Hitting that big "launch" button can be a scary thing to do. I've sent a lot of email campaigns in my time, but I still get a bit of that big-red-button-anxiety bit each time. What if I've misspelt something horrendously? What if the links break? What if the world explodes?
Well, the good news for starters: no mistake you make in an email will cause the world to explode. So don't put that on your head. Most mistakes are also mistakes you can recover from - there's plenty of great examples out there of companies bouncing back from mistakes in ways that are actually quite endearing.
BUT. Ideally you don't want to have to bounce back - you want to avoid making those mistakes in the first place. How do you do that? Pre-launch checklists. But the trick is that a lot of the time you don’t know what to check for until you've made a mistake with that thing (ugh). So - rather than learning from only your mistakes, it's helpful when you can learn from everyone else's, too.
What you need to know about checklists
Fortunately, I've made a lot of mistakes! And here's a few key things I've learned…
- Yes, pre-launch checklists are a time investment. If you’re not doing them now, it will add time to your process. And it’ll take users a while to get used to them.
- But, they’re a great training tool. Having pre-launch checks in place forces users to check their work, and - more importantly - understand it. As they get familiar with the process, they’ll be better able to avoid mistakes before they happen, because they’re training themselves to look out for them.
- Which actually makes pre-launch checklists a time saver. Once you’ve invested the time to set them up, and users have invested the time to get to know the process, the checklists often take very little time to fill out, and less frequently reveal errors - because users become more accurate through the practice of using them.
The Ultimate Pre-Launch Checklist
So here’s the goods.
Over the years, I’ve cobbled together every mistake I’ve made, or seen someone else make, and used it to form a pretty comprehensive checklist. And I’ve pooled details from other champs to help make sure I haven’t missed anything (big thanks to Joe Reitz, Natalie Kremer, Jessica Kao, Amber Hobson and Marketo's own Meghana Rao!).
Obligatory disclaimer
This is not a short checklist - if it was, it wouldn’t be the ultimate checklist. I am not recommending that you make your users go through this whole thing every time. Most people will not need every piece of the checklist, and no one should ever need every piece of it every time. That would be a bit insane.
So here’s the general idea:
- Use what’s relevant, ignore/delete what’s not, and customise it for your needs: in general (e.g. don’t have revenue cycle modeler? Delete those steps), and in specific cases (e.g. program doesn’t have a form? Ignore that section this time).
- Set your requirements: being clear about what answer is acceptable at any point helps users understand why you’re asking these questions.
- Two is better than one: in an ideal world, the person who built the program should never be the only person who reviews it - sometimes it’s also good for them not to be the ones who launch it. Building programs can be a deep process - and sometimes a bit of distance is key to spotting issues.
- Check as you go: don’t roll through a checklist and tick things off by memory - memory is fallible, and (generally) flattering. Need to confirm the channel is correct? Look, then check it off. Assets approved? Look, then check it off. Always check!
- Leave the last steps to last: the last steps ask you to repeat some key checks - for a reason. Sometimes things need to be changed along the way - and whenever something changes, there is a possibility that a mistake was made. The last steps should always be checked over just before you hit send!
Got it? Good. Here you go then!
Key Details and Planning |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Program type: Is it appropriate? (e.g., if Engagement program, is it logical? if Default, is it logical?) |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this question with a yes you may need to change your program type (see Programs - Marketo Docs - Product Documentation ) |
|
2 |
Channel: Is the channel appropriate? Do the Channel Steps (a.k.a. program statuses) support the program's success management? (e.g., if set up as a newsletter, does this make sense and do the program statuses support the purpose of the program, or are you trying to twist something pre-existing but not suitable?) |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this question with a yes, you will need to either change your channel or discuss the creation of a new one with a system admin. (see Understanding Tags - Marketo Docs - Product Documentation) |
|
3 |
Program Naming Convention: Is this set following your naming conventions correctly? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this question with a yes, or aren't sure, review your naming conventions and if necessary, update the name of your program. |
|
4 |
Period Cost: Has the program had a cost assigned? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this question with a yes, add a period cost in (even if it's just zero! - see Understanding Period Costs - Marketo Docs - Product Documentation) |
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5 |
Success: Has the program's objective and success metric been clearly identified? Do you know how you're going to measure it? Is it being marked with a program status change? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this question with a yes, you will not have an easy means of understanding whether your campaign had any impact |
|
6 |
Audience: Has the program's audience been clearly identified? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this question with a yes... well you're not sending. So find out! |
|
7 |
Tokens: Have all required program tokens been updated? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes or N/A. If you can't answer with a yes, or don't know whether it applies, check your program tokens tab and see whether the program contains any local tokens that need to be updated. (See Understanding My Tokens in a Program - Marketo Docs - Product Documentation) |
identify what your primary objective is, and then a means of measuring it - even if it's a manual list import after 7 days!
