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
| Step | Decision | Default if unsure |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Standard / A/B test / RSS / Automation-driven | Standard |
| Recipients | Full list or segment? | Start with full list; segment after first send shows engagement patterns |
| Subject | Direct ("Sale ends Friday") vs Curiosity ("You won't believe what we just launched") | Direct — proven higher click-through long-term |
| Preheader | What goes after the subject? | Restate the key benefit; never leave blank (inboxes auto-grab garbage if empty) |
| From name + email | Brand name OR personal name? | Personal "Maya from Brand" outperforms generic "Brand Team" by 8-15% |
| Reply-to | Same as From, or a support inbox? | Use a real-inbox address; recipients DO reply |
| Template | Drag-and-drop from Gallery, OR raw HTML? | Gallery — faster + battle-tested layouts |
| Schedule | Send now, or schedule? | First few sends: schedule mid-morning recipient time, weekday |
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
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Subject field is empty after typing | Browser autocomplete cleared it | Manually re-type; AcelleMail saves on blur |
| Recipients step shows "0 subscribers" | No subscribers in selected list | Audience → list → Import subscribers first |
| Template step crashes mid-edit | Stale browser cache | Hard refresh (Cmd-Shift-R), re-open builder |
| Schedule rejects "tomorrow 9am" | Account timezone mismatch | Settings → Account → Timezone → set correctly |
| Confirm step shows wrong recipient count | Filter / segment included subscribers you didn't expect | Recipients → re-scope segment |
| Launch button disabled after final review | Required field missing (subject usually) | Scroll up; field is highlighted in red |
Common first-launch mistakes (avoid)
| Mistake | Why it hurts |
|---|---|
| Sending to your full list on first try | Without warmup, even legitimate sends can spike bounces — start with a subset |
| Setting From: noreply@brand.com | Recipients can't reply; complaints rise; deliverability drops |
| Skipping preheader | Inbox preview shows random first-line text — usually trash |
| Using "Click here" as button text | Specific action text ("Get my 20% discount") outperforms 3-5× |
| Launching at 3am | Open rates plummet outside recipient business hours |
| Forgetting unsubscribe link | Mandatory by CAN-SPAM, CASL, GDPR — most modern templates include it; verify |
What to do after the first send
- Wait 4 hours — let opens populate
- Check the bounce log — flag any persistent failures
- Review the tracking log — anything stuck in "Sending" >30min suggests queue worker issues
- Calibrate your next send — based on what worked + what didn't (subject testing pattern)
- Schedule the next campaign — keep cadence consistent (weekly is the floor for most)
Advanced: A/B testing the first campaign + segment-based first sends + API-driven launches
A/B testing your first campaign:
If you have >5,000 subscribers, A/B test the subject from day one:
- New campaign → A/B test type
- Variant A: direct subject ("Spring sale: 20% off this week")
- Variant B: curiosity subject ("This is the email I should have sent last month")
- Winner rule: highest open rate at 4 hours, 20% sample
- Launch
The winning subject gets sent to the remaining 80%. Learn what works for YOUR audience before committing full volume.
See A/B testing email subject lines for the full pattern.
Segment-based first sends:
Even with a long-trusted list, segment for the first send:
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)
Builds reputation gradually. Catches list-quality issues before they spike across the full audience.
API-driven campaign launch:
For programmatic campaign creation (CMS integrations, scheduled blog-to-email):
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"
}'
Returns the new campaign UID. Edit further via API or in the UI; launch when ready.
Cadence guidance:
| Frequency | Use case |
|---|---|
| Daily | News / financial / day-pass services |
| Weekly | Newsletters, B2B SaaS, e-commerce digest |
| Monthly | Slow-news brands (legal, real estate, B2B services) |
| Triggered only | Transactional + automation-driven |
Pick a cadence + commit. Inconsistent send rhythm hurts engagement more than over-sending does.
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
7 bình luận