Email checklist

Use this checklist to check your autoresponders, follow-up emails and scheduled emails before your campaign goes live. An email sends only when it's complete and set to Active or Scheduled, and replies reach you when the From address is on a domain you own.

Before you start

If you need help creating an email, start with our Creating and Designing Emails help docs.

ShortStack has three kinds of email, and each sends at a different moment. You choose the type when you create the email, and it can't be changed afterwards.

Type	When it sends	Use it when
Autoresponder	As soon as an entry arrives, once per entry	You want to confirm every entry. Each list can have one autoresponder.
Follow-up	A set number of hours or days after the entry arrives	You want to stay in touch after the entry, such as a reminder.
Scheduled	At a date and time you choose, once	You want to announce winners or news to everyone you select.

To delete an autoresponder you no longer need, delete it rather than switching it off. A switched-off autoresponder still takes up the list's one spot.

An email sends only when it's complete: it needs a company profile, content and a subject, plus a list (and a schedule for follow-up and scheduled emails). If something is missing when you save, the email is set to Inactive and doesn't send. Check the ticks on the wizard's summary step before you finish.

1. Email setup

Email name: Use a clear, descriptive name (for example, Contest Entry Confirmation).
From name: Use a name your entrants recognize and trust.
From email address: Use an address on a domain you own, so replies reach you. Addresses on ShortStack's campaign domains are changed to a no-reply address, and replies to those aren't delivered.
Reply-to address: Set one if replies should go somewhere else.
Subject line: Write a short subject that states the purpose.
Company profile: Click the company profile name and check the details are correct.

If you send from your own domain, check your domain's DMARC policy. With a policy of p=quarantine, emails can land in the spam folder, and with p=reject, the recipient's mail server turns them away. With no DMARC record, or p=none, they're delivered normally. The wizard's summary step shows a note about this when it finds a policy that could affect delivery.

2. Design and content

Use merge fields, such as {Entry_Name}, for a personal touch. Learn more about Using Merge Fields in Emails.

Body content: Proofread spelling, links and clarity.
Images and branding: Include your logo and consistent colors.
Call to action: Add a clear, clickable button or link.

3. Check your recipients

Test entries, deleted entries and entries without an email address are never emailed, and an address that isn't a valid email address is skipped. A list of 500 entries can therefore send fewer than 500 emails. This is expected.

Connected list: Confirm the email is connected to the right list, especially if your campaign has more than one.
Filters: Check the filters send to the right people (for example, instant winners, non-winners or no repeat emails).
Follow-up emails: A follow-up email goes to each email address once. To send one follow-up for every entry instead, add the duplicate-entry filter.

4. Test and review

To send a test email, the address you send it to must be verified on your account first. Ask for the verification email, then click the link within 3 days. The link works once, and you can ask for a new one if it expires. Test emails start with [TEST] in the subject, and an email sent because of a test entry starts with [TEST ENTRY].

Test email: Send one to yourself or your team to review.
Spam check: Avoid overly promotional or spammy phrases.
Mobile preview: Check the layout on mobile and desktop.
Merge fields: Confirm personalization fields fill in correctly.

5. Activate the email

Check the email's status so it's ready when your campaign goes live.

Status	What it means
Inactive	Not going to send. It was never switched on, you switched it off, or it needs something added.
Active	An autoresponder that's waiting for entries.
Scheduled	A follow-up or scheduled email waiting for its time.
Preparing or Sending	Emails are on their way. You can change only the name now.
Sent	A scheduled email has finished.

A follow-up email that finds no one to email for a long stretch is set to Inactive to keep your account tidy: after 90 days if it has never sent, or after 30 days if it has sent before and nothing has gone out lately. Set it to Active again when you're ready for more entries.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
The email is Inactive and you expected it to send	Open the email and check the summary step for anything missing (company profile, content, subject, list or schedule), then set it to Active or Scheduled again.
Replies don't reach you	Change the From address to one on your own domain.
Emails go to spam or bounce	Check your domain's DMARC policy with whoever manages your DNS.
A test email won't send	Verify the address first, and ask for a new verification link if the old one is more than 3 days old.
You can't add a second autoresponder	A list can have one. Edit the current one, or delete it first.

For more, see Troubleshooting Emails.

Creating Autoresponder Emails (Help Doc)

Troubleshooting Emails (Help Doc)

Before Publishing Your Campaign Checklist (Help Doc)

Using Merge Fields in Emails (Help Doc)