Web Personalisation Campaigns |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Design: Is the design consistent with the brand? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this with a yes you either need a good reason for it or you need to redesign it. |
|
2 |
Testing: Has it been tested across devices? browsers? Does it both render cleanly and function? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should test this. |
|
3 |
Data: If there is a form in the campaign, has the form been tested? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should test this. |
|
4 |
Tracking: If you have a form in the campaign, are hidden UTM fields in place to track sources of submissions? Have these been tested? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes or no. If answering no, understand that your ability to track what sources directed people to this form will be more limited. |
|
5 |
GDPR/CASL Compliance: If data is captured through the form, is the opt in compliant and do you provide collection statement w/functioning Privacy Policy link? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. Know your relevant compliance environment: if you cannot answer this question with a yes, you need to update to ensure it is compliant. If you do not know, seek appropriate advice. |
|
6 |
GA Integration: Is your Web Personalisation integrated with Google Analytics? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes or no. If answering no, understand that your ability to track what web personalisation impact will be more limited. |
|
7 |
Segments: Is the segment chosen appropriate, and does it apply to the right domains? Is the segment being sent to GA? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you'll need to update it. |
Landing Pages |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Design: Is the design consistent with the brand? Does it use the appropriate template? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this with a yes you either need a good reason for it or you need to redesign it. |
|
2 |
Testing: Has it been tested across devices? browsers? Does it both render cleanly and function? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should test this. |
|
3 |
URL: Has the page URL been customised? is it logical/does it follow naming conventions? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should update this. |
|
4 |
Meta/OG tags: Have the OG tags been set? The title, descriiption, images, etc. (Note that these will impact how the page displays in social sharing!) |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should update this. |
|
5 |
Robots: What are the settings? Do they make sense given your needs? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this with a yes, you should update it. |
|
6 |
Personalisation: If your page has any personalised elements on it, have you tested them? Do they all work as expected? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes or n/a, go test! |
|
7 |
Images: have all images used been compressed properly? If there is text overlaying any images, is it clearly legible? Do you have the rights to use these images & are they on brand? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. All images (if any are used) should be compressed to improve load speed! (See Demand Lab's fantastic guide to image compression) |
|
8 |
Copy: Have you reviewed the copy for any grammar errors? Is the copy on tone for your brand? Does your copy make it clear what the page's objective is? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes or n/a, review your copy! |
|
9 |
Forms: If the page has a form on it, is the right form being referenced? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes (or n/a), fix it! |
|
10 |
Thank You: If there's a form on your page, does the page display a success message/redirect to a thank you page on submission as appropriate? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes (or n/a), fix it! |
|
11 |
GDPR/CASL Compliance: If data is captured through the form, is the opt in compliant and do you provide collection statement w/functioning Privacy Policy link? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. Know your relevant compliance environment: if you cannot answer this question with a yes, you need to update to ensure it is compliant. If you do not know, seek appropriate advice. |
|
12 |
Tracking: Do you have google analytics, tag manager, and / or munchkin settings applied to the page as intended? Should this page have munchkins on or off by default? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes or n/a, ask! |
Forms |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Responsive: Is the form device responsive? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this with a yes, you should update the CSS to make it responsive or it may impact your performance. |
|
2 |
Design: Is the design of the form brand consistent? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer this with a yes you either need a good reason for it or you need to update the CSS to make it on brand. |
|
3 |
Data Flow: Does all data map to fields as intended? Have you checked a test record's activity log to prove this? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and test this. |
|
4 |
Tracking: Are hidden UTM fields in place to track sources of submissions to this form? Have these been tested? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes or no. If answering no, understand that your ability to track what sources directed people to this form will be more limited. |
|
5 |
GDPR/CASL Compliance: If data is captured through the form, is the opt in compliant and do you provide collection statement w/functioning Privacy Policy link? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. Know your relevant compliance environment: if you cannot answer this question with a yes, you need to update to ensure it is compliant. If you do not know, seek appropriate advice. |
Smart Campaigns |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Accuracy: Have all necessary smart campaigns been checked, reviewed, and considered accurate? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding. |
|
2 |
Send count: If your email sending campaign is a batch campaign (not triggered) look at the count of leads in the "schedule" tab - do the numbers align to what you expect? Is it below the abort threshold? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding. |
