When you make changes to an active automation and re-publish it, the behavior depends on what you changed and where contacts currently are in the sequence. This article answers the most common questions about re-publishing an automation in your automation builder.

Frequently Asked Questions About Re-Publishing an Automation

Can I change the text of an email in an active automation?

Yes. After you re-publish the automation, the revised email will only be sent to contacts who have not yet received that email. Contacts who already received the original version will not receive the updated version.

What happens when I change a timer while contacts are already moving through the sequence?

Editing timers in an active automation can cause unintended consequences and unpredictable behavior for contacts currently queued in the sequence. If you need to edit a timer in a live automation, see Best practices for editing timers in an active automation before making changes.

Can I change where a link points without breaking the Link Clicked goal that follows it?

Yes, as long as you do not delete the link and replace it with a new one. The Link Clicked goal tracks the specific hyperlink you created, and you can update the destination URL at any time without affecting the goal. If you delete the link and add a brand new one in its place, the Link Clicked goal will no longer track the new link. In that case, you will need to reconfigure the Link Clicked goal to track the new link.

What happens when I add a new goal to an active automation?

Goals cannot be achieved retroactively. A newly published goal can only be achieved by future actions, not past ones. For example, if you add a goal that triggers when a specific tag is applied, the automation will only respond to new applications of that tag after you publish. Contacts who already have that tag will not be pulled into the automation automatically. The same rule applies to purchase-based goals — only new purchases of the specified product will achieve the goal after you publish.

What happens when I add a new email in the middle of an existing sequence?

Only contacts who have not yet reached that point in the sequence will receive the newly added email. Contacts who have already passed that step in the sequence will not receive the email.

What happens when I remove an email from an active sequence?

If you remove an email from an active sequence, the automation builder will not send that email to any contacts who would have received it. If you also remove the timer associated with that email, the automation builder will recalculate the timing of all future steps and process them accordingly.

What happens when I add a new email or step to the end of an existing sequence?

Contacts who have not yet reached the end of the sequence will process the new step based on the sequence setup. Contacts who have already completed the sequence or are queued at the end of the sequence will not receive the additional step.

Best Practice: Build Your Automation Before Launching

The safest approach is to fully build and test your automation before publishing it to active contacts. If you need to add steps to an existing sequence and want all queued contacts to receive those steps, add a new sequence after the existing one instead of inserting steps into the middle. When contacts finish the existing sequence without a next step to move to, the automation builder places them in a queued list. Adding a new sequence afterward will funnel all queued contacts into the new sequence at the same time, and the automation builder will calculate the new steps for everyone.