Managing Subscribers

This guide covers everything you need to know about managing your subscriber base effectively.

Adding Subscribers

Manual Addition via Dashboard

Perfect for adding individual subscribers or small batches:

1. Navigate to Subscribers in the sidebar
2. Click "Add Subscriber" in the top right
3. Enter the email address
4. Optionally select segments
5. Click "Create"

API Integration

For automated subscription flows on your website:

async function subscribeUser(email) {
  const response = await fetch(
    "https://api.penna.dev/api/v1/external/newsletters/subscriber/new",
    {
      method: "POST",
      headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "x-penna-public-key": "YOUR_PUBLIC_KEY",
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({ email }),
    },
  );

  return response.json();
}

Bulk Import (Coming Soon)

Import subscribers from CSV:

1. Prepare a CSV file with email column
2. Go to Subscribers → Import
3. Upload your CSV
4. Map columns
5. Review and confirm

Viewing Subscribers

Subscriber List

Your subscriber list shows:

• Email address
• Subscription date
• Segments
• Status (Active, Unsubscribed)
• Engagement metrics (coming soon)

Search & Filter

Find subscribers quickly:

• Search by email - Type in the search bar
• Filter by segment - Select one or more segments
• Filter by status - Active, unsubscribed, bounced
• Sort - By date, email, or engagement

Subscriber Details

Click any subscriber to view:

• Full email address
• Subscription date and time
• Source (API, manual, import)
• Segments they belong to
• Newsletter engagement history
• Manage subscription status

Organizing with Segments

Creating Segments

Segments help you organize subscribers by:

• Interest (e.g., "Web Development", "Design")
• Plan type (e.g., "Free Users", "Pro Users")
• Behavior (e.g., "Highly Engaged", "New Subscribers")
• Source (e.g., "Blog Signup", "Product Trial")

To create a segment:

1. Go to Segments
2. Click "New Segment"
3. Name your segment
4. Add a description (optional)
5. Click "Create"

Adding Subscribers to Segments

During subscriber creation:

• Check the segments when adding a new subscriber

For existing subscribers:

1. Select subscriber(s) from the list
2. Click "Add to Segment"
3. Choose segment(s)
4. Confirm

From subscriber profile:

1. Open subscriber details
2. Click "Edit Segments"
3. Select or deselect segments
4. Save changes

Using Segments for Targeted Sends

When composing a newsletter:

1. Click "Compose"
2. Write your content
3. In recipients section, select:
   • All subscribers, or
   • Specific segments
4. Review recipient count
5. Send

Subscriber Status

Active

Normal subscribers who can receive newsletters.

Unsubscribed

Subscribers who opted out. They:

• Won't receive newsletters
• Remain in your database
• Can resubscribe at any time

Bounced (Coming Soon)

Emails that repeatedly bounce are automatically marked:

• Soft bounce - Temporary issues (full inbox, server down)
• Hard bounce - Permanent issues (invalid email)

Hard bounces are automatically removed after confirmation.

Unsubscribe Management

Automatic Unsubscribe Links

Every newsletter automatically includes an unsubscribe link at the bottom. When clicked:

1. Subscriber is marked as unsubscribed
2. They're redirected to confirmation page
3. They stop receiving newsletters immediately

Manual Unsubscribe via Dashboard

To manually unsubscribe someone:

1. Find the subscriber
2. Open their profile
3. Click "Unsubscribe"
4. Confirm action

Re-subscribing

If someone wants to re-subscribe:

1. Find their profile
2. Change status to "Active"
3. They'll start receiving newsletters again

Important: Only re-subscribe users who explicitly requested it. Re-subscribing without consent violates anti-spam laws and can harm your sender reputation.

Exporting Subscribers

Export your subscriber data for:

• Backups
• Analysis in external tools
• Migration to other platforms
• Compliance requests

To export:

1. Go to Subscribers
2. (Optional) Filter to specific segment or status
3. Click "Export"
4. Choose format (CSV)
5. Download file

Exported data includes:

• Email address
• Subscription date
• Segments
• Status
• Engagement metrics (if available)

Subscriber Privacy & Compliance

GDPR Compliance

Penna helps you stay GDPR compliant:

• Consent tracking - Record when and how someone subscribed
• Easy unsubscribe - One-click unsubscribe in every email
• Data export - Users can request their data
• Right to deletion - Delete subscriber data permanently

Data Deletion

To permanently delete a subscriber:

1. Open subscriber profile
2. Click "Delete"
3. Confirm deletion

Warning: Deletion is permanent and cannot be undone. The email address and all associated data will be removed.

Best Practices

Do's

✅ Clean your list regularly - Remove inactive subscribers periodically
✅ Segment early and often - Organize from day one
✅ Respect unsubscribes - Never try to re-add someone who opted out
✅ Monitor engagement - Track who opens and clicks
✅ Keep data secure - Use 2FA and limit team access

Don'ts

❌ Don't buy email lists - They harm deliverability and are often illegal
❌ Don't re-subscribe without consent - Violates anti-spam laws
❌ Don't ignore bounces - Remove hard bounces to protect sender reputation
❌ Don't spam - Send valuable content at reasonable frequency
❌ Don't make unsubscribe hard - Always include clear unsubscribe links

Subscriber Growth Tips

1. Add signup forms everywhere

   • Website footer
   • Blog posts
   • Landing pages
   • Social media bio

2. Offer value upfront

   • Free guide or resource
   • Exclusive content
   • Early access to products

3. Make signup easy

   • One-click subscribe
   • No confirmation hoops
   • Mobile-friendly forms

4. Promote your newsletter

   • Social media
   • Guest posts
   • Partnerships
   • Cross-promotion

5. Deliver consistently

   • Regular schedule
   • Quality content
   • Clear value proposition

Troubleshooting

Subscriber not receiving emails

1. Check if they're unsubscribed
2. Verify email is correct
3. Ask them to check spam folder
4. Confirm your domain is verified

Can't add subscriber

• Email might already exist
• Check for typos in email address
• Verify your API key is correct
• Ensure you haven't hit plan limits

Segment not showing subscribers

• Subscribers must be manually added to segments
• Check if you have the right segment selected
• Refresh the page

Next Steps

• Set up segments effectively
• Compose and send newsletters
• Improve deliverability
• Avoid spam filters