|
3 |
Master Rules: Are master segmentations/lists being used if/where appropriate? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. Master lists/segmentations are designed to reduce the number of fields you must reference and reduce the risk of human error. You should be VERY confident of your rules if not using master lists/segmentations. |
|
4 |
Attribution: If the program will be acquiring new leads (e.g., an event program) are attribution settings included as required? Is acquisition program being mapped? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you are importing leads to your program, or your program will be acquiring new leads, you should have acquisition program settings used. |
|
5 |
Engagement Programs: If documenting an engagement program, are there campaigns in place to ensure members are added, paused, and restarted as appropriate? Have these steps been sense-checked by others? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If this is an engagement program, and you cannot answer with a yes without good reason, don't activate until this is in place |
|
6 |
Subscription Preferences: Have all necessary subscription preference factors been included? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you're unsure, ask! You'll need a good reason to say N/A (e.g., operational sends). |
|
7 |
Program Status: Are there flow steps included to update program statuses? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, you should to add these into your smart campaign flow steps (see Change Program Status - Marketo Docs - Product Documentation) |
|
8 |
Broader Impact: Are any flow steps sending alerts/writing to fields that sync to other teams/systems? If so, has volume been considered and have stakeholders for those teams/systems been advised? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / No / N/A. Any answer is okay but if it does map you should usually inform the team that owns the system. If you're not sure, ask! |
|
9 |
Scoring Impact: Have any implications to lead scoring been considered? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes or n/a, ask! |
|
10 |
RCM Impact: Have any implications to the lead lifecycle model been considered? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes or n/a, ask! |
|
11 |
Nurture Impact: Have any implications to existing nurture programs considered? Have you ensured people will not be bombarded? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you can't answer yes or n/a, ask! |
|
12 |
Reporting Success: Is program success being measured logically? Is the success reasonable - not too close in the process? Not too far? Do you have a strategy for HOW you will report on and measure success? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you can't answer yes, rethink your success metric! |
Lists |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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1 |
Logic: If smart lists are being used to identify any part of the audience, has the logic been checked, reviewed, and considered accurate? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding. |
|
2 |
List Import Processes: If static lists are being used to identify any part of the audience, is the data source trustworthy and has the import been done accurately & according to your list import processes? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding. |
|
3 |
Exclusions: Are any required exclusions being included (e.g. competitors, unsubscribe, black lists) |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. You must have unsubscribes filtered out unless you have a very good, legally compliant reason not to. You should be very confident of your content, campaign rules and legal basis if not including any of these. |
|
4 |
Master Lists: Are master lists/segmentations being used where appropriate? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. Master lists/segmentations are designed to reduce the number of fields you must reference and reduce the risk of human error. You should be VERY confident of your rules if not using master lists/segmentations. |
Audience |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
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Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Legal Basis: You have an appropriate legal basis for contacting your audience - either:
|
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes - & state the basis. Be sure whatever basis you choose is valid in your compliance environment. If you cannot answer with a yes, STOP and seek clarification regarding the legal basis for contacting this audience. |
|
2 |
Data Sources: If you are identifying your audience through a list import, is your data source trustworthy? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you cannot answer with a yes, seek clarification on the data source. |
|
3 |
List Purchasing: Has audience has been sourced through list purchasing or sponsorship activities? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
No if source = list purchasing. List purchasing is bad practice, illegal in many places, and often a breach of your contract with your Marketing Automation platforn, Yes if source = sponsorship. In sponsorship & competition cases, ensure the data capture was compliant. It is best practice to be clear in the first comm how you received their info, and to make opt out easy. |
|
4 |
Relevance: The information you are about to send this audience is relevant to them and to their relationship with you. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, STOP and consider very carefully why you are sending to these people. Sending information that is not relevant to them or their relationship with you is likely to adversely affect performance, deliverability, and may be a breach in your compliance environment. |
|
5 |
Expectation: This audience expects to hear from you. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, STOP and consider very carefully why you are sending to these people. Sending to an audience who do not want/expect to hear from you is likely to adversely affect performance, deliverability, and may be a breach in your compliance environment. |
Email Testing Checklist |
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|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Check |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
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|
