How to create a bulk email campaign
In FreshSignal, a bulk email campaign is built with a 5-step wizard: "Basics", "Design", "List", "Test" and "Send". This guide walks you through building content with a template or the drag-and-drop visual editor, running spam and link checks before sending, splitting the send into waves, and reading the results report.
Before you start
- A "Professional" plan or higher — the "Starter" plan includes the proposal tool and CRM, but bulk campaigns, sequences and lists unlock with "Professional" and above.
- At least one sending list with contacts in it — create one on the "Lists" page of the "Email" section in the top menu.
- Optional: a saved email template (via "+ New template" on the "Email Templates" page).
- 1
Open the new-campaign wizard
Go to the "Email" section in the panel top menu; on the "Dashboard" page click "+ New campaign" next to "Campaigns". A 5-step wizard opens: "Basics", "Design", "List", "Test" and "Send".
💡 Move forward with "Continue →" and back with "← Back"; your input is saved as a draft as you move between steps.
- 2
Fill in the "Basics" step
"Campaign name (internal)" and "Subject" are required. "Preview text" shows under the subject in the inbox and boosts opens; "From name" and "Reply-to" control who the email appears to come from. You can switch "Tracking" to "Anonymous" to turn off per-person tracking.
💡 If the subject goes past 60 characters, the wizard warns it "may truncate" on mobile — keep it short.
- 3
Build your content in the "Design" step
You have three options: type plain text into the box, pick a saved template from the "Start from a template:" menu, or click "✎ Design visually" to open the drag-and-drop editor. In the visual editor, drag widgets like text, button and image onto the canvas; click "close / preview" when you're done.
💡 Double-click a text and use the {{ad}} and {{sirket}} toolbar buttons to insert personalization — it's filled in per recipient at send time.
- 4
Raise your "Deliverability" score
The "Deliverability" box below your content scores the email out of 100 in real time. Heavy UPPERCASE, repeated exclamation marks and spammy words like "free" or "urgent" lower the score, and each issue is listed. 80 and above shows green — fixing the warnings reduces the odds of landing in spam.
💡 If you see the "No personalization ({{ad}})" tip, act on it: personalization improves open rates.
- 5
Pick recipients in the "List" step
Your sending lists appear with their contact counts; select one. The line below confirms with "Selected:" plus the list name and the number of "sendable contacts".
💡 If you have no lists yet, the wizard says "Create a list first." — set one up on the "Lists" page before continuing.
- 6
Run pre-send checks in the "Test" step
The "Run bounce + link + image test" button reports the estimated share of dead addresses in your list, broken links and unreachable images in your content. Use "Send test to myself" to see the email in your own inbox first.
💡 If the estimated dead-address rate is over 5%, the tool recommends cleaning the list before sending — take that seriously.
- 7
Set timing and waves, then send
In the final "Send" step, review the summary table; to send later, tick "Schedule for later" and pick a date and time. Under "Send optimization", use "Send rate:" to choose what share of the list to target and "Waves:" to split the send into parts a set number of minutes apart. Then click "Queue & send" — or "Schedule" if you picked a date.
💡 For big lists, splitting the send into many waves (up to 96) protects your sender reputation; the "Time optimization" checkbox sends to each contact at their best past-open hour.
- 8
Track the report: opens, clicks, funnel
After sending, the campaign page shows "Delivery", "Open", "Click" and "Bounce" rates, the "Conversion funnel", a "Click heatmap (per link)" and a device breakdown. The "Shareable report →" link lets you share results with someone who has no panel access.
💡 If "Bounce" and "Complaints" start climbing, clean your list before the next campaign.
FAQ
No lists show up in the "List" step — what do I do?
The wizard shows "Create a list first." in that case. Go to the "Lists" page in the "Email" section, create a new list, open it and add contacts; then continue building your campaign.
My campaign switched to "paused" on its own — why?
If the bounce or complaint rate exceeds the safe threshold, the system pauses the campaign automatically to protect your sender reputation. Review the content and the list, then click "Send" on the campaign page to resume with the remaining recipients.
Do I need to add an unsubscribe link at the bottom myself?
No. A legal unsubscribe link and physical address are added to every email automatically at send time — even if you don't see them in the content preview, they're in the email the recipient gets.
What does the "Waves:" setting do, and how many should I pick?
Waves split the list into parts sent one after another at the minute interval you set, up to 96 parts. Using more waves with a large list or a new sender address lowers the risk of tripping spam filters.
Ready? Start from the panel
Every step in this guide is waiting in the panel.