Benefits
Choose based on your success metrics: Select the winner based on CTR, revenue, or other metrics that matter to your campaign
Review before deciding: See complete performance data for all variants before declaring a winner
System recommendations: Get highlighted recommendations based on best CTR, but maintain full control
Flexibility to change: Switch to a different winning variant if circumstances change before sending to the remaining audience
How to Use Manually Select Winner
Step 1: Create Your Adaptive Test
Click Create New Message
Turn the "Adaptive Test" toggle on
Create your different variants (up to 4 variants)
Under Adaptive Test Settings in the message composer, click the "Manually Select Winner" radio button
Click Send
Your adaptive test variants will be sent to the initial test audience.
Step 2: Access the Adaptive Test Report
After your variants have been sent:
Navigate to Messaging → Adaptive tests tab
Click Report to view your test results
Step 3: Review Variant Performance
On the report page, you'll see all test variants with the following metrics for each:
Recipient count: Number of people who received this variant (e.g., "1 recipients")
Click-through rate (CTR): Percentage and total number of clicks (e.g., "0%" with "0 clicks")
Message preview: Preview of the message content including attached images
System Recommendation: The variant with the best CTR will be marked with a "Best CTR" blue pill indicator to help guide your decision.
Step 4: Select and Declare Your Winner
Review the performance metrics for all variants
Consider which metrics are most important for your campaign goals
Click the radio button in the upper right corner of your chosen winning variant
A popup modal will appear asking:
Click "DECLARE AND CREATE DRAFT" to confirm (or "CANCEL" to go back)
Step 5: Review and Send Your Winner
After declaring a winner:
A new "VIEW DRAFT" button will be added to the chosen winning variant card
The winning variant will display a "Winner" badge with a star icon and an orange border
Click "VIEW DRAFT" to be taken to the message composer
Review the message and audience
Click Send when ready to send to the remaining audience
Switching to a Different Winner
If you need to change your winning variant before sending to the remaining audience:
Return to the Adaptive Test report page (Messaging → Adaptive tests → Report)
Select a different variant using the radio button in the upper right corner
A confirmation modal will appear:
Click "SWITCH TO VARIANT [Y]" to confirm the change
Click "CANCEL" to keep your current winner
The system will create a new draft based on your new selection and replace the previous draft.
Understanding Visual Indicators
When viewing your Adaptive Test report, you'll see:
"Best CTR" blue pill: Indicates the system-recommended variant based on click-through rate
"Winner" badge with star icon: Shows the variant you've declared as the winner
Orange border: Highlights the winning variant card
"VIEW DRAFT" button: Appears on the winning variant, allowing you to review and send the draft
"Send winner" button: Shows at the top of the page when a winner is ready to send
Best Practices
Consider Multiple Metrics: While CTR is important, also evaluate total dollars raised and the qualitative aspects of your message content.
Tracking Revenue Performance: The adaptive test report does not display total dollars raised for each variant. To evaluate which variant generates more donations, you'll need to check your donation platform (e.g., Stripe, Classy, ActBlue, etc.).
IMPORTANT - Use Unique Link Parameters: To accurately track which variant drives more revenue in your donation platform, ensure each variant uses a different donation link with unique tracking parameters.
For example, use UTM parameters or campaign identifiers:
Variant A:
yoursite.com/donate?utm_campaign=spring_appeal&variant=AVariant B:
yoursite.com/donate?utm_campaign=spring_appeal&variant=B
This allows your donation platform to attribute revenue to the correct variant, giving you accurate data to make your winner selection decision.
Review Message Content: Look at the message preview to ensure the content aligns with your brand and campaign goals.
Test with Sufficient Sample Size: Ensure your initial test audience is large enough to provide meaningful performance data.
Act Promptly: Review and declare your winner in a timely manner to send to the remaining audience while your campaign is still relevant.
Double-Check Before Sending: Always review your winning variant one final time before sending to the remaining audience.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many variants can I create?
A: You can create up to 4 variants for each adaptive test.
Q: Can I select a variant that isn't the system recommendation?
A: Yes, you have full control to select any variant as the winner, regardless of which one has the "Best CTR" indicator.
Q: What happens to the draft if I switch winners?
A: The system will create a new draft based on your new selection and replace the previous draft automatically.
Q: Can I change the winner after it's been sent to the remaining audience?
A: No, once the winning variant has been sent to the remaining audience, you cannot change it. You can only switch winners while the draft is still pending.
Q: How is the system recommendation determined?
A: The system recommends the variant with the highest click-through rate (CTR), marked with a "Best CTR" indicator, but you're free to choose based on other metrics like total dollars raised.