Every marketing email your brand sends should have a clear purpose and a sound strategy behind it. But achieving this is easier said than done. Luckily, there’s a powerful solution to help you overcome these challenges: an email campaign planning template. By using this template, you can optimize your email campaigns and drive success in your overall marketing strategy.
What is an email campaign planning template?
An email campaign planning template is a comprehensive document that outlines key details about your email, such as its goals, audience, messaging, timing, and key performance indicators (KPIs). Think of it as your North Star – it keeps everyone informed and aligned, ensuring that your team stays on track throughout the production process.
Why should you use an email campaign planning template?
The answer is simple: Yes! Here’s why.
Keep stakeholders on the same page
By using an email campaign planning template and sharing it with all stakeholders early on, everyone will agree on the purpose and plan for the email. This eliminates the need for back-and-forth feedback and last-minute changes, saving both time and headaches.
Guide your team in the right direction
A centralized template provides valuable guidance for email marketing programs, especially if yours is high volume or has a large team. It’s particularly essential for agencies working with clients, as it ensures clear guidance and prevents scope creep. During the production process, your copywriters, designers, and developers can refer back to the template to ensure that their work aligns with the email’s goals.
How to create a good email campaign planning template
Creating an email campaign planning template doesn’t have to be time-consuming. In fact, we’ve created a template for you to get started quickly! You can also save time by pre-filling portions of the template for routine emails, such as monthly newsletters with consistent audiences and goals.
A good template should cater to your team’s unique needs. We recommend including the following sections:
1. Primary information
To get to the heart of your email, answer these seven key questions. If you can’t answer any of them, reconnect with your team to ensure clarity.
- Email send date and time
- Owner: Who is the primary owner of this email?
- Type of email: Is it a newsletter, promotional, transactional, operational, onboarding, or nurture email?
- Target audience: Who will receive this email?
- Goal: What is the primary objective?
- KPIs: How will you measure the email’s success?
- Email template: Will you use an existing template or create a new one?
2. Timeline and due dates
List important due dates to keep everyone on track. Consider the following facets:
- Copy and content: When is the copy and content due?
- Design: When is the design due?
- Build: When should the email be built by?
- Quality assurance (QA): When should the email be fully QA’d?
- Proof: When should stakeholders review and provide feedback?
- Reporting & analysis: When should post-send reporting be completed?
3. Assets
Include links to essential assets for easy access:
- Copy and content doc: Link to the copy document
- Design file: Link to the design document
- Build file: Include a link to the email build file
- ESP/MAP location: Link to where the email lives in your ESP or MAP
- UTM code: Specify the UTM tracking code to be included
Get your free email campaign planning template
Ready to streamline your email workflow? Download our free email campaign planning template and gain clarity for you, your team, and all stakeholders. This template will guide your email from production to your subscribers’ inboxes, all while keeping your goals in mind.
Time to put your plans into action!
DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE EMAIL CAMPAIGN PLANNING TEMPLATE
Originally published on September 15, 2018, by Chad S. White. Last updated March 7, 2023.
