Recipient lists define who a mailing is sent to.

There are three ways to make a recipient list:

• ✏️ Create a new query: Make a query inside the mailing

• 📥 Import a query: Bring in a query built outside the mailing

• 📁 Upload a spreadsheet: Upload a recipient list to a mailing

✏️ Create a new query

To create a recipient list in a mailing:

1. Click Edit Recipient Lists.

2. Click New Query. A popup appears.

3. Configure the following settings:

   • Name: Enter a name for the query.

   • List Type: Select Include or Suppression List to include or exclude query results from the recipient list, respectively.

   • Type: Configurable Joins

   • Category: Records

   • Query Base: Select a base for the query.

4. Click Save.

What is a Live Query?

When a mailing list is generated using the Build Query option, the query will be saved as a Live Query (sometimes called a Tracking Query). This means two things:

1. Slate will run the query at the time the mailing is being sent.
   For example, the new Deliver campaign for all international students is built on a Monday with a plan to send the message on Friday. On Monday there are 20 international students in the query results. On Wednesday 10 more international students are added to Slate. When the message sends on Friday, the Live Query will send the message to all 30 records.

2. By default, Slate will store the execution history when a query is run, and each record will only be included once.

   The 30 records above would then be stored and would not be included the next time the mailing runs. If the Deliver campaign is an Ongoing campaign, the message will only be sent to new international records that entered Slate since the last message was sent.

Configuring the query

Add exports to the query. These exports are available in the message content as merge fields. For example, the email address export is used to determine the recipient field.

Add filters to further segment the records targeted, or suppressed, for the mailing.

Queries built for recipient lists are provided a 5-minute processing window. For more information about how to build efficient queries, visit the Optimizing Queries article. Slate will run the query at the time the Mailing is sent and stores the execution history when a query is run.

Creating more than one query

Multiple recipient lists can be created for a single mailing. For example, if you need two recipient lists from different query bases (one list for prospects and one for applications) you can make a query for each.

All active queries are evaluated during the selected delivery windows. Similarly, multiple Recipient Lists can be included for Suppression purposes.

👀 Be aware:

• The user and base of a recipient list query cannot be changed once it’s created. If you need to change either, build a new recipient list.

• The query base can return multiple objects for the same person. For instance, if an applicant already received a mailing using an application-scoped Recipient List, and started a new application, they will receive the mailing again

• Make it Match! When multiple lists are used for recipients, export fields in all lists must match. For example, if one list is built from a Live Query, additional Live Queries must contain the same exports and any uploaded spreadsheets must have matching headers.

📥 Import a query

Queries saved in the Deliver > Templates folder can be imported as a recipient list query into a Deliver message. If a previously saved query should be imported into a Deliver message, take the following steps:

1. Create a query in a Deliver > Templates folder in the Query tool. If a query was created previously that should be used in a recipient list, either move it to a folder called "Deliver" with a sub-folder called "Templates", or make a copy of it and place it in this folder. 

2. Once a query is saved in this folder, "Import Query" will appear as an option for a Deliver mailing's recipient lists. Click Import Query on the recipient lists page of the Deliver message and select the desired query.

By adding a query as a recipient list in this manner, the imported query becomes a "live" query and can be adjusted as necessary for the message.

Make sure the "Sharing" setting is checked on the saved query.

📁 Upload a spreadsheet

Uploading a spreadsheet for use as a Recipient or Suppression List is possible, yet discouraged. That's because this route is limited and difficult to troubleshoot.

• Recipients imported via spreadsheet will not have the Mailing associated with their record, thus preventing future querying and filtering on records that were included in a Mailing.

• Mailings can not be resent a second time using the same uploaded spreadsheet

• Spreadsheet Recipient Lists are only stored in Slate for 60 days. If a Mailing is scheduled for more than 60 days after the date the spreadsheet is uploaded, the mailing will no longer send to those recipients. However, Slate will retain Deliver Statistics for Mailings after the spreadsheet is deleted.

📖 Further reading

• Optimizing Queries

• Opt Out with Message Groups