If they cancel:

• Remain subscribed
• Redirected to your website

Setting Up Unsubscribe Links

In your email template:

Use the unsubscribe placeholder tag:

<p>
  Don't want these emails?
  <a href="{unsubscribe_link}">Unsubscribe here</a>
</p>

Or use a built-in template variable:

{{unsubscribe_link}}

The system automatically generates a unique unsubscribe link for each recipient.

Best Practices for Unsubscribe

✅ Do:

• Include unsubscribe link in every email (often required by law)
• Place in footer where it's easy to find
• Make the link text clear: "Unsubscribe" or "Manage Preferences"
• Honor unsubscribe requests immediately
• Keep a record of unsubscribe requests

❌ Don't:

• Hide the unsubscribe link
• Make it hard to find
• Require login to unsubscribe
• Ignore unsubscribe requests
• Sell to or contact unsubscribed email addresses

Compliance

CAN-SPAM Act (USA):

• Requires unsubscribe link in every marketing email
• Must honor unsubscribe within 10 business days
• Violators face fines up to $43,280 per email

GDPR (Europe):

• Subscribers must be able to withdraw consent
• Unsubscribe must be as easy as subscribing
• Must maintain record of unsubscribe requests

Best Practices

List Health

Keep your list clean:

• Remove hard bounces (invalid addresses)
• Remove unsubscribed addresses
• Monitor bounce rates (should be < 3%)
• Re-engagement campaigns for inactive subscribers

Example workflow:

1. Monthly: Check bounced messages
2. Monthly: Send engagement campaign to inactive users (no opens in 90 days)
3. Quarterly: Export list and validate email addresses
4. Quarterly: Remove unengaged subscribers

Segment Strategy

Organize for success:

• Create segments based on source (website, event, partner)
• Create segments based on engagement (active, inactive, high-value)
• Create segments based on demographics (location, company size)
• Create segments based on interests (newsletter, product updates)

Example segments:

Website Subscribers
├─ Active
├─ Inactive
└─ Bounced

Paid Customers
├─ Premium
├─ Standard
└─ Cancelled

Engagement
├─ Opened Last 30 Days
├─ Clicked Last 60 Days
└─ Haven't Engaged

Data Quality

When importing:

• Validate emails before uploading
• Remove duplicates
• Check for typos in names
• Use consistent formatting
• Segment during import, not after

Before campaigns:

• Preview with test subscriber
• Check personalization (names appear correctly)
• Verify links work
• Test unsubscribe link

Privacy & Compliance

• Collect consent — Always get permission before adding to list
• Double opt-in — Consider requiring email confirmation
• Document sources — Know where each subscriber came from
• Honor preferences — Respect segment choices and unsubscribe
• Data protection — Use HTTPS for forms, secure exports
• Retention policy — Delete data after reasonable period

Troubleshooting

"Email already exists"

Problem: Can't add subscriber because email already in workspace

Solutions:

• Search for the email to find existing subscriber
• Edit existing subscriber instead of creating new one
• If needed to remove, delete existing subscriber first

"Import failed - invalid CSV"

Problem: CSV file rejected with format error

Check:

• [ ] First row is header row with exact column names: id,email,first_name,last_name
• [ ] Column order is correct (id first, then email, then names)
• [ ] All rows have email address (required field)
• [ ] No extra blank rows at end of file
• [ ] File is .csv format, not .xlsx or other

"Unsubscribe link not working"

Problem: Subscriber clicks unsubscribe but nothing happens

Troubleshoot:

• Check that {unsubscribe_link} or {{unsubscribe_link}} is in template
• Verify preview shows working link (not broken HTML)
• Test link before sending campaign
• Check subscriber email isn't already unsubscribed

"Subscriber doesn't receive emails"

Problem: Subscriber on list but doesn't get campaigns

Check:

• [ ] Subscriber status is "Subscribed" (not unsubscribed)
• [ ] Email address is correct (no typos)
• [ ] Subscriber is in targeted segment (if filtering by segment)
• [ ] Email wasn't bounced previously
• [ ] Check spam folder (email provider filtering)

Related Documentation

• Segments — Organize subscribers into groups
• Campaigns — Send campaigns to subscribers
• Messages — View individual emails sent
• Templates — Create reusable email designs
• API: Subscribers — Programmatic subscriber management

Quick Reference

Common Actions:

• Add one subscriber — Subscribers → New Subscriber
• Add many subscribers — Subscribers → Import Subscribers (CSV)
• Update subscriber — Click email → Edit → Save
• View history — Click email → See Messages section
• Export list — Subscribers → Export Subscribers
• Unsubscribe someone — Click email → Edit → Uncheck Subscribed → Save

Subscriber Statuses:

• Subscribed — Active; will receive campaigns
• Unsubscribed — Opted out; won't receive campaigns
• Bounced — Invalid address; needs cleanup
• Pending — Awaiting opt-in confirmation

Segments:

• Group subscribers by interests, source, or engagement
• Use to target campaigns to specific audiences
• One subscriber can belong to multiple segments

Unsubscribe:

• Add {{unsubscribe_link}} to templates
• Subscriber clicks link to opt out
• Confirmation required; can resubscribe if desired
• Required by law (CAN-SPAM, GDPR)