Campaign Operations
Part of Email testing before a send
Building a final email send checklist
A concise release checklist for email audience, content, links, personalisation, rendering and scheduling.
A final send checklist should name the campaign version, decision owner and release-blocking issues. Keep it short enough to use while scheduling. Record detailed link, client and merge-tag checks separately; this checklist confirms their outcomes and catches settings changed since those reviews.
Set up the release record
Record the campaign name, intended audience, planned send time and time zone, editor, decision owner and version under review. Mark each item checked, needs correction or not applicable; an empty box is not approval. If a correction changes the campaign, identify which earlier checks to repeat.
Use a checklist that ends in a decision
| Check | What to confirm |
|---|---|
| Purpose and copy | Subject, preview text, offer, dates and primary action match the final destination. |
| Audience | Recipient rule, exclusions, suppression and estimated count match the approved brief. |
| Permission and identity | Marketing consent, sender identity and contact details have been reviewed for this audience. |
| Unsubscribe | The commercial message has clear instructions and a usable route. |
| Links | Actions and campaign parameters were checked in the final received version. |
| Dynamic content | Relevant recipient states and missing-field fallbacks were checked by a suitable method. |
| Rendering | Relevant client and mobile views were checked after the last material design edit. |
| Send setup | From and reply details, schedule, time zone and any automated follow-up are correct. |
| Decision | The owner records send, delay or cancel and any remaining exception. |
For Australian commercial email, review permission, identity and unsubscribe entries substantively against current ACMA guidance on avoiding sending spam.
Confirm the unsubscribe route remains usable after sending. Connect the pre-send check to the team’s process for handling requests after release.
Repeat affected checks after changes
If a link changes, repeat its destination and tracking check. If a data field or audience rule changes, repeat the relevant recipient and count review. If a shared template component changes, revisit affected client views. Record the new version and decision; an earlier tick should not silently carry over.
Hold the send when a primary link, audience rule, material claim, required personalisation or unsubscribe route remains unresolved. If you accept a minor visual difference, record the affected client and why the message remains usable.
Once scheduled, confirm the platform shows the intended time and audience. If anyone edits the campaign after scheduling, repeat the affected checks before release.
