Pre-send checklist
Pre-send checklist for a sale or promotion
Promotional emails are the ones most likely to read like spam and most likely to cause a support queue. Both problems come from the same place: big claims in the subject and small print that does not match.
The inbox line
- The subject states the offer plainly, with one exclamation mark at most.
- No words in capitals apart from a real code or name.
- The end date or time is in the preview text.
- The claim in the subject is true for everyone who receives it.
Inside the email
- The discount code works. Test it at the checkout, not just in the copy.
- The end date includes a time and a time zone.
- Exclusions are stated next to the offer, not hidden in the footer.
- The button goes to the sale items, not the home page.
The send
- People who bought at full price yesterday are excluded or have an answer waiting.
- The reminder email is scheduled to skip people who already bought.
- The sale is switched on in the shop before the send time.
- You are not sending more often this week than subscribers were told to expect.
One tip
Read the subject line aloud. If it sounds like a market stall, the reader hears it the same way, and so do spam filters trained on what readers report.
Common questions
Do words like "free" send an email to spam?
Not on their own. Modern filters weigh sender reputation, authentication and how readers react far more than single words. But subject lines in capitals with several exclamation marks get reported as spam by people, and that does hurt.
How many reminders should a sale have?
One at the start and one before the end is a common pattern. Leave out anyone who already bought, and do not extend a deadline you called final.
More checklists
CW-01 · 12 CHECKS
A newsletter
For the regular send that is easy to stop checking.
Open checklist
CW-02 · 12 CHECKS
A welcome email
The first email a new subscriber gets. It sends itself, so check it well once.
Open checklist
CW-03 · 12 CHECKS
A product launch
One chance, many people watching, and a page that must be live.
Open checklist
CW-05 · 12 CHECKS
An abandoned cart email
An automated email with live data in it. Test the data, not just the design.
Open checklist
Final call
A sent email cannot be unsent.
Check the inbox line before it leaves. Free, no account, nothing uploaded.