How Often Should You Test Emails?
Best practices for email testing frequency and timing
Table of Contents
How Often Should You Test Emails?
The short answer: test before every campaign send. Regular email testing should be a standard part of your email marketing workflow, not an optional step.
Testing frequency depends on your sending volume, campaign types, and how often you make changes. However, as a best practice, you should test emails before every significant send to ensure optimal deliverability and catch issues before they impact your sender reputation.
Use our email testing tool to quickly check spam scores, authentication, and deliverability before each campaign.
When to Test Emails
1. Before Every Campaign
Test every email before sending to your list, regardless of size. This ensures consistent deliverability and catches issues early.
2. After Content Changes
Test whenever you modify email content, subject lines, or design. Even small changes can affect spam scores. Use our spam words checker when updating content.
3. After Authentication Updates
Test after modifying SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records. Use our authentication checker to verify changes.
4. When Using New Infrastructure
Test when switching sending servers, IP addresses, or email service providers. Verify SMTP configuration and test emails from new infrastructure.
5. If Deliverability Issues Occur
Test immediately if you notice declining open rates, increased spam filtering, or deliverability problems. Use SpamAssassin to identify issues.
6. Before Sending to New Segments
Test before sending to new audience segments or lists to ensure content and configuration work well for different recipients.
7. After Time Gaps
Test if you haven't sent emails in a while, as sender reputation and authentication may have changed. Check your domain health after gaps.
Testing Scenarios
Daily/High-Volume Senders
If you send emails daily or multiple times per day, test before each major campaign. For routine sends, test when making changes or weekly to monitor trends.
Weekly/Monthly Senders
Test before every campaign send. Since you send less frequently, each send is more important, making testing critical.
New Campaigns or Templates
Always test new campaigns, templates, or formats thoroughly before sending. Test multiple variations to find what works best.
Seasonal or Special Campaigns
Test seasonal campaigns, promotions, or special events carefully, as they may have different content that could trigger filters.
What to Test
1. Spam Score
Check spam scores with our SpamAssassin test. Aim for scores under 5.0.
2. Email Authentication
Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are working correctly.
3. Content Quality
Check for spam trigger words using our spam words checker.
4. HTML Validity
Validate HTML code with our HTML validator.
5. Blacklist Status
Check your blacklist status regularly.
6. Inbox Placement
Use our email testing tool to check inbox placement predictions across providers.
Testing Workflow
1. Create Email
Design and write your email content as usual.
2. Test Before Finalizing
Test the email using our testing tool before final approval.
3. Review Results
Check spam scores, authentication status, and any flagged issues.
4. Fix Issues
Address identified problems—remove spam words, fix HTML, update authentication if needed.
5. Re-test
Test again after fixes to ensure issues are resolved.
6. Send Campaign
Once tests pass, proceed with sending your campaign.
7. Monitor Results
Track deliverability metrics and adjust based on performance.
Benefits of Regular Testing
1. Prevent Deliverability Issues
Catch problems before they impact your campaigns and sender reputation.
2. Maintain Sender Reputation
Avoid sending emails that could damage your reputation with ISPs.
3. Improve Campaign Success
Higher inbox placement leads to better open rates and engagement.
4. Save Time and Resources
Testing prevents wasted campaigns and helps optimize emails efficiently.
5. Build Confidence
Regular testing gives you confidence that emails will reach inboxes.
6. Continuous Improvement
Testing helps you learn what works and improve email quality over time.
