Context

When running a multi-step sequence, contacts may unexpectedly stop receiving emails after the first step, even though they should continue through the entire sequence. This often happens due to exclusion rules being triggered between sequence steps.

Answer

Other common exclusion rules that can cause sequences to stop include:

HubSpot Integration Exclusions - A specific issue can occur with HubSpot integrations where sequences stop even when the 'last activity date' field is set to 'read only' in Unify. HubSpot automations may still update this field when Unify writes back email activity, which then triggers exclusion rules. If you're experiencing this issue, toggle off the "exclude from sequences" setting at the bottom of the HS activity exclusions in your sequence settings. Note that exclusions are evaluated continuously during sequence execution, not just at enrollment, which means a contact can be excluded from a sequence after receiving the first email if that email activity updates their CRM record and triggers an exclusion rule.

Important limitation: HubSpot deal‑based exclusions in Unify (e.g., deal stage or opportunity status) operate only at the company level, so all contacts at that company are excluded rather than just the contacts linked to the specific deal. Workaround: create a custom contact‑level field in HubSpot (such as “Has associated deal in stage X?”), use a HubSpot workflow to set that field for contacts tied to the deal, sync the field to Unify, and then build a people‑level exclusion based on the synced field.

Bulk Enrollment Behavior - When adding a large list of contacts to a sequence, the enrollment counter may appear stuck at a partial number (e.g., 390 out of 941 contacts). This is expected behavior while the system evaluates each contact against eligibility rules. Not every selected contact will successfully enroll due to re‑enrollment cooldowns, existing sequence enrollment, exclusion rules, mailbox sending limits, or company‑level caps. The enrollment process may pause while these checks are performed and sends are queued. To diagnose which contacts didn't enroll and why, check the sequence's Enrollments tab and click into the “Not Enrolled” breakdown to see per‑contact failure reasons.

• Free/edu email domains - Excludes contacts with personal email addresses (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.) or educational domains. When configuring domain exclusions, enter multiple domains in the same field separated by commas (e.g., competitor1.com, competitor2.com, competitor3.io). No need to include http:// or www—just the root domains.

• Sequenced or contacted < X days ago - Prevents re-enrollment of recently contacted prospects

• Company-level exclusions - Based on company size, industry, customer status, or left company status. When you create an exclusion list at the company level, all contacts within those companies are automatically excluded from sequences (no need to create separate people-level exclusions). Exclusion lists are global by default but can be turned off for specific audiences if needed. Note that HubSpot lists are not currently supported as exclusion criteria in Unify.

Editing Exclusion Criteria with AND/OR Logic — To modify an existing exclusion rule with exceptions or complex logic:

1. Go to Settings → Exclusions

2. Open the exclusion you want to modify

3. Use AND to add exceptions inside a rule (e.g., AND domain is not equal to specific-domain.com)

4. Use OR by adding a new Group and setting group logic to OR for broader matching

5. Save changes

Exclusion Update Frequency — CRM‑based exclusions typically update every 15 minutes, which means there can be a delay between when a condition changes in your CRM and when the exclusion takes effect in Unify.

Exclusion Hierarchy System — Exclusions in Unify follow a specific hierarchy. Universal exclusions are applied by default to all audiences but can be toggled off at the audience level. Audience‑level settings can override universal exclusions, whereas sequence‑level exclusions (found when editing individual exclusions) always take precedence over both universal and audience‑level settings.

Global exclusions take ultimate precedence. Global exclusions (Settings > Organization > Exclusions) override sequence‑level and audience‑level settings. Even if exclusions are disabled in a sequence or audience, contacts matching a global exclusion will still be blocked from enrollment. To enroll such contacts, you must address both the Ruleset-level toggle and the exclusion's own "Exclude from Sequences" setting: first, turn off the exclusion toggle in the specific Ruleset (Settings > Organization > Sequences > Rulesets), then go to Settings > Organization > Exclusions and toggle off "Exclude from Sequences" for that specific exclusion rule. Turning off an exclusion in a Ruleset alone won't work if the exclusion itself still has "Exclude from Sequences" enabled.

Automatic Unenrollment Process — If a contact meets exclusion criteria at any point during an active sequence (for example, an opportunity is created mid‑sequence), they will be automatically unenrolled from that sequence, provided the “Exclude from Sequences” toggle is enabled for that exclusion rule.

When to Keep “Exclude from Sequences” Toggle OFF — For activity‑based exclusions like “last sales activity” or “last activity date,” you typically want to keep the “Exclude from Sequences” toggle disabled. This is because Unify itself triggers these activities when sending emails, and enabling the toggle would cause contacts to be immediately unenrolled after receiving the first email (since that email updates their activity date). You want these exclusions to block initial enrollment but not retroactively remove contacts when Unify’s own actions trigger the activity. For other exclusions like opportunity creation or customer status changes, you should enable the toggle to ensure contacts are removed when these meaningful business events occur.

Contacts can also be automatically removed from sequences for the following reasons:

• Clicking the email opt‑out link (unenrolls from all active sequences).

