How to Automatically and Manually Add Tags to Your Contacts

Tags segment your audience for newsletters, automations, and reporting on systeme.io. You can assign them manually to one or thousands of contacts, or automatically when someone opts in, buys, or hits a workflow step. This guide covers both paths—based on How to automatically and manually add tags to your contacts.

• A systeme.io account
• At least one tag—or create one first ( How to create a tag)

You can also create a new tag name directly inside an automation rule; systeme.io will create the tag when you save the rule ( How to create a tag).

Use manual tagging for one-off fixes, imports review, or bulk updates after migration.

1. Click Contacts under the CRM menu
2. Select the contact(s) you want to tag (checkboxes)—or filter first, then select all on the view
3. Click More actions
4. Choose Add tag
5. In the popup, select the tag to assign
6. Click Add tag to contacts

To tag a single new person, you can also assign tags when you add a contact manually.

Tip: filter by source or import batch, then bulk-tag so you do not miss stragglers after importing a contact list.

Automatic tagging uses automation rules (trigger → action). Learn the model in How do automation rules operate?

Global rules (Automations menu)

1. Go to Automations → Rules
2. Click Create
3. Choose a trigger, for example:
   • Funnel step form subscribed — opt-in on a specific page
   • New sale — customer completed a purchase
   • Tag added — chain tags (rule must exist before tag is applied)
4. Add action Add tag and select the tag
5. Save the rule

Rules inside the funnel editor

Open your funnel step (opt-in, order form, etc.) → Automation rules → Add rule → same trigger/action pattern. Ideal for “this landing page adds tag lead-webinar.”

Two-step order forms

On step one of a two-step order form, contacts are added when they complete the first step—add a rule with trigger Funnel step form subscribed and action Add tag to label partial checkouts or leads.

Workflows

In visual Workflows, use steps that add or remove tags as contacts move through sequences—often combined with wait steps and conditions ( How do automation rules operate?).

When importing, you can:

• Assign one tag to the entire batch during upload
• Map a CSV column to contact tags so each row keeps its tags from your old ESP ( How to import or export a contact list)

This is the fastest way to restore segmentation after migration ( Migration of your contact list to systeme.io: advanced tips).

If you imported thousands of contacts without tags and cannot tag manually, use a dedicated mini-funnel:

1. Create a funnel with one opt-in step (minimal form)
2. On that step: Automation rules → trigger Funnel step form subscribed → action Add tag (e.g. CSC)
3. In Contacts, select everyone who should get that tag
4. Use Add to funnel step to push them through the step so the rule fires
5. Repeat per tag (respect your plan’s tag limit— pricing)

Prefer CSV tag column mapping when your export still has tag data.

• Public API: create/update contacts and assign tags ( How to use systeme.io's public API)
• Webhooks: on new opt-in or sale, external tools (Zapier, Make) can call API to add tags ( How to create and trigger a webhook after an opt-in or a sale)

Use More actions → remove tag options on selected contacts, or automation actions Remove tag in rules/workflows. Remember: tag Total stats still count historical assignments ( How to create a tag).

Will a newsletter send when I only add a tag?

No—tags segment who can receive a newsletter; you still create and send the newsletter ( How to send or schedule a newsletter).

Tag added trigger not firing?

The tag must be applied after the rule exists; retroactive tags do not replay old triggers.

Multiple tags on one opt-in?

Add several Add tag actions in the same rule, or one rule per tag.

• How to automatically and manually add tags to your contacts
• How to create a tag
• How do automation rules operate?
• How to import or export a contact list

systeme.io — tag once manually or forever automatically.