A/B Testing in Sequences

Purpose

You can test multiple subject lines or email bodies in a single sequence step. SuperSend splits sends across your variants so you can compare performance. This article shows how to set up A/B variants, what gets tested, and how to interpret the results.

How A/B Testing Works in SuperSend

Each email step supports up to 4 variants (A, B, C, D). You add different subject lines and/or body copy to each variant. SuperSend sends traffic across the variants — typically an even split — so contacts receive one version. You then compare open rates, click rates, and replies to see which performed best.

Important: SuperSend does not automatically "pick a winner" and switch everyone to it. You run the test, review the results, and manually update your sequence with the winning variant if you choose.

Setting Up Variants

1. Open your campaign → Sequence tab.
2. Click the email step you want to test (or add a new one).
3. In the email editor, you'll see variant tabs or buttons: A, B, C, D.
4. A variant is "active" when it has content — add a subject and/or body to variant B to create a B variant.
5. Click each letter to switch between editing that variant.
6. Save the step.

Example:

• Variant A: Subject "Quick question" + body A
• Variant B: Subject "Re: Your project" + body B

SuperSend will split sends between A and B.

"Send as Reply" and Variants

If the step is configured to Send as reply (continuing the previous email thread), the subject may be inherited from the prior step. When using variants with reply steps, ensure each variant has a matching body if the upstream step has variants. The editor may show: "Body B is required" — add content for that variant.

What You Can Test

• Subject lines — Different subject_a, subject_b, etc.
• Body copy — Different body_a, body_b, etc.
• Combination — Different subject + body pairs.

Variables like {{first_name}} and {{signature}} work in every variant — personalize as usual.

Viewing Results

After the campaign sends:

1. Go to the campaign Dashboard or Events tab.
2. Review open rates, click rates, and reply counts by step.
3. Compare performance across variants. If your analytics show per-variant breakdown, use that. Otherwise, correlate send volume with events to infer which variant drove more engagement.

SuperSend records which variant was sent to each contact in the event data. Use exports or the Events feed to analyze by variant.

Best Practices

• Test one thing at a time — Subject OR body, not both, so you know what drove the difference.
• Give it volume — Run long enough to get statistically meaningful data (typically 100+ sends per variant).
• Document the winner — When you find a winner, update the sequence to use that variant as the default and remove or simplify the others.

Limitations

• No automatic champion/challenger — you choose when to stop the test and what to do with the winner.
• Variants split traffic; you can't target specific segments to specific variants from the UI.
• Works in both Simple and Complex sequences; the UI may differ slightly between them.

Related Articles

• Edit Sequence Steps
• Simple vs Complex Sequences
• Campaign Events and Statuses

Updated on: 17/03/2026