This article covers:
What inclusion and exclusion rules do, and the problem they solve
Setting a rule at the individual automation level, or globally
Referencing an automation you're still building, not just an existing one
What this is not
In short
With several automations active at once, the same fan can land in more than one audience and receive multiple communications in a short window. An inclusion or exclusion rule lets you suppress or restrict an automation's audience based on whether a fan appears in another automation's results, within a time window you choose. Rules are evaluated at run time, the same way segment filters are.
The problem this solves
Running many automations at once, for example a dozen active at the same time, means the same fan can qualify for several of them in a short span and receive communications from all of them. Without a way to check a fan's recent history in other automations, this can erode the fan experience and increase the risk of opt-outs, particularly as you scale up how many automations you run.
What you can configure
Set a rule at the individual automation level, or set it globally so it applies to any automation.
Choose exclusion or inclusion, see the comparison below.
Set the window the rule looks back over, for example 1, 3, or 7 days, using an absolute or relative date.
Apply more than one inclusion or exclusion rule to a single automation.
Reference the automation you're currently creating, not only ones that already exist. See below.
Important: A rule resolves against the segments that exist at time of each automation run.
Exclusion vs. inclusion
| Exclusion | Inclusion |
Does | Removes fans who appear in the referenced automation's results within the window | Restricts the audience to only fans who appear in the referenced automation's results within the window |
Use it for | Avoiding over-communicating the same fan across automations | Building a journey: acting only on fans who already went through a prior step |
Referencing the automation you're building
You don't have to save an automation first to reference it in another automation's rule. While you're creating a new automation, it appears in the inclusion or exclusion selector as an option labeled 'This automation'. Once you save, the reference resolves to the saved automation. If you cancel without saving, any rule that referenced it is not saved either.
What this is not
Not a permanent ban list or block list. This is a rolling window rule, not permanent suppression. A fan excluded today can qualify again once they fall outside the window.
Not a cross-automation deduplication tool. A fan excluded from one automation is still eligible for every other automation that doesn't reference it.
FAQ
Can I apply more than one inclusion or exclusion rule to a single automation?
Yes. Multiple rules can be applied to the same automation.
If a new segment is created for the automation I'm referencing, does that show up in the rule?
Yes. The rule resolves against all segments for the included or excluded automation each time the automation runs.
Does the rule apply to one automation or across my whole account?
You choose. Set it at the individual automation level, or set it globally so it applies to any automation.
Still need help?
Contact StellarAlgo support and include the automation name, whether the rule is an inclusion or an exclusion, and the automation it references.