We're All Capable of Email Greatness....

But like this young man you need to put in some time and effort, often without the acclaim you deserve

And that time and effort means making sure that you dot the i's and cross the t's.

I came across a useful checklist from Jordie van Rijn, a specialist email marketing consultant, that should help you get your email send in order before hitting the send button and ultimately finding your greatness

Here are some of the checks...

Text and Content

All default template content is replaced, like old pre-headers and alt-tags 

The text is re-read, not scanned, to correct grammar and style mistakes 

Short sentences and clear, jargon free text is used to make it easy digestible  

Focus 

All links are clearly identifiable as links 

Your brand is easily recognisable by the from name and email address 

Analytics and Reporting 

All subscribers’ behaviour is measured, both in the email as beyond the click through 

Write down your expectations about the results of your email 

Your subscribers list 

The campaign is sent to the recipients who are interested in your messages 

The list is up-to-date. New opt-ins are added, unsubscribes and inactives removed 

All fields used for dynamic content and personalisation are filled or alternatives presented 

Action oriented 

It’s clear what the readers are supposed to do 

The landing page is even more actionable than the email 

Functional Testing 

All links in the email are clicked, including linked images. They lead to the right pages 

All personalisation and dynamic content works as expected 

The email is optimised for mobile devices like smartphones and tablets 

Strong subject lines 

Your email has a magnetic “I want to open this now” type subject line 

You re-wrote the subject line in at least 15 ways to come up with the best one 

All subject lines will be tested 

The first 45 / 50 characters of the subject line are made to count 

The offer and content match the subject line 

Necessary Elements 

The email has a clear and functional Unsubscribe or preference centre link 

A plain-text version of the email is made, checked and optimised 

A link to view the email online is included 

Social sharing and connecting is promoted if applicable 

Value added email

The email has a great offer and / or killer content 

Insights from earlier campaigns have been used to improve the email 

The offer explains what’s in it for them  

You have provided a way for subscribers to contact you 

Images and Design 

Subscribers with images turned off can make sense of the email and act on it 

Alt-text is used for important images 

The images support the text and main message of the email 

Scheduling 

The email is sent at the time the email it is most likely to be read 


Perhaps not everything is there for everyone but it's a great start.

The complete checklist can be downloaded here on Jordie's website