--- lastModified: 2026-10-30 title: Email marketing description: 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: | Control | What happens after you select it | | --- | --- | | **Edit draft** | Lets you select text, buttons, and images in the email and change them. | | **Review draft** | Shows the email exactly as shoppers get it. | | **Edit subject and preheader** | Changes the subject line and the preview text shown in the inbox. | | **Ask Runner to change anything…** | Opens a chat. Describe a change and Runner updates the email. | | **Save** | Saves your edits to the draft. Saving does not send anything. | | **Phone** / **Desktop** | Changes the preview size. | 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: | Item | What happens | | --- | --- | | **Rename** | Opens **Name this campaign**. | | **Cancel schedule** | Shown only for scheduled campaigns. Stops the send and turns it back into a draft. | | **Delete campaign** | Asks you to confirm. Scheduled and automatic sends stop at once. Emails it already sent still count in your email metrics. | ## 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 | State | Meaning and next step | | --- | --- | | Upgrade screen | Your plan doesn't include Automations. Upgrade to use Email marketing. | | **Fix 1 issue** | A link points to a placeholder address. Replace it with a page on your store. | | No subscribed recipients | Nobody in the chosen audience is subscribed. Pick another audience. | | Business address or store name error | Add your business address, or a store name with letters, in Store settings. Then try again. | | **You're offline. We'll save when you're back.** | Your changes stay on this device. Sending, tests, and Runner wait until you're back online. | ## Related guides - [Automations](./automations) - [Create and manage automations](./create-and-manage-automations) - [Subscription plans](../plans-and-billing/subscription-plans)