1 |
Sender email address: checked with brand owner, confirmed to be safe for use. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should check before proceeding. |
|
2 |
Sender name: checked with brand owner, confirmed to be safe for use. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should check before proceeding. |
|
3 |
Reply-to address: checked with brand owner, confirmed to be safe for use. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should check before proceeding. |
|
4 |
Preheader settings: pre-header has been set according to best practice (min. 80 char, full sentences, front load the valuable bits!) |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should update before proceeding. |
|
5 |
Copy Proofing: no spelling or grammar issues found, tone is brand appropriate |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix before proceeding. |
|
6 |
Scannability: can you comprehend the key information in this email at a scan? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. Email best practice suggests that it's important to ensure your email's key message can be understood at a scan. If you choose not to apply this practice, be aware it may impact your email's performance. |
|
7 |
Unsubscribe: The email has a functional unsubscribe link, which you have tested. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. N/A should only be valid if the email is operational. Be confident that unsubscribe will not be required, if in doubt, inclusion is safer. |
|
8 |
Text Version: A text version of the email has been created, and you have sent yourself a test of the text version. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should test before proceeding. |
|
9 |
Text Version Optimisation: the layout of the text version has been optimised. No HTML comments are visible, all relevant content is included. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. Auto-generated text versions can be awful to read - it's worth optimising them! |
|
10 |
Text Version Hyperlinks & UTMS: hyperlinks work & include UTMs, across:
|
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding. Be aware that automatic text versions don't pull through variables reliably! |
|
11 |
HTML/Main Version: An HTML / primary version of the email has been created, and you have sent yourself a test of it. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes (unless plain text only). If you cannot answer with a yes you should send yourself a test before proceeding. |
|
12 |
Images: All images have alt text, and none are broken. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding (unless there are no images). |
|
13 |
Image Compression: All images were saved for web from your image editing software, and then compressed prior to uploading, and email load time is acceptable. (note - hero images should be below 120kb, and all smaller images should be smaller! High load times WILL impact performance). |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. All images (if any are used) should be compressed to improve load speed! (See Demand Lab's fantastic guide to image compression) |
|
14 |
HTML Version Hyperlinks & UTMs: hyperlinks work & include UTMs, across:
|
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. Don't send broken links! If you can't answer yes, fix before continuing. |
|
15 |
Dynamic content: Does your email have dynamic content in it? Have you tested it across multiple scenarios? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should test this before proceeding. |
|
16 |
Legal requirements:
|
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes you should fix and check these before proceeding. |
|
17 |
Peer reviewed |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, this should be done before you send. |
|
18 |
Operational sends: has the email been set to operational (meaning it will bypass unsubscribe settings)? If so, do you have a valid reason for this? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / No. If answering with yes, you should have a valid reason for sending as an operational email. If you're not sure, ASK! |
|
19 |
A/B & Champ/ChallengerTesting: Are you running any champion/challenger testing on the email? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / No. If you're not doing any testing, think about whether you may be missing an opportunity to make some learnings! |
|
20 |
Client Testing: Have you run the email through your client testing software? (e.g., Litmus or Email on Acid)
|
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you cannot answer with a yes (unless you don't have testing software) this should be done before you send. |
|
21 |
Spam Testing: Have you run the email through spam process?
|
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes / N/A. If you cannot answer with a yes (unless you don't have testing software) this should be done before you send. |
|
22 |
Additional Analytics: Does the email have additional analytics code included? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
yes or n/aYes / N/A. If you cannot answer with a yes (unless you don't have additional analytics software) this should be done before you send. |
Final Checks - BEFORE YOU HIT SEND |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Test |
Builder Review |
Peer Review |
Requirement |
|
|
1 |
Asset approval: Ensure that finalised program assets and champion/challenger tests are fully approved and have no final changes in draft mode. |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, this must be done before you send. |
|
2 |
Smart Campaign accuracy: Do the smart campaigns reference the right assets? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, this must be fixed before you send. |
|
3 |
Checklist steps: Have all the above checks been completed? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, this should be done before you send. |
|
4 |
Stakeholder approval: Has the campaign received final sign off from stakeholders? |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date | URL |
Yes/No/N/A + notes | Your Name | Today's Date |
Yes. If you cannot answer with a yes, this should be done before you send. |
There you go! It's a lot, but hopefully you can pick some tidbits from the list to help improve your pre-launch testing. Got any important checks that I haven't included? Share them in the comments!
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