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EmailOctopus Zapier integrationAutomate EmailOctopus with Zapier.

The EmailOctopus Zapier integration gives you 6 triggers, 5 actions and 1 search to act on opens, clicks, bounces and unsubscribes, and to keep contacts and tags in step with your other tools. Every trigger is instant, and it runs on the free plan.

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Overview

What the EmailOctopus Zapier integration actually does

It links your EmailOctopus account to Zapier, so what your readers do with a campaign (open it, click it, bounce, leave) can start work in other tools, and so those tools can add, tag, update or unsubscribe contacts in your EmailOctopus lists without a CSV in between.

Three outcomes worth building first. Interest you can see: Email Clicked plus Add Tag to Contact marks the readers who clicked, so your next send can target them. A list that stays clean: Email Bounced tells you which addresses failed on a campaign, so you can deal with them in your other tools. Contacts kept in sync: Add/Update Contact pushes people from your shop or CRM into a list, creating them or updating them as needed.

The good news: all six triggers are instant. EmailOctopus tells Zapier as soon as the event happens, so the free plan's 15-minute interval does not apply, and engagement flows feel immediate to the reader.

What it does not do: there is no action to create or send a campaign, and nothing to delete a contact. Every action, and the search, works inside one list: you always pick the list and give the email address, so a contact on two lists means two steps. If you are comparing platforms, the EmailOctopus Make integration covers the same app.

Vocabulary

Zapier vocabulary in one minute

Seven words keep coming back on this page. Here they are once, in plain English.

Zap
The automation you build on Zapier: one trigger, then one or more actions that run each time the trigger event happens.
Trigger
The event that starts the Zap, for example a click in an EmailOctopus campaign. Once the Zap is on, Zapier waits for it.
Action
What the Zap does once it has started: the step that adds, tags or unsubscribes a contact for you.
Task
The unit Zapier bills: one action your Zap completed successfully. Your plan's allowance is counted in those.
Instant vs polling
An instant trigger is reported by the app the moment it happens; a polling one is checked on a timer. EmailOctopus only has instant ones.
Filter
A step that lets the Zap carry on only when what arrived meets the condition you set, and stops it otherwise.
Search step
A step that looks up something that already exists, like a contact in a list, so the steps after it can use what it found.
Cost

What it really costs

EmailOctopus is not a premium app on Zapier, so it works from the free plan. You pay in tasks.

  • Premium appNo, works on the free plan
  • Free plan100 tasks a month, two-step Zaps
  • BilledEach successful action
  • Triggers6 instant, no interval to wait for

The trigger costs nothing. Each action that succeeds counts one task; one that fails is not counted. The free plan gives 100 tasks a month and only builds two-step Zaps: one trigger, one action. Add a second action, a filter or Find Contact and the Zap becomes multi-step, which needs a paid plan. The interval grid below is for polling triggers only: EmailOctopus's fire straight away whatever your plan.

Connect

Connect EmailOctopus to Zapier

  1. 01

    Open the Apps page

    In your Zapier account, go to Apps and click + Add connection. You need an EmailOctopus account first, plus access to the lists you want the Zap to touch if you do not own them.

  2. 02

    Pick EmailOctopus

    Type EmailOctopus in the search box of the dialog, select it in the results, then click Add connection. A new tab then opens on the EmailOctopus sign-in.

  3. 03

    Sign in and grant access

    Log in with the EmailOctopus account that holds your lists, then grant Zapier access. That connection is reused by every EmailOctopus step of every Zap you build afterwards.

First Zap

Your first Zap: move clickers from cold to engaged

GoalWhen a reader clicks a link in your launch campaign, add an engaged tag and remove the cold tag, so your segments follow real behaviour.

  1. 01

    Build the trigger

    Create a Zap, pick EmailOctopus as the app and Email Clicked as the event, then choose the campaign to watch. The trigger is instant, so there is no timing to set.

  2. 02

    Test the trigger

    Run the test. Zapier brings back the three most recent items of your connected account, so you map the next steps on a real click rather than on a blank template.

  3. 03

    Add the engaged tag

    Add Add Tag to Contact, pick the list, map the email address from the test, and choose the engaged tag. Test it and check the contact in EmailOctopus.

  4. 04

    Remove the cold tag

    Add Remove Tag From Contact on the same list and email, with the cold tag. Each successful step counts as one task for every click that comes in.

  5. 05

    Publish

    Click Publish to switch the Zap on. With two actions this is a multi-step Zap, so it needs a paid plan; on the free plan, keep only the first action.

