Email marketing

Ask Runner to draft a campaign or write one yourself, choose who gets it and when, send a test, approve it, and read the results.

Email marketing is where you send campaigns to your subscribers and manage the emails your store sends by itself.

Entry path

Open a store project → Grow → Email marketing. The Help button at the top of the page opens this guide.

Before you start

• Email marketing needs a plan that includes Automations. Without one, the page shows an upgrade screen.
• If you don’t see Email marketing in the sidebar, it isn’t turned on for your workspace yet.
• Campaigns go only to shoppers who subscribed to your marketing email.
• Add your business address and a store name in Store settings. Emails can’t be drafted, tested, or sent without them.

Start a campaign with Runner

1. Type what you want to send in the New campaign box. Say what the email should do, who it is for, and any offer or tone.
2. Optional: select a suggestion such as Win back lapsed customers or Announce the spring drop. It is added to the end of your text.
3. Press Enter or select Create. Press Shift+Enter to start a new line instead.

The box holds up to 4,000 characters. A counter appears as you type. Near the limit it says Almost full. Shorter prompts work best. Over the limit, Runner won’t start the draft until you shorten the text.

Runner then reads your store and products, writes the email, and picks who gets it. This usually takes under a minute. You can leave the page: the hub shows a Drafting now card with an Open button, and you see Your email is ready. when it is done.

If drafting fails, your text goes back into the box with Couldn’t draft this email. Nothing was created. Select Create to try again.

Write it yourself

Select or write it yourself under the New campaign box. Runner opens a new email in your store’s default design. It goes to All subscribers and has no send time yet. Edit it the same way as a draft from Runner.

Review drafts waiting for approval

Drafts you haven’t approved appear first, under Waiting for your approval. Select Review on a row to open the campaign. Nothing is sent until you approve it.

On the campaign page:

Your store address and an unsubscribe link are added to every email when it sends.

Choose who gets it and when

The send panel shows To and When.

• To opens Who should get it? Pick All subscribers, or pick Customer groups and then at least one group. The row shows how many subscribers will get it.
• When opens When should it send?
  • Right away sends as soon as you approve.
  • On a date sends once at the date and time you pick, in your time zone. The time must be later than now.
  • When something happens sends automatically after an event, such as Customer signs up or Marketing email subscribed. It goes to subscribed customers, so you can’t pick groups.

Select Done to keep your choice.

Send a test

1. Select Test at the top of the campaign page.
2. In Send a test, enter an address in Send it to.
3. Select Send test.

Runner saves the draft first, then sends one test. Subscribers don’t get it. The subject starts with [Test], and the unsubscribe link does nothing in a test.

Review & approve

1. Select Review & approve in the send panel. If it shows Fix 1 issue instead, a link still points to a placeholder address. Pick a real page on your store first.
2. Check To, When, and Subject in Send this email?
3. Select Approve & send, Approve & schedule, or Activate automation. The label matches your When choice. Select Keep editing to go back.

Once approved, that version is locked. Later edits become a new draft. People who unsubscribe, complain, or are deleted before send time don’t get it. People who subscribe after you approve don’t get a one-time send.

Scheduled campaigns

A scheduled campaign shows Scheduled and its send time.

• If you edit it, the hub shows Edits not live. The version you approved still goes out until you approve the new one.
• To stop it, select Cancel schedule on the campaign page or in the ⋯ menu on the hub, then confirm in Cancel this scheduled send? The campaign goes back to a draft, nothing in it changes, and nobody gets it. You can pick a new time and approve it again later. Select Keep it scheduled to leave it as it is.

A campaign that is Sending or Sent can’t be changed or cancelled. A sent campaign won’t send again.

Rename a campaign

Select Rename in the ⋯ menu, or the pencil next to the campaign name on the campaign page. Enter a name in Name this campaign and select Save name. Only you see this name. Shoppers see the subject line, and renaming doesn’t change it.

Campaign rows on the hub

Your other campaigns are listed under Campaigns with who gets them, when they send or sent, and a status: Draft, Scheduled, Sending, Sent, or Failed. Select a row to open it.

The ⋯ menu on each row offers:

Automated emails

Under Automated emails, the hub shows how many automated emails are on, such as order confirmations, shipping updates, and welcome emails. These send by themselves when something happens in your store.

Select the card to open Automated emails. Emails are grouped under On and Off.

• Use the switch on a row to turn an email on or off. Some emails need a plan upgrade first.
• Select a row to see its category and Last sent time. For most emails you can select Preview to see it, or Edit email to change it.

Results

Results on the hub covers the last 30 days: Sent, Delivered, Opens, and Clicks. It shows Nothing sent yet until your first campaign goes out.

Open a sent campaign to see Results for this email. Select See who opened and clicked to list each recipient. When open tracking was off, the button says See who got it. Some email apps hide opens, so the real open count can be higher. Clicks are exact.

Troubleshooting

Related guides

• Automations
• Create and manage automations
• Subscription plans