Entry and exit conditions

Entry conditions determine when profiles enter audiences or journeys. Exit conditions determine when they leave. Together, they control the lifecycle of activation and prevent wasted effort or wrong targeting.

Entry conditions

An entry condition is the rule that determines when a profile enters an orchestration object:

• In an audience, entry conditions control when a profile becomes a member.

• In a journey, entry conditions control when a profile starts the sequence.

Entry is a point in time. It's the moment the rule becomes true, and the profile is admitted.

Entry in audiences

For audiences, entry conditions define membership. Profiles can enter and leave over time as data changes.

When an audience is synced to a destination, entry typically results in an "add" update.

Entry in journeys

For journeys, entry conditions decide when a profile begins a sequence. After entry, the profile moves through steps even if the original entry condition is no longer true.

Journey entry conditions should be framed as triggers rather than ongoing states.

Entry condition best practices

• Tie the entry to a single marketing decision. Avoid conditions that try to do too much.

• Use signals that are reliably available. Entry only works if the required data is present at the moment of evaluation.

• Consider identity at the moment of entry. Anonymous visitors can enter, but may have limited activation options until they become known.

Exit conditions

An exit condition removes a profile from an orchestration object after it has entered the orchestration:

• In an audience, exit conditions remove profiles from membership when a defined change happens.

• In a journey, exit conditions stop the journey for a profile when it's no longer relevant.

Exit conditions prevent wasted activation and keep messaging aligned with the customer's prior actions. Wasted activation results in wasted ad spend down the line, for example, when you don't exclude the recently purchased customer from your paid retargeting audience with a proper exit condition.

Exit in audiences

Exit conditions in audiences keep membership accurate. Without exit conditions, suppression lists become stale, and retargeting continues after conversion.

Exit in journeys

Exit conditions in journeys stop the flow when the goal is achieved or the journey no longer applies. Journeys often have multiple exit conditions because there are multiple valid completion states.

Exit vs. inverse entry logic

Exit and inverse entry logic are different tools you can use to target specific users under certain conditions. Use inverse logic to avoid obvious waste at the start. Use exit conditions to stop activation as soon as the outcome occurs.

Inverse logic in entry rules prevents entry in the first place:

• Example: Enter only if "has not purchased in the last 24 hours"

• Use when you want the audience to consist only of non-converters.

Exit conditions allow entry, then remove profiles when an event occurs:

• Example: Enter on "cart started", exit on "purchase completed"

• Use for funnel recovery where membership should respond to completion.

Guardrails: disqualifying states

Beyond completion events, add exit conditions for states where activation would be wrong:

• Consent withdrawn

• Account closed

• Customer in service escalation

• Fraud or testing flags

These are safety guardrails that prevent reputational damage.

Re-entry considerations

For journeys, decide whether profiles can re-enter after exiting. A common mistake is allowing re-entry when the entry event fires repeatedly (like page views), causing the same profile to enter multiple times.

Common entry and exit condition issues

More resources

• Journeys

• Audiences

• Conditions and rule builder

• Timing concepts