Home / Email Marketing / Guides / Common EmailOctopus problems
Problem · email marketing · updated October 9, 2026
Common EmailOctopus problems and how to fix them
Most EmailOctopus problems fall into a few areas: campaigns that land in spam, subscribers who never receive them, automations that do not fire, forms that do not capture, or a sending connection that needs checking. Here are the ones that come up most, and what to check first.
Independent analysis. This page may contain affiliate links. If you sign up through a link on this page we may earn a reward at no extra cost to you, and it never changes what we recommend. We are an independent publisher and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or an official partner of any tool mentioned. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
TL;DR
- Campaigns in spam are usually about authentication records and list hygiene.
- Missing emails are often bounces, a wrong segment or a suppressed address.
- An automation that will not fire usually has a trigger or filter that never matches.
- A form that captures nothing is usually a broken embed or a wrong list.
- A sending connection needs its own verification, so check it early.
On this page: Why things go wrong · Campaigns in spam · Subscribers missing · Automation not firing · Forms not capturing · Sending connection failing · Symptom to fix · Where this fits
Why things go wrong
Email depends on a chain: a verified sending domain, clean lists, and an automation or form that passes the contact through. A fault in any link shows up as mail that does not arrive.
The quickest way to locate it is to follow one contact end to end: were they added, did the trigger fire, and what does their activity show?
Because sending can run through Amazon SES, there is an extra link in the chain: the connection between your account and your own sending credentials has to stay valid.
For anything that touches sending, change one thing at a time and watch the next campaign, because several fixes at once make it hard to see which one helped.
Campaigns in spam
Spam placement is usually about authentication, so mail sent from a domain without SPF, DKIM and DMARC looks unfamiliar to the receiving provider.
Confirm those records for your sending domain, and check whether the list contains addresses that never engaged, which drags reputation down.
Subscribers missing
A subscriber who never received the email was probably bounced, suppressed, or filtered out by the segment you sent to.
Check the contact activity, the segment rules, and the suppression list before you resend anything.
Automation not firing
An automation only runs when its trigger matches, so a join condition or a filter that is never true leaves the journey idle.
Read the workflow from the start, confirm the trigger event, and test with a contact you control.
Forms not capturing
A form that collects nothing is usually embedded incorrectly or pointed at the wrong list, so submissions have nowhere to land.
Re-check the embed code, confirm the form is connected to a list, and submit a test yourself.
Sending connection failing
When a campaign will not send, the sending connection is the first thing to rule out, because an expired key or an unverified identity stops delivery.
Reconnect the sending service, confirm the domain is verified, and send yourself a test before a full campaign.
Symptom to fix
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Campaigns in spam | Missing authentication records | Add SPF, DKIM and DMARC |
| Subscribers missing | Bounce, suppression or segment | Check activity and segment rules |
| Automation not firing | Trigger or filter never matches | Fix the trigger, run a test |
| Forms not capturing | Bad embed or wrong list | Re-embed and connect the list |
| Sending connection failing | Expired key or unverified domain | Reconnect and verify |
Where this fits
Start with the email marketing hub. For the basics read what EmailOctopus is, and for the setup steps see how to set up EmailOctopus.
Frequently asked
Can I fix these myself?
Most of them. Records, forms and automations are in your control. Deliverability issues can need a support ticket.
Why do emails bounce?
An address that is closed, full or misspelled will bounce. Repeated bounces are suppressed so they stop harming your reputation.
Why did only some people get the email?
The segment decided that. Check its rules, and remember that suppressed addresses are excluded on purpose.
How do I test an automation?
Add a contact you control and walk through the trigger yourself. The activity view shows each step as it runs.
Get your campaigns delivered
Fix the common snags and keep sending.
Some links on this page may be referral links — we may earn a reward if you sign up, at no extra cost to you. We are an independent publisher. See our Affiliate Disclosure.
