Composing and Sending an Email Campaign

Overview

A campaign is an email you send to an audience list. In StretchMail a campaign has a subject, optional preview text (the snippet inboxes show next to the subject), and a body. This guide walks the whole path from blank draft to queued send.

Step 1 — Create the campaign

1. Open StretchMail → Campaigns.
2. Click New campaign. It starts as a draft.
3. Fill in the essentials:
- Subject (required) — the line recipients see first. Keep it specific and honest.
- Preview text — the short teaser shown after the subject in most inboxes. If you leave it blank, inboxes fall back to the first line of your body.
- Body (required) — your message content.

Both subject and body are required — StretchMail won't save a campaign without them.

Step 2 — Write the body

Compose your message in the body editor. Write in clear, scannable sections with a single obvious call to action. StretchMail automatically generates a plain-text version of your email alongside the rich version, so recipients whose clients block HTML still get a readable message.

Step 3 — Attach an audience list

1. Choose the list this campaign sends to (e.g. Newsletter subscribers).
2. A campaign must have a list attached before it can send — StretchMail will stop you with "Attach a list to the campaign first" otherwise.

When you send, StretchMail queues one email per subscribed recipient and automatically:

• skips unsubscribed contacts (only subscribed status is mailed), and
• excludes anyone on your suppression list, so people who've opted out are never contacted.

Step 4 — Send a test to yourself

Before the real send, send a test to your own address. The test renders the exact content subscribers will receive, so it's the best way to catch:

• broken or wrong links,
• typos in the subject or preview,
• images that don't load,
• formatting that breaks in a real inbox.

Test against the inbox provider most of your audience uses (check Audience → Segments to see which that is).

Step 5 — Send or schedule

When you're happy:

• Send now — StretchMail queues every subscribed, non-suppressed recipient. The campaign status moves to queued, then to sent as delivery completes.
• Schedule — set a future date/time; the campaign holds as scheduled until then. (See Scheduling and managing campaigns for the full lifecycle.)

The send response tells you exactly how many recipients were queued and confirms that suppressed contacts were excluded. If sending isn't enabled yet on your workspace, the campaign still queues safely and delivers once sending is switched on — nothing is lost.

Worked example

Payne Coaching Co. sends a monthly newsletter:

1. Beau creates a campaign, subject "October: three habits that stick", preview "Plus a free worksheet."
2. He writes three short sections and one button linking to the worksheet.
3. He attaches the New clients list (45 subscribed, 2 unsubscribed).
4. He sends a test to his own Gmail, notices the worksheet link points to a draft URL, and fixes it.
5. He schedules the send for 9:00 AM. At send time StretchMail queues 45 emails — the 2 unsubscribed clients are skipped automatically.

Tips

• Preview text is prime real estate. Don't waste it — it's the second line recipients read.
• One call to action per campaign converts better than five competing links.
• Always test first. The 60 seconds it takes saves you from a reputation-damaging mistake to your whole list.
• Check the recipient count in the send confirmation. If it's lower than your list size, unsubscribed/suppressed contacts were correctly excluded.

FAQ

Can I edit a campaign after creating it?
Yes — while it's a draft or scheduled, you can edit subject, preview, body, list, and schedule. Once it's sent, it's locked.

Will unsubscribed people get my campaign?
No. Only subscribed contacts are mailed, and suppression-listed addresses are always excluded.

What happens if my list is empty or all-unsubscribed?
StretchMail refuses the send with "No subscribed (non-suppressed) contacts in the list." Add or re-check contacts first.

Troubleshooting

• "Subject and body are required." Fill in both before saving.
• "Attach a list to the campaign first." Select an audience list on the campaign.
• "Campaign already sent." A sent campaign can't be re-sent; duplicate it into a new draft instead.
• Queued but not delivering. Sending may not be enabled yet — check the Engine card and see Fixing sending and delivery problems.