You’ve created your email campaign in Mailchimp and want to test it out to make sure everything looks right before sending it to your entire list. Sending a test email is easy and ensures your campaign displays properly across different email clients and devices. You can send a test to yourself, a colleague, or a small test list you’ve created specifically for checking campaigns. Either way, sending a test email in Mailchimp only takes a couple of minutes and provides peace of mind that your hard work creating the campaign will pay off. In this guide, you will learn how to send a test email to preview your Mailchimp campaign before the big launch.
Why You Should Send Test Emails in Mailchimp
Sending test emails in Mailchimp is a smart idea for a few reasons.
First thing, it allows you to double check that your email looks the way you want before sending it to your entire email list. You can confirm things like:
- Your header and footer are displaying properly
- Images and buttons are showing up and linking correctly
- The content is formatted the way you intended
- here aren’t any weird spacing or font issues
Second, testing helps ensure your email will actually reach your subscribers’ inboxes. Things like spam filters, firewalls, and server issues can sometimes block emails or send them to spam folders by mistake. Sending a test email first verifies your email can make it to the inbox, so your hard work isn’t wasted.
Finally, testing gives you peace of mind. There’s nothing worse than sending out an email to thousands of contacts only to discover an embarrassing typo or broken link after the fact. Test emails give you the chance to catch any errors and make corrections before the big send.
When you’re ready to test your campaign, just click the “Send a Test email” button. Enter a few email addresses you have access to, like your personal email or those of colleagues willing to help test. Review how the test email looks and make any changes needed. Then, schedule your campaign to go live with confidence, knowing your subscribers will receive it loud and clear. Sending test emails takes just a few extra minutes but provides major benefits for your email marketing success.
How to Create a Campaign in Mailchimp
To create your first email campaign in Mailchimp, log in to your account and click “Campaigns” in the left menu of the Mailchimp dashboard. Then select “Create Campaign.”
Choose your type
For a regular campaign newsletter, choose “Regular email.” Type in your campaign name and select “Next.”
Design your email
Select a pre-made template or start your new campaign from scratch. Add your logo, colors, and fonts to match your brand. Include images – they significantly improve the campaign’s effectiveness!
Build your campaign content
Add a subject line that’s specific and compelling to boost the open rate of your email campaign. For the email content, include:
- An opening paragraph that introduces the key message or purpose
- 2-3 short sections or articles on related topics
- Visuals like photos, graphics, or videos
- A clear call-to-action at the end (e.g., Shop Now, Learn More, Download)
Use a friendly, conversational tone. Keep paragraphs short, around 2 to 3 sentences. Use bulleted lists and include links to your website. Make sure your landing pages are relevant to the links provided in your newsletter.
Review and test
Double check for any errors. Then, send a test to check how your email displays across different email providers and different devices like laptops, tablets, and mobile devices. You can send it to your own email address or ask friends to review it.
Make any final tweaks before scheduling your campaign to go live! Sending a test first helps ensure your messages reach email subscribers as intended. With some practice, you’ll be crafting custom email campaigns in no time.
Adding Content and Settings to Your Campaign
Once you’ve set up your campaign and template in Mailchimp, it’s time to add content and configure the settings. This ensures your test email is ready to send.
To add content, select the Design and Content tab. You’ll see fields for a subject line, preheader, and email content. The subject line should be clear and compelling, around 50 characters or less. The preheader is a preview of your email content, about 150 characters.
For the email content, you have a few options:
- Use one of Mailchimp’s pre-designed email templates and just add your own text, images, and call-to-action buttons. These templates are mobile-optimized and reader-friendly.
- You can also create your own email design from scratch using Mailchimp’s drag-and-drop builder. You can include:
- Text content: Headlines, paragraphs, bullet points, etc. Keep sentences and paragraphs short for easy reading.
- User Personalization: First name, last name, etc. This will boost your open and click-through rates.
- Images: Photos, logos, illustrations, etc. Be sure any images are optimized for email.
- Buttons: Add call-to-action buttons to drive readers to your website, social media pages, or latest offers.
- Columns: Use columns to organize your content into an easy-to-read format.
- Upload your own pre-designed HTML email. Make sure it’s responsive and rendered properly in various email clients. Under Settings, choose options like:
- List: Select the email list you want to send the test to.
