A/B test a step with variants
Add up to four alternate versions of any email step and choose how sends are shared between them.
Where: Sequence editor → "A/B variants" section under the step → "+ Add variant". Distribution: Campaign → Settings → Behavior → "A/B variant distribution". Results: Campaign → Analytics → Sequence Breakdown.
How to do it
- Select an email step and click "+ Add variant". The step's main subject and body are Variant A; the new one is Variant B (then C, D, E).
- Edit the variant's Subject ("empty = same thread") and Body — the same {{variables}} apply. Each variant has its own "Add the mailbox signature" tick box.
- Click remove on a variant to drop it.
- In Settings → Behavior pick Even rotation (variants alternate across sends), Random (each send picks at random) or Percentage (set A's share with the number box or slider; B gets the rest). Save changes.
- After sending, open the campaign's Analytics → Sequence Breakdown: each split-tested step lists its variants underneath with Sent, Opened, Clicked, Replied and Bounced. The ★ winner has the best reply rate (the best open rate while nothing has a reply yet), once every variant has at least 10 delivered emails and one is clearly ahead.
Good to know
- Up to 4 extra variants per step (5 versions in total). A variant with an empty subject and empty body is discarded on save.
- Percentage mode: A gets the chosen percentage (default 50%); if there are more than two versions, the remainder is shared round-robin between the others.
- Variants exist for automated and manual email steps; phone-call steps have none.
- Open-rate comparison in Analytics needs open tracking on (Settings → Delivery), and counts every recorded open on a delivered email, like every open number.