In Emercury, you will see options for both Added Date and Optin Date. These may sound similar, but serve different purposes. This article breaks down the differences and when to use each one.
Added Date
The Added Date is the date a subscriber was first added to the list.
A subscriber has only one Added Date, and it never changes.
Examples of when Added Date is recorded:
A subscriber signs up through an Emercury form on your website.
A subscriber is added via the API into your list.
A subscriber is added through a list import.
A subscriber is added manually.
🔹 If you add the same subscriber again, the Added Date will not change. Only updated fields will be appended.
Optin Date
The Optin Date is the date a subscriber chose to receive communications from you. Unlike Added Date, this can change if the subscriber opts in again.
Examples of when Optin Date may differ from Added Date:
You moved from another ESP, the Optin Date reflects the original consent, not the date you added them to Emercury.
A subscriber resubscribes or opts in again for a new service or product.
You collected subscribers earlier and imported them later into Emercury.
When to Use Each
Added Date → Use when you only want to trigger an automation once for a subscriber.
Optin Date → Use when you want automations to restart each time a subscriber opts in again.
In short: Added Date = first entry into Emercury List (fixed), while Optin Date = subscriber consent date (can change).