An email campaign is a message you send to your contacts to announce news, promote a product or share your latest content. You create the campaign, design the email, then choose who receives it and when.
Step 1: create the campaign
Go to MailerPress > New Campaign, or click Create Campaign on the Campaigns page. An assistant opens:
- Editor: choose Visual Editor (recommended: drag-and-drop blocks, templates and live preview) or Raw HTML if you already have a ready-made HTML email.
- Basic Info: enter the Campaign name (only visible in your WordPress admin) and the Subject your recipients see. Under Select or create list, select at least one list of contacts, or type a new name to create one. You can also add tags (labels you put on contacts) under Select or create tag.
- Template (visual editor only): Start from scratch opens an empty email, Template lets you pick an available template, and Previous Campaign reuses the content of an earlier campaign.
- Review: check the summary, then click Create Campaign. The email editor opens.
To compare several versions of the same email, create an A/B testing campaign instead (requires MailerPress Pro). See A/B test your email campaigns.
Step 2: design your email
If you started from scratch, the empty canvas offers starter layouts, a few default designs and an Open template library button. Then add blocks to build your email. See How to use the MailerPress Editor and, to insert the contact’s name or other data, Personalizing Emails with MailerPress Merge Tags.
While you edit, MailerPress checks your email and shows a notice when something needs attention:
- No unsubscribe or manage subscription link: click Fix it to add them. See One-click unsubscribe and compliant email footer.
- Fonts used in the email are not installed: click Install.
- Your primary sending service is disabled, so emails cannot be sent correctly: click Go to sending options.
- MJML issues were found in your email (MJML is the format used to build responsive emails): click Review code.
When your email is ready, click Preview & Send in the top toolbar.
Step 3: preview, test and send
The Preview & Send window shows your email on the left. Switch between desktop and mobile views, and select a contact to see your merge tags filled with real data.
To send yourself a test:
- Click Send a test at the top of the right-hand panel. The panel also shows which sending service is used.
- Under Recipients, enter up to five addresses. The default test recipients from MailerPress > Settings > General are pre-filled.
- Click Send Test.
Then complete the three steps of the panel:
Details
- From: the sender of the campaign. See Customize the default sender name and email address.
- Subject line: required. With MailerPress Pro and AI configured, the Generate with AI button next to the field suggests a subject based on your content.
- Preview text: the short line shown below the subject in the inbox.
- Tracking: Track opens and Track clicks, optionally Anonymously (GDPR). See Campaign statistics and reports.
Recipients
Under Filter by, choose Lists & Tags to select Contact lists and Tags, or Segment to target a saved segment, a group of contacts that match rules you define (requires MailerPress Pro). MailerPress shows how many contacts will receive the campaign. It warns you when your selection matches no contact, for example when no contact in the selected lists has the selected tags.
Sending
Leave Send mode on Live to send this email once. The Automated mode sends new emails based on the content of a Query block (a block that lists your posts). See Send your latest posts automatically by mail.
- Send now: click it to send right away. A short countdown with a Cancel button runs first. Its length is the Send delay in MailerPress > Settings > General: 5 seconds by default, or choose Disabled (send immediately) to skip it.
- Schedule for later: turn it on, choose a date and time, and click Schedule sending. The current site time is shown below the calendar. If you pick a time in the past, MailerPress moves it to one hour from now.
When MailerPress has enough open history for your audience, it suggests the best time to send today, with a Schedule at recommended time button.
Once sent or scheduled, follow the campaign from the Campaigns page. See Manage Your Email Campaigns.