The ActiveCampaign integration connects your Newspack site with ActiveCampaign so that reader data and on-site activity flow into ActiveCampaign, and ActiveCampaign’s own data flows back into Newspack for segmentation. It is part of Audience Management.
The integration does two things:
- Syncs reader contacts to ActiveCampaign — reader identity and selected metadata are written to ActiveCampaign contacts, and new contacts can be added to a master list.
- Pulls ActiveCampaign data back in — contact scores and custom fields from ActiveCampaign become reader data in Newspack, where scores can be used as segmentation criteria for Newspack Campaigns.
Newsletter sending is not handled here. If you use ActiveCampaign to send newsletters, that continues to run through Newspack Newsletters. This integration covers contact sync and bringing ActiveCampaign data back into Newspack.
The ActiveCampaign integration may need to be enabled for your site. If you don’t see it under Audience → Integrations, contact your account manager.
How it works with Newspack Newsletters
ActiveCampaign can already be connected to your site as your Newspack Newsletters email service provider (ESP). This integration builds on that:
- It prefills its API URL, API Key, and Master List from your existing Newspack Newsletters ActiveCampaign settings when those are present.
- When ActiveCampaign is your selected Newsletters provider (or you don’t use Newspack Newsletters), this integration takes over reader contact syncing from the standard ESP sync.
- If a different ESP is selected as your Newsletters provider, this integration will not sync contacts — that other provider stays in charge. Score and custom-field pulls can still be configured independently.
Before you start
You will need:
- An ActiveCampaign account.
- Your ActiveCampaign API URL and API Key — in ActiveCampaign under Settings → Developer.
- Audience Management enabled on your Newspack site.
Setting up the integration
The integration is configured under Newspack → Audience → Integrations → ActiveCampaign in your WordPress admin.
| Setting | What it does |
|---|---|
| API URL | Your ActiveCampaign account REST URL (for example, https://publisher.api-us1.com). Used for contact sync and for reading scores and custom fields. Prefilled from Newspack Newsletters when present. |
| API Key | Your ActiveCampaign REST API token. Used together with the API URL. |
| Master List | The ActiveCampaign list new contacts are added to. Prefilled from the Newspack Newsletters master list when present. The dropdown is populated from your ActiveCampaign lists once the API URL and Key are saved. |
Enter the credentials, then save. After you save the REST credentials, the Master List dropdown is populated with your ActiveCampaign lists. You can then choose a master list and configure which fields sync (see below).
Syncing reader contacts
When ActiveCampaign is handling contact sync, the integration keeps each reader’s ActiveCampaign contact up to date as they register, sign in, donate, or subscribe:
- The contact is created or updated by email, with the reader’s name.
- If a Master List is selected, new contacts are added to it. An existing contact already on the list is left as-is — the integration will not flip a prior unsubscribe back to subscribed.
- If a reader changes their email address, the existing ActiveCampaign contact is renamed rather than duplicated.
Choosing which fields sync (outgoing)
In the integration settings, use Outgoing Metadata Fields to choose which reader fields are pushed to ActiveCampaign. The Outgoing fields reference lists every field and what it holds.
For a field to sync, ActiveCampaign needs a matching custom contact field. Newspack maps each field to an ActiveCampaign field by its personalization tag (perstag): the perstag must match the Newspack field key in uppercase, with the NP_ prefix. For example, the Newspack field NP_Total_Paid maps to an ActiveCampaign custom field whose personalization tag is NP_TOTAL_PAID.
To set this up, create the custom fields you want in ActiveCampaign → Contacts → Manage Fields, giving each the matching personalization tag. Fields without a matching ActiveCampaign custom field are skipped.
Tip: Keep your personalization tags distinct. If two enabled fields reduce to the same perstag, only the last value is sent, and a note is written to the integration logs.
Pulling ActiveCampaign data into Newspack (incoming)
The integration can bring two kinds of ActiveCampaign data back into Newspack as reader data, configured under Incoming Fields:
- Contact scores — your active ActiveCampaign contact scores. These are available as segmentation criteria in Newspack Campaigns (matched by score range), so you can target on-site campaigns by a reader’s ActiveCampaign score.
- Custom contact fields — values of your ActiveCampaign custom fields (other than the
NP_fields this integration pushes out) become reader data attributes.
These values are refreshed for each reader as part of Audience Management’s periodic sync. Your list of available scores, fields, and lists is refreshed from ActiveCampaign about every 10 minutes, so newly created scores or fields appear within a few minutes.
Troubleshooting
The integration isn’t listed under Audience → Integrations. It may need to be enabled for your site — contact your account manager.
The Master List dropdown is empty. Save a valid API URL and API Key first. The list options are pulled from ActiveCampaign once REST credentials are in place, and refresh about every 10 minutes.
Contacts aren’t syncing. Confirm that REST credentials are saved, and that ActiveCampaign is your selected provider in Newspack Newsletters (or that no other ESP is selected). If a different ESP is selected, it — not this integration — handles contact sync.
A custom field isn’t being written. Check that an ActiveCampaign custom field exists with a personalization tag matching the Newspack field key in uppercase with the NP_ prefix (for example, NP_DONOR_STATUS), and that the field is enabled under Outgoing Metadata Fields.