Schedule an Email Blast
Overview
Purpose: The Schedule Email Blast feature allows you to prepare your email marketing campaigns in advance and have them automatically sent at optimal times, even when you're not available to send manually.
Key Benefits:
- Plan marketing campaigns up to one week in advance
- Ensure timely delivery regardless of your availability
- Send emails at optimal times for your audience engagement
- Maintain consistent communication schedules
- Review and modify scheduled emails before they send
When to Use: Schedule email blasts when you want to send marketing messages at specific times, plan campaigns in advance, or ensure emails go out during optimal engagement hours even if you're unavailable.
Best Practice Tip: Always create and test your email template before scheduling. Once scheduled, make sure your template is finalized since you'll want to avoid last-minute changes.
Schedule a Blast: Step-by-Step Instructions
Navigate to Group Actions. Hover over Contacts and click Group Actions.
Clear your Workgroup to start fresh. Click Clear Workgroup to ensure you're starting with a clean list.
Add Contacts to your workgroup. Click Add Contacts and select the group or groups of contacts you want to receive your email by clicking the groups you want to include. You may choose multiple groups.
Access the Actions menu. Click the Actions tab to see all of your Group Actions options.
Select Email Blast. Click Email Blast from the available actions.
Choose your Email Template. Select your pre-created and tested email template from the template dropdown. Make sure your template is ready to go, then click Schedule This Blast.
Set your timing. Select the Day and Time you want your email to go out. Consider your audience's time zone and when they're most likely to read emails.
Confirm your schedule. Once your day and time are selected, click Schedule.
Verify your scheduled blast. Your email is scheduled! You can click to view the Scheduled Blasts or continue with other tasks.
Additional Information: You can view all your scheduled blasts by going to Reports → Email Blasts. From there, you can review content or cancel scheduled emails before they send.
Managing Scheduled Email Blasts
After scheduling your email blast, you can review or cancel it before it sends:
Navigate to Email Blast Reports. Hover over Reports and click Email Blasts.
Find your scheduled blast. Click Details next to the blast you want to review.
Review or cancel. You may review the message content by clicking View Message Body or cancel by clicking the red Cancel This Email Blast button.
Important: Once an email blast is sent, you cannot recall it. Always double-check your content, recipient list, and timing before confirming your schedule.
Scheduling a Blast: Questions and Answers
Q: How far in advance can I schedule an email blast?
A: You can schedule email blasts up to one week (7 days) in advance. This gives you enough time to plan your campaigns while ensuring the content remains relevant and timely.
Q: Can I edit a scheduled email blast after it's been scheduled?
A: You cannot edit the content of a scheduled email blast, but you can cancel it and create a new one. To make changes, go to Reports → Email Blasts, find your scheduled blast, and click Cancel This Email Blast. Then create a new scheduled blast with your updated content.
Q: What happens if I schedule multiple email blasts for the same time?
A: The system will send all scheduled email blasts at their designated times. However, to avoid overwhelming your recipients, consider spacing your emails appropriately and ensure each blast serves a distinct purpose.
Q: Will I receive a confirmation when my scheduled email blast is sent?
A: Yes, after your scheduled blast is sent, you can review the results by going to Reports → Email Blasts and clicking the Analytics icon next to the sent message to see delivery statistics and engagement metrics.
Q: What time zone is used for scheduling email blasts?
A: Email blasts are scheduled according to your account's time zone settings. Make sure your account time zone is correctly set to ensure your emails are sent at the intended time for your audience.
Q: Can I schedule recurring email blasts?
A: The Schedule Email Blast feature is designed for one-time sends. For recurring email campaigns, consider using Workflows or Autoresponder Campaigns, which can automatically send emails based on triggers or schedules over longer periods.
Q: What should I do if my scheduled email blast doesn't send?
A: First, check Reports → Email Blasts to see if there are any error messages. Common issues include: cancelled blasts, account suspension, or technical problems. If you don't see any obvious issues, contact support for assistance.