How do I test a funnel works before sending real traffic at it?

Test the opt-in first

systeme.io's own advice is to register on your own opt-in page. If no email arrives, or the contact does not appear in your list, that is the moment to contact support rather than launch.

Two things break this silently. The form has to contain at least one Email field, or the page returns the error that at least one email input is required. And the button's action has to be set to Submit form, otherwise the contact is not captured and no automation rule fires.

Test the payment with real money

systeme.io states that a test purchase cannot be performed through Stripe, so the only way to know the funnel works is to buy from yourself and refund it afterwards.

Set the price low, around $1. systeme.io warns that a test purchase may incur additional fees and recommends a low price to keep third party fees down.

The record is under the Sales menu, at Transactions, filterable by email address, product name and date range. Refund from there once you have seen the order land.

Test the emails

The address for test emails is set at Settings, then Emails, in the Testing section, and it has to be confirmed by clicking a link before anything will send to it. A different address from your sending address is recommended, to keep deliverability clean.

With that in place, Save and test appears on any newsletter and on any campaign email.

Three limits to plan around:

• Emails written inside an automation rule or a workflow cannot be test sent at all.
• Substitution variables stay blank in a test. To see a name or an order fill in properly, send a live email to yourself.
• You can add five new test addresses a week. Existing ones keep working after that, new ones wait.

The rule that catches people out

systeme.io says it for the Tag added trigger: a tag has to reach the contact after the rule exists. A workflow only acts on triggers that happen after it was activated.

So a contact tagged before the rule was built will not set it off, however many times you check the settings. Use a fresh email address for each run.

Check the funnel is actually live

Funnels have an inactive state. Filter the funnel list by Inactive to see whether yours is sitting there, and switch it on from the three dots beside it.

Check it on a phone

The preview toolbar at the top right of the editor switches between Desktop view, Mobile portrait view and Mobile landscape view. Check the portrait one before you spend anything on traffic.