If you've noticed that a subscriber didn't receive your blog automation message, there are several common reasons why this might occur. Understanding these scenarios can help you troubleshoot delivery issues and ensure your content reaches the right audience.
Common Reasons for Blog Automation Messages Not Sending
1. Subscriber Was Tagged After the Message Was Scheduled
Blog automation messages are scheduled based on when your blog post is published or when the automation is triggered. If a subscriber was added to your list or tagged with the relevant tag after the message was already scheduled to send, they will not receive that particular message.
What happens instead: The subscriber will receive the next blog automation message that gets scheduled after they were tagged.
Example: Your blog automation sends every Monday at 9 AM. A subscriber is tagged on Monday at 10 AM. They won't receive Monday's message, but they will receive the following Monday's message.
2. Subscriber Was Unsubscribed or Unconfirmed
Blog automation messages are only sent to subscribers with an active "subscribed" status. If the subscriber is unsubscribed or has an unconfirmed status at the time the message is scheduled to send, they will not receive the message.
Check the subscriber's status to verify they were subscribed when the message was sent.
3. Subscriber Doesn't Have the Required Tag
If your blog automation is set up to send only to subscribers with a specific tag, the subscriber must have that tag applied before the message is scheduled. If the tag was removed or never applied, the subscriber won't be included in that send.
Review your tag settings in the blog automation configuration to ensure the correct subscribers are targeted.
4. The Blog Post Didn't Trigger the Automation
Blog automations rely on your blog's RSS feed to detect new posts. If there was an issue with your RSS feed or the automation didn't detect a new post, no message would have been sent.
Verify that:
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Your RSS feed is functioning correctly
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The blog post was published (not saved as a draft)
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The automation is active and properly configured
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Your RSS feed isn't being cached by your CDN or caching plugins
RSS Feed Caching Issues:
Many blogs use Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) like Cloudflare or caching plugins like WP Super Cache, W3 Total Cache, or WP Rocket to improve website performance. While these tools enhance speed, they can delay RSS feed updates:
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Cached feeds show old content: When you publish a new post, your RSS feed may not update immediately if it's being served from cache instead of being generated fresh from your database.
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AWeber checks your feed periodically: If your feed is showing cached content when AWeber checks it, the new post won't be detected.
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Cache expiration timing matters: If your cache TTL (Time To Live) is set for several hours or days, your automation may miss posts entirely.
How to resolve caching issues:
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Exclude your RSS feed URL from caching in your CDN or caching plugin settings
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Set a shorter cache expiration time for RSS feeds (15-30 minutes is recommended)
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Manually purge/clear your cache after publishing new blog posts
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Test your RSS feed URL in a browser after publishing to confirm new content appears
5. Timing of the Send
Blog automations typically send on a scheduled basis (daily, weekly, etc.). If a subscriber was added between automation runs, they'll need to wait for the next scheduled send.
Check your automation schedule to understand when the next message will go out.
Why Blog Automation Stats May Show Multiple Send Groups
Blog automation messages in Workflows function differently than Broadcast messages:
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Broadcasts send once to subscribers simultaneously as a single batch.
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Workflows (including blog automations) are subscriber specific and sent individually. When you publish a new blog post, the workflow sends a separate message to each subscriber based on separate event triggers rather than one single broadcast email trigger.
What this means for your stats:
If you have 350 subscribers, your blog automation sends 350 individual event messages, not 1 broadcast. Because these messages are sent individually over time rather than all at once, they may:
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Update gradually in your stats dashboard
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Appear as 2 or more separate send groups in your reporting
This is normal behavior. While workflows typically group these sends together for reporting purposes, they may occasionally appear split across multiple groups due to the individual sending process. This doesn't affect delivery - all subscribers still receive their message as intended.