Difference between Pardot’s static and dynamic lists

Lists are one of the two basic methods for segmenting prospects in Pardot (the other one being tags). Emails are sent to segments (groups of subscribers/prospects) using lists. In Pardot, there are two sorts of lists: dynamic and static. What’s the difference between a static and a dynamic list, exactly?

Dynamic Lists

Subscribers are included or excluded from dynamic lists based on rules. It’s dynamic because subscribers are automatically added and removed from the list based on whether they fulfil the specified criteria. You could, for example, create a dynamic list for persons who live in a specific geographic area. They will be immediately removed from the list if they move to a different region (and probably included in the list for the region they have moved to).

WHEN SHOULD A DYNAMIC LIST BE USED?

If you expect the members of your list to change over time based on whether or not they meet specified criteria, you should use a dynamic list. If you send a weekly email to individuals who have subscribed to your newsletter, you may create a dynamic list using the tag as one of the criteria. If a subscriber’s profile tag is deleted, they will be automatically removed from the newsletter dynamic list.

Lists that are dynamic:

• Current members who have subscribed
• Members that dwell in a specific area
• Those who have subscribed to a monthly newsletter
• Subscribers who have a tag (or a group of tags) on their profile.
• Subscribers who have opted in to a certain campaign

Static Lists

You can’t dynamically remove subscribers from static lists. You can manually add subscribers to the list or use an automation rule to do so.

WHEN SHOULD A STATIC LIST BE USED?

Static lists are useful when you need to send a one-time email to a segment with a specific set of people. Take, for example, sending a follow-up email to folks who attended an event. Because the event has already occurred, you may utilise a static list for this portion.

Static lists include the following:

• You have manually added a group of subscribers from a specific source to your Pardot account (can be added manually on import)
• Those who have submitted a ‘contact us’ form (can be added via an automation rule)
• Prospects who have already attended a particular event

Subscribers to static lists can be added in the following ways:

• Manually
• When it comes to importing them,
• Rules of automation
• Rules for segmentation

I’ll be writing up some static and dynamic list examples from recent campaigns. If you sign up for my newsletter, I’ll make sure you get them!