Email Proofing Checklist: 5 Steps Before You Hit Send

You can delete a bad social post. You cannot recall a marketing email. A wrong link, a missing offer code or a typo in the subject line goes to everyone on the list, so a short, repeatable proofing routine is worth the ten minutes it takes.

Step 1: Settle the brief before the design

Check the basics first. Who is the audience? What is the single action you want? What is the send date and time? Mistakes in the brief are the most expensive kind, because they survive every later check.

Step 2: Review the content as one person

Have one reviewer read the whole email top to bottom as a recipient would. Check the subject line, preview text, headline, body copy, offer terms and sign-off. Reading it aloud catches things the eye skips.

Step 3: Check every link and image

Click every link. Make sure each goes to the right page, carries the right tracking, and works on mobile. Confirm all images have alt text and load properly. A missing image or a broken button is the usual casualty of rushed sends.

Step 4: Review on real devices

Look at the email on a phone and on a desktop, in at least two mail apps. Spacing, line breaks and button sizes change from client to client. For ideas, read How to Review a Proof on a Phone or Tablet.

Step 5: Get a named approval

One person signs off, and the sign-off is recorded. If the email goes to a client's customers, the client approves it in writing on the exact version you send. Online proofing tools log who approved which version and when.

The checklist

• Subject line and preview text read well and fit the offer.
• Names, dates, prices and offer terms are correct.
• Every link works and is tracked.
• Images have alt text and load.
• Unsubscribe link and legal footer are present.
• The email looks right on mobile and desktop.
• A test send has been checked in a real inbox.
• The approver has signed off on the final version.

Proofing email in GoProof

GoProof can review images and PDFs, and it can proof web content by URL or from a ZIP of HTML files. For email, the practical routes are to export the design as an image or PDF for visual review, or to upload the HTML as a ZIP if your template exports cleanly. Reviewers comment directly on the design, and the approval is logged. Check which route suits your email platform with a test file before you rely on it. See How to Proof a Website or Web Page for the web process.

Marketing teams that run a lot of campaigns can see how this fits their workflow on the GoProof for marketing teams page.

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