13-Point Email Marketing Checklist to Get 100% Results

An email marketing checklist is your go-to tool to make sure every campaign hits the mark. It’s easy to get lost in the hustle of content creation, design, and strategy, but skipping the essentials can tank your results.

This checklist will keep you on track, so you’re not guessing whether your emails are optimized for success. If you want better opens, clicks, and conversions, stick with me. This email marketing campaign checklist is the roadmap to getting there.

Let’s dive in.

13-Point Email Marketing Checklist

1. Define a clear goal for every email campaign
2. Segment your email list
3. Set up automation triggers for key customer actions
4. Plan the must-send email marketing campaigns
5. Create suppression lists
6. Craft a Hooky Subject Line (Under 50 Characters)
7. Use a preheader that complements the subject line
8. Have One Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)
9. Ensure responsive email template design
10. Include unsubscribe link and footer info
11. Check link tracking and UTM parameters
12. Ensure high email deliverability
13. Measure key success metrics and optimize

Let’s see how to implement these email marketing checklist points in detail.

1. Define a clear goal for every email campaign

In email marketing, every email must have one clear objective: drive traffic, promote a product, nurture leads, or collect feedback.

Example: Want more purchases? Your CTA should drive to a product page, not a blog.
Write your goal as a question: “What do I want readers to do after opening this?”

2. Segment your email list

Generic email blasts don’t convert. Email segmentation increases open rates and engagement.

Segmentation increases open rates, CTRs, and conversions because it makes emails feel relevant.

Here are some common customer segmentation examples:

• New Subscribers: Send a welcome flow with brand story + discount.
• VIP Customers (Top 10%): Send early-access sales or loyalty perks.
• Cart Abandoners: Trigger reminders based on what they left behind.
• Inactive Users (No opens in 60+ days): Send re-engagement email campaigns.
• First-Time Buyers vs Repeat Buyers: Use different cross-sell and upsell logic.

The important point is to align customer segments to campaign intent. Every targeted email campaign should target a specific behavior or stage.

3. Set up automation triggers for key customer actions

Behavior-based emails outperform batch campaigns. Use email automation to set up triggers and build an automation workflow.

Here are the 4 basic automation triggers to set up:

• Welcome sequence after signup
• Cart abandonment reminder
• Order confirmation after successful placement of the order
• Re-engagement email after 30 days of inactivity

Map your customer lifecycle and plug gaps with email automation.

Related Reading: Know more about sending trigger emails easily: 7 Best Trigger Email Examples + How to Set Up.

4. Plan the must-send email marketing campaigns

To run a successful email marketing program, you need to hit all the key touchpoints in your customer’s journey from initial sign-up to post-purchase. These essential email campaigns not only increase engagement but also increase revenue, customer loyalty, and retention.

Here are the must-send email marketing campaigns:

• Welcome email series
• Abandoned cart emails
• Post-purchase follow-up emails
• Win-back emails
• Product launch announcements

5. Create suppression lists

Just as important as “who to include” is “who to exclude”.

Examples:

• Suppress inactive users during warm-up periods
• Suppress recent unsubscribers or complainers

6. Craft a Hooky Subject Line (Under 50 Characters)

Subject lines are your first (and sometimes only) chance to get opened.

Use curiosity, urgency, or personalization, then test 3 variations. Avoid spam-triggering words in the subject line.

7. Use a preheader that complements the subject

The next point in the email marketing checklist is to ensure a pre-header. It’s the second most important line after the subject.

Example:

• Subject: “Unlock your 20% welcome gift”.
• Preheader: “Use code WELCOME20 before it expires tonight”.

Avoid leaving default preheaders like “View this email in browser.”.

8. Have One Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Too many CTAs confuse people. One CTA = higher clicks.

Example: Button that says “Shop Now” or “Download Your Guide”.

Make it stand out visually and repeat it once in the middle and once at the end.

Here is an example of using a CTA properly in an email marketing template.

9. Ensure responsive email template design

Your emails should look great and work seamlessly across all screen sizes, email clients, and devices, especially mobile.

Here are the tips to ensure responsive email design:

• Use a mobile-first layout
• Stick to a max width of 600px for desktop
• Add alt text for all images
• Test across devices and clients

10. Include unsubscribe link and footer info

Including an unsubscribe link is required legally (CAN-SPAM, GDPR).

If your email lacks an unsubscribe link, it could be flagged as spam by email service providers, and your sender reputation will take a hit.

The footer of your email is not just for the unsubscribe link. It should also include necessary legal and company information, including your business’s physical mailing address. This is a legal requirement in many countries, and leaving it out could cost you.

Example: “You’re receiving this email because you signed up at our store. Unsubscribe here”.

Add social links and contact info to appear more credible.

11. Check link tracking and UTM parameters

No tracking = no idea what worked.

Add UTM parameters to CTA buttons to track in Google Analytics.

12. Ensure high email deliverability

Email deliverability is critical for email marketing success. If your emails don’t land in the inbox, even the most beautifully crafted message won’t have any impact.

Ensuring high email deliverability is about more than just avoiding spam filters. This email marketing best practice checklist is about maintaining a healthy sender reputation, optimizing your content, and taking care of the technical side to improve your email’s chances of getting delivered to your recipients.

Here is the email marketing checklist for ensuring high email deliverability:

• Authenticate your domain with SPF, DKIM, and DMARC
• Maintain a clean email list (Regular List Hygiene)
• Avoid spam-triggering words like “free,” “guaranteed,” or “limited time offer”.
• Personalize email content
• Optimize Your Email Content for Deliverability
• Send emails consistently and avoid sudden spikes in volume
• Use a reliable Email Service Provider (ESP)
• Check your From Name and email address

13. Measure key success metrics and optimize

Email campaigns without review don’t improve.

The last step in this email marketing campaign checklist is to track email marketing metrics like open rate, click rate, unsubscribe rate, conversions, and revenue. Track email marketing metrics.

Track benchmarks by campaign type, not just overall. E.g., cart emails vs. newsletters.

Wrapping up!!

This email marketing checklist isn’t just a set of to-dos; it’s your roadmap to sending emails that don’t just get opened but drive results.

By following these essential email marketing audit checklist points, you’ll ensure that each email you send resonates with your audience, lands in the inbox, and encourages action.

Whether you’re building trust with your subscribers or driving sales, the small details matter. This checklist helps you avoid mistakes, focus on what works, and ultimately maximize your marketing impact.

Frequently Asked Questions