Email Marketing: Creating an Email Campaign Manually

Create a professional email marketing campaign with Wix. Choose a template or start from scratch, then customize your campaign. You can preview and test it, choose who to send it to, then publish and send. Your campaign is reviewed for compliance and sent to your subscribers.

Using the AI email builder?

Learn more about customizing your email using the AI Email Builder.

Step 1 | Choose how to create your campaign

Start your campaign from a template, from scratch, or with AI. You then build it in one of two builders: Email Builder or Email Builder Plus. The builder you use decides which tab to follow below.

Not sure which tab to follow?

• Email Builder: The classic drag-and-drop campaign editor.

• Email Builder Plus: The newer builder, with made-for-you content from your site and more design control.

Email Builder

1. Go to Email Marketing in your site's dashboard.

2. Click View All Templates.

3. Hover over the template you want to use.

4. Click Use Template.

5. Click Use Email Builder under Email Builder.

Email Builder Plus

1. Go to Email Marketing in your site's dashboard.

2. Choose how you want to create your campaign:

   • Use a template: Click View All Templates, hover over the template you want to use and click Use Template. Then click Create Email under Email Builder Plus.

   • Start from scratch: Click + Create Email and select Start from scratch.

   • Create with Al: Click + Create Email and select Create with Al. Answer the AI questions to create your campaign brief and then click Generate Email.

Step 2 | Customize your email campaign

Use your email campaign editor to design a visually appealing and engaging newsletter that will stand out in your subscribers' inboxes. Add elements from the panel on the left and select elements in your campaign to edit them. You can also choose a theme for the color and text, customize the background and more.

Email Builder

Choose what you want to do:

Add elements

1. Click Add

   

   on the left.

2. Select the element you want to add.

3. Customize the element to your liking.

Manage elements

Click the element you want to edit on your campaign and choose what you want to do:

• Edit: Use the panel on the left to modify the element.

• Move up / down: Click the relevant arrow on the right to move the element up or down.

• Crop and resize: (Images only) Click the Crop icon

  

  on the right to go to the Photo Studio and crop, edit or resize your image using the available tools.

• Duplicate: Click the Duplicate icon

  

  to create a copy of the element.

• Delete: Click the Delete icon

  

  to permanently remove the element.

Change the theme

1. Click Themes

   

   on the left.

2. Click the theme of your choice to apply it.

Customize the background

1. Click Background

   

   on the left.

2. Choose what you want to edit:

   • Outer background: Choose whether to show background colors or patterns and images in the outer background:

     • Background colors: Select the relevant color or click the Pick color icon

       

       to choose a custom color.

     • Patterns and images: Select the relevant pattern / image or click the Add icon

       

       to choose another pattern or image. Then click the Settings icon

       

       to choose the color behind the image or to have the image repeat itself across the background.

       Note: The recommended image size for outer backgrounds is 1920 x 1090 pixels. We recommend using background images for decorative purposes only, as the entire image may not be visible when viewing in an email client.

   • Inner background: Customize the background of the middle portion of your email campaign, which is 700 pixels wide. Click Customize Inner Background at the bottom and customize the background color, border width and border color.

Change the text direction

If you're writing in a right to left language, you can display your campaign in the same direction.

1. Click Right to left at the bottom left.

2. Enable the Display from right to left toggle.

Email Builder Plus

Choose what you want to do:

Manage elements

Click the element you want to edit on your campaign and choose what you want to do:

• Edit: Use the toolbar that appears above the element to modify it as needed.

• Drag and Drop: Click the Drag icon

  

  on the right to move the element around your email.

• Crop and resize: (Images only) Click the Edit image icon

  

  to go to the Photo Studio and crop, edit or resize your image using the available tools.

• Duplicate: Click the Duplicate icon

  

  to create a copy of the element.

• Delete: Click the Delete icon

  

  .

Change the theme

1. Click the Themes icon

   

   on the left.

2. Choose what to do next:

   • Switch to a different theme: Click a new theme option to better fit your needs.

   • Edit the existing theme: Click Edit theme to change the Email style or Typography.

Customize the background

1. Click the Themes icon

   

   on the left.

2. Click Edit theme under your selected theme.

3. (If needed) Click the Email Style tab.

4. Choose what you want to edit:

   • Outer background: Choose whether to show background colors. Select the relevant color or click the Pick color icon

     

     to choose a custom color.

   • Inner background: Customize the background of the middle portion of your email campaign, which is 700 pixels wide. Select the relevant color or click the Pick color icon

     

     to choose a custom color.

Tip:

There’s no character limit for email campaigns, but too much text can lead to spam complaints. Stick to 1-3 short paragraphs for better results.