• Mailbox ownership changes for the sender’s mailbox used to enroll the contact.

• CRM‑driven exclusion criteria are met (e.g., opportunity created, Salesforce field update).

Company‑Level Exclusion Behavior — When a company‑level exclusion is triggered (e.g., a deal reaches a specific stage), all contacts associated with that company will be automatically removed from active sequences.

Additional Troubleshooting Step — When reviewing exclusion settings, also check audience‑level exclusion settings to verify that universal exclusions haven’t been toggled off at the audience level, as audience settings can override universal exclusions.

When you need to bypass exclusions for a specific sequence without affecting global settings, follow this safer approach:

Critical CRM Field Requirement — When troubleshooting why exclusions aren't working as expected, verify that any CRM fields used in your exclusion criteria are actually populated on the relevant records. Exclusions will fail to trigger if the required fields are missing or empty, even if the exclusion rule is properly configured in Unify.

When troubleshooting opportunity‑based exclusions, verify that opportunities are checked in all connected CRM systems (for example, both Salesforce and HubSpot). A company may appear to have no active opportunities in your primary CRM but still trigger an exclusion due to an open opportunity in another integrated system. In Unify you can view all associated opportunities across systems by scrolling down on the account record.

1. Navigate to the company (or contact) record in your CRM.

2. Verify the specific field referenced by the exclusion rule exists on that record.

3. Confirm the field contains the expected value (not empty or null).

4. If the field is missing or empty, populate it with the appropriate data or adjust the exclusion criteria accordingly.

1. Identify which specific exclusions are blocking your contacts (check the person's Exclusions tab or the Play's execution logs)

2. Go to Settings > Organization > Sequences > Rulesets and turn off the sequence toggle for that specific exclusion in the relevant Ruleset

3. Go to Settings > Organization > Exclusions and toggle off "Exclude from Sequences" for that same exclusion rule

4. Wait approximately 30 minutes for the changes to take effect

5. Duplicate the play and re-run it

6. Immediately turn both toggles back on after the play completes

• Remove the "Recent Manual Email" exclusion if it's not needed

• Remove or adjust the "currently in sequence" exclusion if contacts may be enrolled in non-conflicting HubSpot sequences (like call-only sequences)

• Modify the time threshold for exclusions if needed

• Check if HubSpot automations are updating activity fields and causing unintended exclusions - toggle off "exclude from sequences" in HS activity exclusions if needed

Important: After toggling off any sequence-level exclusions, wait approximately 30 minutes before re-running the play or attempting to re-enroll contacts, as exclusion changes need time to take effect

To diagnose why a contact stopped receiving sequence emails, check the contact's person record in Unify under the exclusions section to see which exclusion rules they currently meet. Note that there is currently no easy self‑serve way to see exactly why a specific person didn't go through a play at a glance—this is a recognized product gap that the team is actively working to improve. You can also check the contact's Activity tab in Unify. If the contact was enrolled through a Play, the activity log will show the Play run with a status of “not enrolled” and include the failure reason (such as “already enrolled” or “recently enrolled”). You can also check the Play’s Logs tab for detailed exclusion information. You can also navigate to the play and toggle individual exclusions on/off to immediately see which contacts are impacted by each exclusion rule. However, be aware that exclusions have two separate toggles that both affect enrollment: the Ruleset-level toggle and the exclusion's own “Exclude from Sequences” setting. Note that if enrollment was manual rather than through a Play, exclusions won’t appear in the activity log. For bulk enrollments, you can also check the sequence's Enrollments tab and review the “Not Enrolled” breakdown to see specific reasons why contacts weren’t enrolled (such as “recently enrolled,” “already in another sequence,” exclusions, or mailbox limits). Additionally, if a Play is configured to never allow re‑runs at the Play level, contacts won’t show new activity entries when they hit the audience again—you’ll only see their original enrollment.

To identify which specific exclusion rule is preventing a contact from enrolling, create a test audience with only that contact (set email is equal to [contact’s email]) and toggle each exclusion rule on/off at the bottom of the audience settings to see which one the contact falls into. You can also check the play’s Execution Logs or go to Metrics > Enrollments to see the specific exclusion reason per contact.

1. Create a new play with the duplicated sequence

2. If you need to enroll contacts in multiple sequences:

   • Temporarily adjust the "enrollment in multiple sequences" setting

   • Set an appropriate time delay between sequences

   • Launch the new play

   • Wait for play execution to complete before reverting settings

If you need to allow contacts to be enrolled in multiple sequences simultaneously (for example, to run a call‑only sequence and an email sequence concurrently), you can adjust your re‑enrollment rules under Settings > Organization > Sequences > Rulesets.

Important Limitation: Even after adjusting Unify's multiple sequence settings, CRM‑based exclusions like HubSpot's “currently in sequence” can still prevent enrollment. You'll need to address both Unify's settings and any relevant CRM exclusion rules to successfully enroll contacts in multiple sequences.