Creating scheduled emails

Which email type you need

ShortStack has three kinds of email. The type decides when the email sends and who receives it, so you pick it first. To use a different type, create a new email of that type.

Type	When it sends	Use it when
Autoresponder	As soon as an entry arrives, once per entry	You want to confirm every entry straight away.
Follow-up	A set number of hours or days after the entry arrives	You want to stay in touch after each entry.
Scheduled	Once, at a date and time you choose	You want to email everyone on a list at once, such as announcing winners or sharing news.

Before you start

• Plan: scheduled emails are included in the Max and Enterprise plans. Compare plans.
• A scheduled email can go to several lists. The summary step shows how many entries each selected list holds.
• Double opt-in. If your company profile has Require Double Opt-In turned on, scheduled emails go only to entrants who clicked the subscribe link. See How to create double opt-in emails.
• Links in a new account's emails are reviewed by support before they send. See New accounts and protecting deliverability.

Set up a scheduled email

1. Go to the Emails Manager, click New Email and choose Scheduled Email. Or, in the Campaign Builder, click the envelope icon, click New Email next to the list, and choose Scheduled Email.
2. Check the Company Profile, then tick each list that should receive the email.
3. Choose whether to include a code: No, One Code, Instant Win or Code List. Code lists are included in the Scale plan and higher. See Using unique codes in emails.
4. Pick a template or click Continue to start blank, then write your content. Add merge fields from Available Merge Fields.
5. Enter a name (only you see it) and a subject. From Name and From Email Address are optional and use your company profile's defaults when blank. For which From address to use, see Creating autoresponder emails.
6. Under When would you like to send this email?, choose Send Now, or choose Schedule and set the date, time and time zone. The time zone starts as UTC, so check it.
7. On the summary step, check every section has a tick and the entry counts look right, send a test, add any filters, and click Save & Schedule.

The email shows as Scheduled in the Emails Manager until it starts sending. When any email is due to send within 24 hours, the Emails Manager shows a notice; click View Now to see those emails first.

Filters

Filter	What it does	Use it when
Filter by Date Received	Includes or excludes entries received in a date range.	You want only entries from one period, such as one month's entrants.
Approved Status	Includes or excludes approved entries.	You moderate entries and want to email only approved ones.
Filter by Image Presence	Includes or excludes entries with an image.	You want to email people who haven't uploaded a photo yet.
Filter by Label	Includes or excludes entries with a label you choose.	You've labeled entries, for example as winners.

What happens when it sends

• Who receives it: everyone on the selected lists who matches your filters when the email starts sending. Each email address receives one copy, even if that person entered more than once. Test entries, deleted entries and entries without a valid email address are skipped, and so are people who unsubscribed. A list of 500 entries can therefore send fewer than 500 emails.
• Status: the email moves from Scheduled to Preparing, Sending and then Sent. Once it's preparing, it's on its way out, so only its name can change.
• Deleting it before it sends cancels it. Delete it from the Emails Manager (click the down arrow next to the email) or the Campaign Builder (the trash can next to the email). Deleting can't be undone, so archive the email instead if you might want it later.
• The footer carries your company profile's business name and address and an unsubscribe link, as the CAN-SPAM Act requires. On the Enterprise plan, you can turn the footer off for transactional emails on the company profile step. See CAN-SPAM Act information.
• Pausing your account stops scheduled emails. When you resume, set each one you still need back to Active.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
The email shows Inactive after you saved it	Something it needs is missing: a company profile, content, a subject, a list or a send time. Open the email, fill in the section without a tick, and save again.
A scheduled email changed to Inactive later	Your plan may have changed to one without scheduled emails, or your account was paused. Check your plan, then set the email to Active again.
Fewer emails sent than entries on the list	Test entries, deleted entries, invalid addresses, unsubscribes and your filters all reduce the count. This is expected.
Emails land in spam	Your From address's domain has a strict DMARC policy. See Which From address to use.

For more, see Troubleshooting emails.

FAQs

How do I email everyone who has already entered?

Create a scheduled email, select the list, and choose Send Now or a date and time. It goes to everyone on the list who matches your filters at the moment it sends.

Will people who enter after I schedule the email receive it?

Yes, if they enter before it starts sending. A scheduled email goes to everyone on the selected lists at the time it sends, not the time you created it.

Will someone who entered more than once get the email more than once?

No. A scheduled email goes to each email address once, however many times that person entered.

Can I change a scheduled email after it starts sending?

Once its status is Preparing or Sending, the email is already on its way, so only its name can change. Before that, you can edit anything.

What happens to my scheduled emails if I change plans?

If you move to a plan that doesn't include scheduled emails, any still waiting to send are set to Inactive instead of going out. Check your scheduled emails before you change plans so nothing you're counting on is missed.

Related resources

• Creating autoresponder emails
• Creating follow-up emails
• Troubleshooting emails
• Setting up scheduled emails (video)
• 9 clever email marketing tricks to convert customers