(Optional) Step 3 | Preview and send a test email

Preview your email on desktop and mobile before you send it, so you can check how it looks and make any final changes. You can also send yourself a test email to see how the campaign looks and works in an inbox.

Tip:

Previewing and testing your email campaign does not reduce your campaign quota.

To preview and test your campaign:

Email Builder

1. Click Preview & Test at the top right.

2. Choose what you want to do:

   • Click the Mobile icon

     

     to see how your email campaign looks on mobile devices.

   • Click the Desktop icon

     

     to see how your email campaign looks on a desktop computer.

   • Click Back to Editing to return to the email campaign editor.

3. Send a test email:

   1. Click Sent Test Email at the top.

   2. Enter the email address that the test email should be sent to (your own).

   3. (Optional) Edit the Subject, Sender's name, or Reply-to email fields.

   4. Click Send.

   5. Click Done.

4. Click Back to Editing at the top right to return to the campaign editor.

Email Builder Plus

1. Choose how you want to preview the campaign emails:

   • Click the Mobile icon

     

     to see how your campaign looks on mobile devices.

   • Click the Desktop icon

     

     to see how your campaign looks on a desktop computer.

2. Click Test Email at the top right.

3. Send a test email:

   1. Click Sent Test Email at the top.

   2. Enter the Send to email address that the test email should be sent to (your own).

   3. (Optional) Edit the Subject, Sender's name, or Reply-to email fields.

   4. Click Send.

   5. Click Done.

Saving your work:

Click the Autosave icon

at the top of the editor to manually save your work at any time. The email campaign editor also has an autosave feature to prevent you from losing valuable information if you forget to save or your internet disconnects.

Step 4 | Choose who to send your campaign to

Next, add the recipients you want to send your emails to. You can select contacts individually or choose labels and segments that add groups of contacts at once. If you have a list of subscribers you need to add that are not yet in your contacts, you can import them from Google or a CSV file.

Important:

• Make sure to follow the Wix Email Marketing best practices when choosing your recipients.

• Each recipient only sees their own email address, your mailing list is kept private.

To add recipients:

1. From your campaign editor, click Next at the top right.

2. (Optional) Import contacts from a CSV file or your Gmail account:

   1. Click Import Contacts at the bottom right.

   2. Click Import Contacts in the popup to confirm.

   3. Choose between CSV file or Gmail account and follow the steps on-screen.

   4. When ready, click Back to email marketing at the top.

3. Select who you want to send this email to:

   • Target group: Select specific groups of contacts to receive your campaign. You can include all subscribers, specific segments or labels, or select individual contacts.

   • All Contacts: All contacts on your list will receive your campaign.

4. Click Next at the top right.

Note:

Enable the Filter out inactive contacts toggle to exclude contacts who haven’t engaged with your last 5 campaigns. We recommend keeping this option enabled, as sending campaigns to inactive contacts can hurt your email deliverability and increase the chances of your emails being marked as spam.

Step 5 | Publish and send your campaign

Add a subject line and enter the sender name that appears in recipients' inboxes. Then choose whether to send your campaign right away or schedule it for a later date.

After you send or schedule your campaign, it joins a queue for review to make sure it complies with the Email Marketing terms of use. Once approved, your emails are sent and you can share your campaign on social media or with a direct link.

To publish and send your campaign:

1. From the Campaign Overview page, add your sending details:

   • Subject line: Click Edit and enter a subject line and preview text. To add content that automatically adjusts to each contact's details or your site's URL, click + Personalize and select an option. Click Save when you're finished.

   • Sender details: Click Manage and enter the sender name recipients see and the reply-to email address for replies. If you have not confirmed your email address yet, click Confirm Now. Click Save, then Done, when you're finished.

   • Email recipients: Click Edit and choose who receives your campaign. Then click Next to return to the Campaign Overview.

1. Choose when to send your campaign.

Schedule your campaign to be sent later

1. Click Schedule.

2. Select the date and time in which you want to the campaign to be sent.

   Tip: Check the time zone to make sure your campaign is sent at the right time. If the time zone is incorrect, change it in your browser's settings.

3. Click Schedule.

Tip: You can edit or reschedule your campaign before it is sent.

Send your campaign as soon as possible

1. Click Send Now.

   Tip: Your campaign gets added to the send queue, where it will be reviewed and sent soon.

2. (Optional) Choose an option to share your campaign: Share on Social or Copy link.

   Tip: Learn more about the URL of your published campaigns.

3. Click Done.

Next:

Learn how to analyze the results in your email campaign statistics.