Sending a Test Email

Before you send a campaign to thousands of subscribers, you should send it to yourself first. The campaign editor in Mailblast can send a copy of any campaign to any email address you specify, with merge fields rendered using sample data.

Sending a test

In the campaign editor, open the Preview or Test option (depending on which view you are in) and enter one or more email addresses. Mailblast will send the campaign to those addresses immediately.

You can put multiple addresses in - useful for testing rendering in Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail in one shot.

How merge fields render

Test emails use sample values rather than real subscriber data:

• {{ first_name }} → John
• {{ last_name }} → Smith
• {{ email }} → john.smith@example.com

Any custom merge field you have on your list will render as a blank in the test. To preview how a specific subscriber's email will look with their real data, you need to send a real campaign - segment it to that subscriber only if you want a one-off preview.

The subject line is prefixed with [TEST] - so you can tell test sends apart from real ones in your inbox.

What test emails do and do not do

Test emails are real emails sent through Amazon SES, so they:

• Count towards your daily AWS SES quota and billing
• Use whatever from name, from address, and reply-to you have configured
• Render the campaign the same way real subscribers will see it
• Pass through SPF, DKIM, and DMARC like a real campaign

What they do not do:

• Get tracked - opens and clicks in test emails are excluded from your campaign report
• Trigger unsubscribes - clicking the unsubscribe link in a test will not remove anyone
• Trigger automations - test emails do not start any automation sequences

What to check in your test

• Subject line and preheader as they appear in the inbox list
• From name and address - does it look like you, not a generic noreply?
• Images load - hosted images need an absolute URL
• Links work - click every link, especially merge-field-based ones
• Unsubscribe link is visible - it must be in every campaign
• Mobile rendering - open the test on your phone, not just desktop
• Promotions/spam tab - if Gmail puts your test in the Promotions tab, your real campaign will likely land there too

A test that looks perfect in Gmail web but terrible in Apple Mail on iPhone is going to look terrible in Apple Mail on iPhone for your subscribers. Check both.