The Day-Before Checklist for a Scheduled Email Send
The list you verified last month is not the list that goes out tomorrow. Sign-ups arrived, an import added a file nobody checked, a merge brought in old rows. The day before a scheduled send is the cheapest moment to catch that, because nothing has gone out yet and you can still change the plan. Upload what is new to the verify page: the first 100 checks are free on a Google sign-in, no card.
The checklist
- Freeze the list. Decide a time after which nothing new is added to this send. Late additions go to the next one.
- Find what changed. Compare tomorrow's list with the file you last verified using the compare email lists tool. The addresses that are new are the ones to check.
- Verify the new rows. Upload only those to the verify page. If the last full check was a month or more ago, run the whole list instead.
- Apply suppressions. Merge unsubscribes, bounces and complaints since the last send with the suppression list merger. Mailing someone who asked to leave is worse than any bounce.
- Remove duplicates. The remove duplicate emails tool catches people who joined twice.
- Split into tiers. Valid first, risky later, invalid out. The send tier splitter does it from the verified file.
- Estimate the bounce rate. From your own split, work out what you expect. Estimate bounce rate before sending shows how.
- Check your platform's limits. ESP bounce limit check before your next send tells you where to look.
- Send yourself a test. Look at it on a phone, click each link and check the unsubscribe works.
- Name who watches. Someone should look at the first hour. Pause a campaign during a bounce spike tells them what to do.
Why the day before and not the morning of
If you find a problem at 8 a.m. for a 9 a.m. send, you have two options: send anyway, or skip the day. With a day in hand you can repair, wait for a slower check, or move the send time. Large files can take a while to process, so leave time.
What to leave out
Do not add new categories of contacts the day before. A new source belongs in its own tested send; see where an email list came from before you send.
After the send
Look at bounces and complaints the next day and write down the numbers beside the list's source. The bounce rate by source tool keeps that comparison so next time's estimate is based on your own data.
Check the list
SimpleVerifier Pro is $39 a month. The first 100,000 checks a month run at full speed, then they run slower, and you are never cut off, so one list and every file after it fit in the same plan. Start with 100 free checks, no card, on a Google sign-in. See the pricing page.
Common questions
How long before a scheduled send should I verify?
Verify the bulk of the list days ahead, and do a smaller pass the day before for rows added since. That leaves time to act on what you find.
Do I have to re-verify the whole list every time?
No. Verify the rows that are new or changed since the last check. For a list that has been quiet for a month or more, a fresh full check is a better idea.
What should I do if a scheduled send is already queued and I find problems?
Pause or unschedule it in your sending platform, fix the list and reschedule. A queued send to a bad list is easier to stop than to explain.
What bounce rate should I expect?
It depends on the list. Use your own verified split to estimate it and compare with your platform's published limits.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.