- Subject line: Review and modify the subject line if needed.
- Preheader: Review and modify the preheader text if needed.
- From name and email: Choose what name and email address the test email will come from.
- Reply-to email: Choose what email address readers can reply to.
- Track opens and clicks: Enable open and click tracking to see who interacts with your test email.
Review all the content and settings. Once everything looks good, you’re ready to send your test email! Click the “Send Test Email” button to have Mailchimp deliver your email to the list you selected. Check your reports to see the open and click data on your test. Make any final tweaks before sending it to your full list.
Sending a Test Email From the Mailchimp Editor
Once you’ve designed your email in the Mailchimp editor, it’s a good idea to send yourself a test to review how it will appear to your subscribers and ensure there are no issues before sending.
Sending a Test Email From the Mailchimp Editor
To send yourself a test email from the Mailchimp editor:
- Before sending a test email, you can enter preview mode by clicking the “Preview” button. Here, you can see how the email will look in the Desktop, Mobile, and Inbox previews. The inbox preview will show how your email will look to different email clients and different email providers.
- Click the “Send a test email” button at the top of the editor. This will open the “Send a test email” window.
- Enter the email address you want to send the test. This is usually your own email address. You can add multiple addresses to test the email in different email clients and devices.
- Click “Send Test”. Mailchimp will send a test of your email campaign to the email address(es) you entered. Check your inbox for the test email(s) within a few minutes.
- Review how your email appears in the test, checking for any issues with content, images, links, spacing, or formatting. Make any necessary changes to the email in the Mailchimp editor.
- You can send as many test emails as you like. Just click the “Send a test email” button again and enter the email address(es). Mailchimp will send another test with your latest changes.
- Once your email campaign looks perfect in the test, you’re ready to schedule it to send to your full list. You can also select your target audience or create a new audience in the TO section of your email campaign by clicking the “Edit Receipts” button.
- Click “Schedule a time” or “Send Now” to officially launch your campaign. Please note that the “Schedule a time” option will not work in the Mailchimp free plan. You have to upgrade your Mailchimp account to the paid plan to get this feature activated.
Sending test emails is a key step to launching an effective email campaign. Be sure to thoroughly review tests of your email to catch any problems and make adjustments before sending it to your entire list. Your subscribers will appreciate receiving a polished, well-designed email.
Checking Delivery of Your Test Email in Mailchimp
Once you send your test email in Mailchimp, it’s important to check that it was delivered properly. Here are the steps to verify your test email made it to the intended recipients:
Check with your recipients
Reach out directly to a handful of recipients and ask if they received your test email. Explain that you’re verifying before sending a full campaign email to your list. If some contacts did not receive it, try to determine any patterns around email provider (Gmail vs Outlook), domain (work vs personal accounts), or other factors. Their feedback can help you address any issues and ensure maximum delivery for your real email campaign.
Check spam folders
There’s always a chance your test email ended up in the spam or junk folder of some recipients. Ask a few recipients to specifically check their spam folders for your test email and report back whether they found it. If so, you may need to make some adjustments to your email content or subject line to improve spam detection for the actual campaign email. Things like avoiding excessive exclamation points, dollar signs, or ALL CAPS can help.
Review your email metrics
Once you’ve sent a full email campaign, check your reports again to see open, click, bounce, and unsubscribe rates. Compare these to your test email metrics to make sure there aren’t any major differences that could indicate a delivery problem. Significant changes in rates could mean certain groups of recipients did not receive your actual campaign email. It’s best to investigate any major discrepancies to optimize your email marketing results.
Following up on your test email in these ways provides valuable insights into your list and email delivery. Take the time to check and double-check – your email marketing success depends on it!
Conclusion
So there you have it, a quick and easy way to send yourself a test email in Mailchimp. Now, you can preview your campaign and ensure everything looks the way you want before launching to your full list. Test emails are an important step; don’t skip them! While Mailchimp makes the process simple, it’s always a good idea to double-check that images are displaying properly, links are working, and your message is coming across clearly. Once you’ve sent yourself a test and made any needed tweaks, you can launch with confidence, knowing your email is ready to go. Happy testing, and good luck with your campaign!