Automate Contact Updates with GetResponse and n8n

1. Opening Problem Statement

Meet Sarah, a digital marketing manager at a mid-sized company who uses GetResponse for email campaigns. Each week, Sarah manually reviews thousands of contacts to ensure they’re assigned to the correct campaign. This tedious task drains hours from her schedule and often leads to missed updates or data entry mistakes, jeopardizing campaign effectiveness and wasting marketing budget.

She needs a way to automatically filter and update contacts based on their campaign assignment to save time and reduce errors. That’s where this n8n workflow comes in.

2. What This Automation Does

This n8n workflow integrates GetResponse with conditional logic to automate contact management efficiently. When executed, it:

• Retrieves all contacts from your GetResponse account in one go, regardless of list size.
• Filters contacts whose current campaign name is not “n8n”—meaning it targets only those needing campaign updates.
• Automatically updates the campaign ID of filtered contacts to a new specified campaign (ID: WRVXO), ensuring correct segmentation.
• Skips contacts already in the desired campaign to avoid unnecessary API calls.
• Handles large contact databases without manual exports or imports.
• Saves Sarah potentially hours per week and eliminates costly manual update errors.

3. Prerequisites ⚙️

• n8n automation platform account (cloud or self-hosted) 🔌
• GetResponse account with API access and an API key generated 🔑
• Configured GetResponse API credentials in n8n

4. Step-by-Step Guide

Step 1: Create a Manual Trigger Node

In your n8n editor, click the plus icon and add a Manual Trigger node. This node allows you to run the workflow on demand, perfect for testing or scheduled runs.

You should see the node labeled On clicking ‘execute’. Leave the default settings.

Expected outcome: the workflow starts only when you manually trigger it.

Common mistake: Forgetting to trigger this node means nothing happens.

Step 2: Add GetResponse Node to Fetch All Contacts

From the node list, add the GetResponse node. Configure it:

• Operation: getAll
• Return All: Enabled (true) to fetch all contacts at once
• Credentials: Select your pre-configured GetResponse API credentials

Visual check: You should see the node fetching a list of contacts when executed.

Expected outcome: Your full contact list from GetResponse will flow to the next step.

Common mistake: Forgetting to enable “Return All” limits results to the default page size only.

Step 3: Add IF Node to Filter Contacts by Campaign Name

Add an IF node connected to the output of the GetResponse node. Set its condition:

• Condition Type: String
• Value 1: {{$node["GetResponse"].json["campaign"]["name"]}} (this checks the current campaign name of each contact)
• Operation: Not Equal
• Value 2: n8n (the target campaign name; contacts in this campaign are skipped)

Expected outcome: Contacts not in the “n8n” campaign will pass the true branch; others go to false branch.

Common mistake: Incorrect expression syntax in the condition field causes filtering to fail.

Step 4: Add GetResponse Node to Update Campaign for Filtered Contacts

Add another GetResponse node on the “true” branch of the IF node. Configure as follows:

• Operation: update
• Contact ID: {{$node["IF"].json["contactId"]}} (dynamically updates the filtering contact)
• Update Fields: Set campaignId to WRVXO (target campaign ID)
• Use the same GetResponse API credentials

Expected outcome: Contacts filtered by the IF node will have their campaign updated to the new ID.

Common mistake: Hardcoding IDs without referencing dynamic data can cause unwanted updates.

Step 5: Add NoOp Node for Contacts in Target Campaign

Connect the “false” branch of the IF node to a NoOp (no operation) node. This is a placeholder that does nothing but is required to handle contacts already in the correct campaign gracefully.

Expected outcome: Skips updating contacts that already belong to the target campaign.

5. Customizations ✏️

• Change Campaign Filter: In the IF node, modify value2 from “n8n” to any other campaign name you want to target differently.
• Update Different Campaign: In the updating GetResponse node, change campaignId to another campaign ID based on your account’s campaigns.
• Schedule Automations: Replace the Manual Trigger node with a Cron node to run this workflow automatically at a set interval (daily, weekly).
• Add Email Notification: Add a Gmail or Email node after the update step to notify you of contacts updated, including stats or logs.

6. Troubleshooting 🔧

Problem: “API authentication error”

Cause: Invalid or missing GetResponse API credentials.

Solution: Go to n8n Credentials settings, re-enter your GetResponse API key, and test the connection.

Problem: “No contacts returned or incomplete data”

Cause: “Return All” not enabled on the GetResponse node.

Solution: Inside the GetResponse node, ensure “Return All” is set to true.

Problem: “Contacts not updating as expected”

Cause: Incorrect dynamic expressions or campaign ID mismatch in update node.

Solution: Verify expressions like {{$node["IF"].json["contactId"]}} reference the correct property and campaign IDs are correct for your GetResponse account.

7. Pre-Production Checklist ✅

• Verify GetResponse API credentials are valid and tested.
• Check the target campaign ID (WRVXO) exists and is correct.
• Run the workflow manually in n8n to confirm contacts are fetched correctly.
• Observe filtered contacts in the IF node output to verify correct filtering.
• Backup your contact lists before running updates for production safety.

8. Deployment Guide

After testing, activate the workflow by toggling the “Active” slider at the top right of your n8n editor.

Optionally, swap the Manual Trigger node to a Cron node to schedule automatic runs without manual intervention.

Monitor execution logs via n8n’s interface to detect any execution errors or API limits.

9. FAQs

Q: Can I use this workflow with other email marketing platforms?
A: This specific workflow uses GetResponse API nodes. To adapt it for other platforms like Mailchimp, you’d need to replace GetResponse nodes with those services’ nodes and adjust field mappings accordingly.

Q: Does it consume GetResponse API credits?
A: GetResponse’s API limit depends on your subscription plan. Frequent runs updating thousands of contacts can approach usage limits, so schedule accordingly.

Q: Is my data secure using n8n with GetResponse?
A: Yes. n8n stores credentials securely, and data transmission happens over encrypted HTTPS. For added control, consider self-hosting n8n.

10. Conclusion

By following this guide, you automated Sarah’s weekly task of auditing and updating GetResponse contact campaigns, saving hours of tedious manual work and reducing errors that affect marketing success.

This targeted automation keeps contact lists accurate and campaign management efficient, freeing you up to focus on strategy instead of busywork.

Next, consider extending this workflow by:

• Integrating email alerts to notify marketing teams of updates
• Adding filters to segment contacts by other criteria like engagement
• Scheduling regular data cleanups with Cron triggers

Ready to take control of your email marketing data? Let’s build smarter automations with n8n and GetResponse!