Test-Then-Send
Always test your campaigns before sending to your full audience. Score CRM provides a test email feature that lets you preview exactly what recipients will see.
Sending Test Emails
- In the campaign builder (draft state), click Send Test Email
- Enter up to 10 email addresses (comma-separated)
- Click Send
What's Different About Test Emails
| Feature | Test Email | Real Send |
|---|---|---|
| Subject prefix | [TEST] prepended | Normal subject |
| Open tracking | Disabled | Enabled (if configured) |
| Click tracking | Disabled | Enabled (if configured) |
| Event recording | No events stored | Events tracked normally |
| Merge tags | Replaced with sample/actual data | Replaced with real customer data |
| Suppression check | Skipped | Enforced |
Merge Tag Handling in Tests
Merge tags in test emails are replaced with sample data or actual customer data if available. This lets you verify that personalization is working correctly before launch.
Test Checklist
Before launching any campaign, verify:
- Subject line displays correctly
- Preheader text appears as expected in the inbox preview
- From name and from email are correct
- Merge tags are replaced (not showing raw
{{...}}syntax) - Links work and point to the correct URLs
- Unsubscribe link is present and functional
- Images load correctly
- Layout renders properly on desktop and mobile
- Spintax (if used) produces valid variations
- Plain text version is readable
Testing Across Clients
Email rendering varies across clients. Test in at least:
- Gmail (Web and Mobile)
- Outlook (Desktop and Web)
- Apple Mail (macOS and iOS)
- Yahoo Mail
Consider using a service like Litmus or Email on Acid for automated cross-client rendering tests. Score CRM's test email feature gets the email into your inbox — you can then forward it to rendering test services.
A/B Test Preview
If your campaign uses A/B testing, test emails send Variant A by default. To preview other variants, you'll need to temporarily adjust which variant's content is in the primary fields.