Triggers

EmailOctopus triggers

6 events start a Zap when something happens in EmailOctopus, and 6 of them are instant: the app calls Zapier straight away, whatever your plan.

1

Email Bounced

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when an email to a recipient bounces from a specific campaign.”

Fires when an email from the campaign you pick bounces for a recipient. It is the early warning that an address on your list no longer works.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
a SaaS founder who wants each bounced address flagged in the CRM so sales stops using it too.
Watch out
the trigger watches one campaign; a Zap set on last month's send will not hear about this month's bounces.
2

Email Clicked

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a recipient clicks a link in an email from a specific campaign.”

Hands the Zap each recipient who clicks a link in an email from a given campaign. Clicks are the clearest sign of interest an email can give you.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
an online course creator who tags everyone who clicked the enrolment link, so the reminder only goes to them.
Watch out
you must pick the campaign; for a new send, duplicate the Zap or change the campaign before it goes out.
3

Email Opened

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a recipient opens an email from a specific campaign.”

Starts the Zap whenever a recipient opens an email from the campaign you choose. It casts a wider net than clicks.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
a newsletter writer who wants openers copied into a list of active readers for a sponsor report.
Watch out
a campaign sent to a large list produces a lot of opens in a short time, and each run that reaches an action costs a task.
4

Contact Unsubscribes

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a contact unsubscribes.”

Fires when a contact leaves the list you point it at. It is the signal every other tool that writes to that person should hear about.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
a store that also runs a second EmailOctopus list for offers and wants an opt-out on one respected on the other.
Watch out
it watches one list only, so a business with several lists needs one Zap per list.
5

New Contact

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new contact is created.”

Reacts to each new contact created in the list you choose, and hands their details to the next steps.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
a podcast host who wants every new subscriber logged as a lead in the sponsorship tracker.
Watch out
a Zap on this trigger that adds contacts back into the same list sets itself off again and again.
6

New or Updated Contact

Instant trigger

In Zapier“Triggers when a new contact is created or an existing contact is updated.”

Goes off both when a contact is created and each time an existing one changes in the chosen list. It is the trigger for keeping a copy in sync.

How it fires
the app tells Zapier the moment it happens, so the Zap starts right away, whatever your plan
When to use it
mirroring contact details into the spreadsheet your finance team reads, overwriting the row each time.
Watch out
it fires again on every edit, so never make it create a new record elsewhere: you would get one duplicate per change.
Actions

EmailOctopus actions

EmailOctopus gives you 5 actions. For each one: what it does for you, when to reach for it, and what to watch out for.

1

Add Tag to Contact

Action

In Zapier“Adds a tag to an existing contact.”

Sticks a tag on a contact that already exists in a list. Tags let you slice a list without building a new one.

When to use it
marking webinar attendees so the replay email only goes to them.
Watch out
the contact has to exist already; on a new address, run Add/Update Contact before it.
2

Remove Tag From Contact

Action

In Zapier“Removes a tag from an existing contact.”

Takes a tag off an existing contact, leaving the contact and its other tags alone.

When to use it
a trial user who pays should lose the trial tag so the onboarding nudges stop.
Watch out
it asks for the list, the email address and the tags; pick the same list where the tag was set.
3

Unsubscribe Contact

Action

In Zapier“Unsubscribes a contact from a list.”

Unsubscribes a contact from one list, found by its email address. It is the opt-out you would otherwise click by hand in EmailOctopus.

When to use it
an opt-out recorded in your support tool should stop your newsletter as well.
Watch out
it acts on one list; for several lists, add one step per list.
4

Update Contact's Email Address

Action

In Zapier“Updates the email address of a contact.”

Swaps a contact's address for a new one in a list, keeping the contact instead of making a fresh one. You give the current address and the new one.

When to use it
a client changes their email in your billing tool and your newsletter should follow.
Watch out
it asks for the list, the current address and the new one; map all three from the step before.
5

Add/Update Contact

Action

In Zapier“Adds a new contact to a list or updates an existing contact.”

Puts a person into a list: if the email is new, the contact is created; if it exists, it is updated. That is what makes it safe for syncing.

When to use it
every buyer in your shop goes into the customers list without creating duplicates.
Watch out
the Resubscribe option brings back contacts who unsubscribed; use it with real care.
Searches

The EmailOctopus search

1 search step looks for data that already exists in EmailOctopus, so a later step can use it.

A search step changes nothing: it looks up a contact and hands it to the steps after it. In the editor it sits at the bottom of the Action event list, under SEARCH. Three settings decide what happens when the answer is not clean.

