Your First Email Campaign in AcelleMail — The 7-Step Walkthrough

Before you start#

You'll need:

• An AcelleMail account (any plan)
• At least one list with subscribers (Audience → Lists → New list + import a CSV or sign up via a form)
• A template (use a starter from the Gallery, or skip — you can build from scratch)
• A sending domain configured (SPF/DKIM/DMARC green — see Complete DNS setup)

If you don't have a list yet, see Importing contacts CSV for the import flow. Then come back here.

Open the campaigns screen#

In AcelleMail's sidebar, click Campaigns. The index shows every campaign in this account with status chips:

Click New campaign in the top-right toolbar to start the wizard.

The 7 steps of campaign creation#

In AcelleMail's sidebar, click Campaigns → New campaign. The 7-step wizard:

1. Pick the campaign type

Standard campaign (one-shot send), A/B test campaign, RSS-driven, automation-triggered. Standard is your default.

2. Pick recipients (list + segment)

Choose the list to send to. Optional: scope to a segment (e.g. "engaged-last-30-days") to send only to your most active subscribers.

3. Setup — subject + from

Subject line, preheader, From name + email, Reply-to. Merge tags work here — type {{ and the autosuggest picker opens.

4. Pick a template

Start from a saved template, a Gallery template, or build from scratch in the drag-and-drop builder.

5. Schedule the send

Send immediately, or schedule for a specific date+time. Timezone-aware (uses your account timezone by default).

6. Confirm + launch

Review the summary — subject, recipient count, schedule, template name. Click Launch to commit.

Decisions at each step#

After launch — monitor#

The campaign report tab activates immediately after launch. Watch:

• Tracking log — per-message audit; first 5-10 minutes show dispatching messages
• Bounce log — should stay <2% bounce rate
• Opens — populate gradually over 24-72 hours (most opens within 4 hours of send)
• Clicks — same as opens, with peak click-times slightly later

Open rate is the leading signal. <15% suggests subject/list problem; >25% is healthy; >40% is excellent.

Common UI signals + fixes#

Common first-launch mistakes (avoid)#

What to do after the first send#

1. Wait 4 hours — let opens populate
2. Check the bounce log — flag any persistent failures
3. Review the tracking log — anything stuck in "Sending" >30min suggests queue worker issues
4. Calibrate your next send — based on what worked + what didn't (subject testing pattern)
5. Schedule the next campaign — keep cadence consistent (weekly is the floor for most)

Send 1: Top 10% most-engaged subscribers (segment: opens-last-30d-3+)
Send 2: Next 30% (engaged-last-30d-1+)
Send 3: Rest (after confirming first 2 sends had clean bounce + complaint rates)

curl -X POST "https://acellemail.com/api/v1/campaigns" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACELLE_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Weekly digest 2026-05-20",
    "list_uid": "...",
    "template_uid": "...",
    "subject": "Weekly digest — your 5-minute read",
    "from_email": "weekly@brand.com",
    "from_name": "Brand Weekly",
    "reply_to": "support@brand.com",
    "schedule": "2026-05-20T09:00:00Z"
  }'

Related articles#

• Email template design best practices
• Email preheader text — the hidden conversion booster
• A/B testing email subject lines
• Campaign scheduling and timezone optimization
• Personalization beyond first name