Creating Your First Broadcast

Broadcasts are one-time emails sent to a group of subscribers. This guide walks you through creating and sending your first broadcast.

Creating a New Broadcast

  1. Navigate to Broadcasts in the main menu
  2. Click New Broadcast
  3. You’ll see the broadcast editor

Configuring Your Broadcast

Recipients

Choose who receives your broadcast:

  • All Subscribers - Send to everyone on your list
  • Specific Segment - Target a subset based on tags, activity, or custom data
  • Tags - Select subscribers with specific tags

Subject Line

Write a compelling subject line. Tips:

  • Keep it under 50 characters for mobile
  • Be specific about the content
  • Avoid spam trigger words (FREE!!!, Act Now, etc.)

Email Content

Compose your email using:

  • Visual Editor - Rich text editing with formatting tools
  • HTML Mode - Write custom HTML for full control
  • Templates - Start from a saved template

Personalization

Use Liquid variables to personalize your emails:

Hi {{ subscriber.first_name | default: "there" }},

Thanks for being a subscriber!

Available variables:

  • {{ subscriber.email }} - Email address
  • {{ subscriber.first_name }} - First name
  • {{ subscriber.last_name }} - Last name
  • {{ subscriber.data.custom_field }} - Custom data fields
  • {{ unsubscribe_url }} - Unsubscribe link (required)

Previewing Your Broadcast

Before sending, always preview:

  1. Click Preview to see how your email looks
  2. Click Send Test to send a test email to yourself
  3. Verify links work and personalization renders correctly

Sending Options

Send Immediately

Click Send Now to start sending right away.

Schedule for Later

  1. Click Schedule
  2. Select date and time
  3. Choose timezone
  4. Confirm the schedule

Scheduled broadcasts can be cancelled before the send time.

Tracking and Analytics

After sending, track your broadcast’s performance:

  • Sent - Total emails sent
  • Delivered - Successfully delivered
  • Opens - Unique opens
  • Clicks - Unique link clicks
  • Bounces - Failed deliveries
  • Unsubscribes - Opt-outs from this email

Best Practices

  1. Always send a test first - Catch errors before they reach subscribers
  2. Include an unsubscribe link - It’s required by law (CAN-SPAM, GDPR)
  3. Optimize for mobile - Most emails are read on phones
  4. Use meaningful subject lines - Improve open rates
  5. Segment when relevant - Targeted emails perform better

Ready to automate? Learn about Sequences for automated email campaigns.