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Key differences
| Transactional Emails | Marketing Emails |
Purpose | Sent to facilitate or complete a transaction or process that the recipient has already agreed to or initiated. They are usually triggered by a user's action. | Sent to promote products, services, events, or to nurture leads and engage customers over time. They are typically part of a broader marketing strategy. |
Content | Focused on providing necessary information related to a specific transaction or interaction.
Generally do not contain promotional content, as their primary purpose is to deliver essential information. | Designed to encourage further engagement, such as making a purchase, signing up for a service, or attending an event. They may contain promotional content, offers, or calls to action. |
Regulations | Typically exempt from strict marketing regulations, like those outlined in the CAN-SPAM Act, as long as they strictly provide necessary information.
Consent is not always required, as they are part of an ongoing relationship or transaction. | Subject to strict regulations, such as the CAN-SPAM Act, GDPR, or CASL, which require explicit consent from the recipient.
Unsubscribing must be easy, and clear opt-out mechanisms must be provided. |
Open Rates | Often have higher open rates because they are expected and contain relevant information. | Open rates are generally lower than transactional emails, as they are not always expected and may be seen as less urgent. |
Example | If you want to send location details to individuals who sign up through a form, you should use a transactional email instead of a marketing email. This is because the email contains event information and is not promotional content. | Newsletters, promotional offers, product updates, and event invitations. |
Understanding transactional vs. marketing emails in the platform
Events tab: messaging attendees
When you go to an event in your Audience Republic account and click New Message, you can send an email or SMS to all contacts who have placed an order for that event. Since these contacts don’t need to be part of an opted-in list to receive the message, it qualifies as a transactional message—not a marketing email. This path should only be used for operational or event-related communication, not promotional content. You can find more details on how to message event attendees in this help article.
Messaging tab
When creating a message, after selecting a list, you'll see a checkbox labeled "Ignore suppressions" just below the list selector. Enabling this option means that even contacts who have unsubscribed from the list will still receive the message.
Note: This checkbox should only be selected when sending transactional emails—such as essential event updates. For most messages (which are typically marketing-related), this box should remain unchecked to respect subscriber preferences. Enabling it for marketing content can result in spam complaints and compliance issues.
Automations tab
When creating an automation, if you choose "Send a Message" as the action, you'll be prompted to select between sending a marketing or a transactional email on the right-hand side. It's important to determine the purpose of your message:
If you're promoting future events, upsells, or encouraging additional purchases, select marketing.
If the email is delivering essential event information—such as on-the-ground details or order confirmations—select transactional.
Choosing the correct type ensures compliance and helps maintain strong deliverability.
Still need help?
Contact us at support@audiencerepublic.com