1

Find Contact

Search

In Zapier“Find a contact by their email address.”

Looks up a contact by email address inside one list and returns it to the next steps. It is how a Zap checks whether someone is already on a list before doing anything.

When to use it
only tag customers who are already on the newsletter list, and leave the others alone.
Watch out
it searches the list you pick, not your whole account.

The three settings every search exposes

  1. Successful if no search results are found?
    Left as is, a search that finds nobody stops the Zap and skips the steps that relied on it. Switched on, the Zap carries on empty-handed.
  2. Create Contact if it doesn't exist yet?
    This box turns a search into a find-or-create on apps that offer it. EmailOctopus exposes no find-or-create, so Find Contact never creates anyone.
  3. If multiple search results are found?
    Keep the first match (the default), stop the Zap, or pass every match on at once.
When it breaks

When the EmailOctopus Zap breaks

Zapier links no help article to this app, and no app-specific limit is documented. What breaks here are the general limits of any Zap, plus the list and campaign choices EmailOctopus asks for.

  • Past opens and clicks never arrive

    A Zap only reacts to what happens after you publish it. Opens, clicks and contacts from before are not picked up; moving that history is a separate job.

  • The Zap feeds itself

    A Zap on New Contact or New or Updated Contact that writes into the same list sets itself off again and again, and burns through your tasks.

  • A big send gets held back

    A bulk import or a migration can make a trigger return a huge batch at once. Zapier's flood protection may hold it back.

  • Updates turn into duplicates

    New or Updated Contact fires on every edit. If its action creates a record in another tool, each change adds one more copy there.
Need help

Need help automating EmailOctopus with Zapier?

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FAQ

EmailOctopus Zapier integration: questions

01Is the EmailOctopus Zapier integration free?
Yes, EmailOctopus is not a premium app, so it runs on the free Zapier plan. That plan gives 100 tasks a month and builds two-step Zaps only: one trigger and one action. A Zap with two actions, a filter or the Find Contact search is multi-step and needs a paid plan. You also need your own EmailOctopus account with at least one list, since every action asks you to pick one.
02How many tasks does an EmailOctopus Zap use?
One task per action that succeeds, and nothing for the trigger. A Zap that tags each clicker uses one task per click; one that adds a tag and removes another uses two. Actions that fail are not counted. The ones to watch are Email Opened and Email Clicked on a big send: many events arrive in a short time, and every run that reaches an action costs a task. Check the task history after the first campaign.
03Does EmailOctopus trigger Zaps in real time?
Yes, all six EmailOctopus triggers are instant: the app tells Zapier as soon as the event happens, and the Zap starts right away whatever your plan. The 15-minute polling interval of the free plan does not apply to them. In the editor, a Zap built on an instant trigger shows a lightning bolt. The type is set by the app itself and cannot be changed from the editor, so there is nothing to configure.
04What does it take to connect EmailOctopus to Zapier?
An EmailOctopus account, and access to the lists the Zap should work on if they are not yours. In Zapier you open Apps, click + Add connection, pick EmailOctopus, sign in in the tab that opens and grant access. The connection is then reused by every Zap that uses EmailOctopus, so you only do it once. Have your lists ready, and send the campaign first if you plan a campaign trigger.
05Why does New or Updated Contact create duplicates?
Because it fires both when a contact is created and every time an existing one is edited. If its action creates a new record in another tool, each edit of the same contact produces another record there. Use it to overwrite or update a copy, and start creations from New Contact instead. A Zap on either trigger that writes back into the same EmailOctopus list also sets itself off again.
06What if the EmailOctopus operation you need does not exist?
Check the list first: 6 triggers, 5 actions and 1 search, with nothing to create or send a campaign and nothing to delete a contact. Tags are often the way round: Add Tag to Contact and Remove Tag From Contact let you segment a list without building a new one. The usual route is to rethink the flow around tags and lists, which every action handles, or to handle that step in EmailOctopus itself. Note the gap before you build, so the Zap does not promise more than the integration offers.
07Zapier, Make or n8n for EmailOctopus?
It depends on your criteria rather than on a winner. Zapier is the shortest path if your team already uses it and the 12 visible operations cover the job; the instant triggers help for engagement flows. This page only documents the Zapier side, so it does not rank the three. On that side, EmailOctopus is not a premium app, so it runs from the free plan, and a two-step Zap costs one task per run. Compare the operations each one exposes for EmailOctopus, then price your volume in each model.
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