This document provides an overview of automation rules and drip programs in Pardot. It discusses when to use automation rules to assign prospects, change grades, or apply retroactive actions. It also compares automation rules, segmentation rules, and dynamic lists. Additional topics covered include tips for rule structure, common reasons automations may not be running, requirements for setting up drip programs, and using reporting to optimize drips.

1. Partner Certification - Silver
Automation Rules and Drip
Programs

2. When To Use Automation
Rules
• Assignments
• Based on geographical location
• Based on a score or grade reached
• Change a Grade
• No Need to manually “thumbs-up or thumbs-down” a
profile criteria
• Use simple or complex strategy to issue a grade
• Retroactive actions
• Apply an action to prospects even if the action has
already occurred due to the rules being retroactive in
nature

3. Automation versus
Segmentation and Dynamic List
• Automation Rules
• Only will run on a prospect once. If the prospect does not match the
rules anymore, the action will not un-do. You will need another rule to
remove them from the action
• Will continuously match people until rule is deleted or removed
• Segmentation Rules
• Only will run on a prospect once. If the prospect does not match the
rules anymore, the action will not un-do. You will need another rule to
remove them from the action
• Will match at one time, you will need to re-run rule to match new
prospects
• Dynamic List
• Will continually look for prospects to add to a list. If prospect no longer
matches the criteria, they will be removed from the list
• Only works for adding to list, other actions not available

4. Real Time Automation Rules
• Allow the automation rule to run before the form or
landing page is submitted
• Use Cases
• Allows you to assign prospect to have auto-responder to come
from rep
• Unsubscribe competitors immediately so they can not gain access
to collateral
• Note: Since real time automation rules run before the
form/landing page is submitted, having too many real-
time automation can greatly slow the user experience

5. Rules and Rule Groups
• Automation Rules allow for “and”/”or”, “and & or”
statements
• Match All/ Any in a Rule will give you an “and”/”or”
statement
• Match All/Any in a Rule Group allows you to use an “and
& or” statement
• Example on next slide!

6. Rules and Rule Groups Example
Rule Example
Rule: (Match Any)
Prospect Default Field >> State >> Is >> Georgia
Prospect Default Field >> State >> Is >> Alabama
Prospect can only be from one
Action: state, so use a rule and have
Assign Prospect >> To John Doe
‘match any’
Rule Group
Example
Rule: (Match All)
Prospect Score >> Is greater than >> 75
Prospect Grade >> Is greater than >> C+
You want to make sure they
Rule Group: (Match Any) have a high score/grade AND
Prospect Default Field >> State >> Is >>
Georgia
they are from one of the
Prospect Default Field >> State >> Is >> required states
Alabama
Action:
Assign Prospect >> To John Doe

7. Tips and Tricks
• Don’t over complicate your rules. Keep them simple so it
is easy to troubleshoot if needed
• Rules start in the paused position. This gives the visibility
to see if the rules have been set up correctly
• Have too many rules? A lot of rules can be replaced by
completion actions
• Watch out for the match all/any. This is a common
reason rules are not matching as they should

8. Why are my automations/drips
not running?
• Paused? All automation rules and drip programs start in the
paused position. Hit resume and it should start firing up
• Time? The automations will not start immediately. Give it about
10-15 minutes
• Matching? Did you check the preview of the rule and make
sure that the rule would match anyone
• Blackout periods? If on a drip program, you gave a blackout
period, are you in that time allotment?
• Suppressed? Is everyone you sent the drip program to on a
suppression list?

9. Drip Programs – What is
required?
• Logic
• Need to have a general idea of what you want to drip program to do
and accomplish.
• When should prospects get emails and how long between?
• If an action takes place, should the prospect go down a different path?
• Emails
• You should have at least the first few emails ready to go and place
holders for any future emails
• Will allow you to start building the drip program and have the look and
feel ready to go
• As long as you have the new email in place before prospects reach the
step, they will get the correct, updated email
• The List

10. Sending to List
• Adding/removing people to list
• You can keep adding people to list – each prospect takes their own
path on a drip program
• If you remove a prospect from a list, they will stop in their place
• Deduping
• Pardot will automatically make sure the prospect is sent the drip
once
• If more than one list is subjected to a drip, Pardot will dedupe that
list
• Suppression
• Keep prospects from receiving emails in your drip program
• Use Case: keep an updated customer list to remove from

11. Only One Time Down Please…
• A prospect will only go through the drip program once
• A prospect will only get the email template once through
drips
• If the prospect received the same template in a blast, they will
bypass the step of the email
• If a prospect is removed from the drip program and
added back, they pick up where they left off
• The prospect will not start over from the beginning

12. Blackout Periods
• Allows for drip programs to only be sent between 10am –
4pm in the time zone you select
• If the next email is scheduled to go out during the
blackout period, it will be queued for the next time the
blackout is lifted
• Blackout period do not function against pauses and
link/open checks
• These will function as they normally would
• Not required for drips

13. Did the prospect open or click!?
• Use the open/click action to take prospects down
different paths if they show interest
• Be smart about the time
• Give the prospect enough time to open the email or click the link
• 5-7 days is enough time for this
• Once a prospect goes down the ‘no’ path, they can not jump into
the yes path
• If you want a followup action to occur before the time
period passes (immediately), use a custom redirect on
the email or a page action on the email (coming soon!)

14. Drip Program Tips and Tricks
• If you want to send a simple series of emails and not check for
clicks or take additional action, simply use the “Send Email” and
“Pause” icons, disregarding the more advanced options.
• A “pause” is required between drip emails. If you remove a
prospect from a drip and later add them back to the list, they
will resume the drip where they left off (instead of starting over
again)
• Prospects can be continually added to a drip program,
regardless of what step the other prospects have reached.
Every time a new prospect is added to the drip program’s
recipient list, they will start at the beginning of the drip.

15. Reporting
• Drip program reports will give you insight of how many
prospects opened, clicked, unsubscribed, etc with your
email
• In the drip program overview, the number to the right of
the action is how many prospects have passed through
the step, not how many are on the current step
• Use reporting to change drip times and emails that are
being sent to the prospects

16. End of Automation/Drips
Course
• You have reached the end of the
Automation/Drip Programs
• You will now take a test of what you have
learned. You must score greater than 85% to
pass this portion of the test.
• Good luck!