Pre-send checklist
Pre-send checklist for a product launch
A launch email is the campaign people are least willing to resend with a correction. Most launch mistakes are not in the writing. They are in the timing: the email goes out before the page, the price or the stock is ready.
The inbox line
- The subject names the product or what it does, in the first few words.
- The preview text gives the one reason to care today.
- The sender is the brand name people know, not a new campaign name.
- The subject is still true if the reader opens it tomorrow.
Inside the email
- The product page is live and public. Open the link in a private window.
- The price, date and availability in the email match the page.
- The first screen shows the product and one button.
- Images are hosted and load from outside your office network.
The send
- Anyone on an embargo or early-access list is handled separately.
- Support and sales know the send time and have the same facts.
- The send time is after the page goes live, with some margin.
- A plain follow-up for people who did not open is drafted, not improvised.
One tip
Open every link in a private browser window before you send. A page you can see while logged in may be a 404 to everyone else.
Common questions
What is the most common product launch email mistake?
Sending before the destination is ready: a product page that is still private, a price that differs from the email, or a checkout that is not switched on. Check the links as an anonymous visitor.
Should a launch email go to the whole list?
Send to the people who have recently opened or bought first if your list is large or old. A sudden send to many inactive addresses is a common cause of spam complaints.
More checklists
CW-01 · 12 CHECKS
A newsletter
For the regular send that is easy to stop checking.
Open checklist
CW-02 · 12 CHECKS
A welcome email
The first email a new subscriber gets. It sends itself, so check it well once.
Open checklist
CW-04 · 12 CHECKS
A sale or promotion
Codes, end dates and exclusions: the details people complain about.
Open checklist
CW-05 · 12 CHECKS
An abandoned cart email
An automated email with live data in it. Test the data, not just the design.
Open checklist
Final call
A sent email cannot be unsent.
Check the inbox line before it leaves. Free, no account, nothing uploaded.