Prerequisites
Before getting started, ensure you have:
Required Permissions:
Campaigns are available to staff members with the following permissions:
Marketing
Marketing Analyst
Operator
Owner
Complete your Email / Domain Settings before creating Email Campaigns.
How to Create an Email Campaign
Navigate to Marketing > Campaigns
Click Create Campaign
On the Channels screen, select Email
Click Continue
Review the Campaign Info and Recipients sections. (see Campaign Builder for more details.)
How to Configure Email Content
Sender Info
Open the Sender Info tab
Enter a Subject Line (required)
For subject line best practices, see Email Best Practices
Add the following:
Sender Name (your company name)
Sender Email Address
⚠️ If left blank, AIQ will default to the email listed in your account settings. Both Sender Name and Sender Email Address will be overwritten if this campaign is used within a Co-Marketing template.
Content
Click the Content tab
Build and customize your email using the email editor (See Visual Designer: Emails & Landing Pages for full guidance.)
Save as Template (Optional)
To save and reuse an email design in the future:
Create your email design in the Content step
Click the "Save as template" button
The email will be saved as a template for future campaigns
Locating Saved Templates
To find the email templates you've saved:
Open the campaign builder in AIQ.
Navigate to the Email Content section.
In the Content area, select the My Templates tab.
Using Saved Templates in Campaigns and Flows
Create or open your campaign or flow.
Add an Email node.
Open the email message to edit it.
In the Email Content step, click on My Templates.
Select the desired template.
Preview & Test
Before sending:
Click Preview & Test in the upper right corner
Enter one or more test email addresses
Click Send Test
Review & Send
Continue to the Review step
Choose whether to: Save as Draft, Submit for approval (if required), or Send immediately
See Campaign Builder for approval permissions and sending rules.
Troubleshooting
Issue: "{{emailOptOutURL}} macro is required"
Solution: You must include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email. To restore it:
Click the Personalization button
Locate the {{emailOptOutURL}} macro
Paste it into your email template as a link:
<a href="{{emailOptOutURL}}">Unsubscribe</a>
FAQ
What's the difference between a hard bounce vs. a soft bounce?
Bounces happen when an email cannot be delivered.
Hard Bounce (Permanent)
A hard bounce means the email will never be delivered. Common causes include: invalid or misspelled email address, domain does not exist, or recipient server has blocked the address.
Soft Bounce (Temporary)
A soft bounce means delivery failed temporarily, but may succeed later. Common causes: recipient inbox is full, email server is down or overloaded, message exceeds size limits, or temporary spam filtering.
What can AIQ do about bounced emails?
AIQ includes a setting to automatically manage hard bounces:
Navigate to Settings > Company Account > Account Info
Enable automatic email opt outs for hard bounces
This removes hard-bounced addresses from your list to protect sender reputation.
Note: AIQ does not currently provide a list of soft bounces. If soft bounces persist, you may need to remove the address manually.
Why was the error rate lower on my second send to the same audience?
This is expected behavior caused by bounce suppression. The first send to a list attempts delivery to all addresses, including invalid or inactive ones that haven't been flagged yet. Those bad addresses are identified as hard bounces and suppressed. Subsequent sends to the same audience automatically skip the suppressed addresses — so the pool of attempted recipients is smaller and cleaner, resulting in a lower error rate.
"Same audience" does not mean "same recipients attempted" — it means the same audience definition, but the actual send list shrinks each time bad addresses are removed. A drop in error rate from the first to second send is a sign that bounce suppression is working correctly, not a data discrepancy.
My email open rate fluctuates year over year — is that normal?
Yes. Open rate fluctuations of a few percentage points are completely normal. Changes in subscriber behavior, inbox algorithms, industry trends, and campaign strategy all contribute. Focus on long-term trends, campaign quality, and list health rather than small variations. You can use A/B Testing Campaigns to help optimize for open rates.
Can I change Preview Text (Preheader Text)?
Yes. In the email builder: Go to Body > Email Settings → Edit the Preheader Text. This is the text that appears next to the subject line in most inboxes.
What does the "Do Not Stack on Mobile" toggle do in the email editor?
The Do Not Stack on Mobile toggle is a per-row setting in the email editor that controls how multi-column layouts behave on small screens.
By default, email clients collapse side-by-side columns into a vertical list on mobile to fit the screen width. Enabling Do Not Stack on Mobile on a row overrides this behavior and keeps those columns side by side, even on smaller screens.
Important notes:
The toggle is per row — it does not apply across the whole email. For multi-row layouts where you want to preserve columns on every row, you must enable it on each row individually.
If a row contains only a single column, the toggle has no effect — there are no side-by-side elements to preserve.
How do shoppers opt out of emails (unsubscribe)?
There are 2 ways to unsubscribe:
When a shopper receives your campaign via email, there will be an option to unsubscribe (or opt-out).
They can also unsubscribe from the Mobile App > Profile.
How do shoppers opt back in - or resubscribe - to emails if they previously opted-out / unsubscribed?
There are 2 ways to resubscribe:
They can resubscribe via a signup form again (we do not suppress duplicate entries)
They can resubscribe via the Mobile App > Profile
Need Help?
If you need assistance, reach out to AIQ Support anytime through the chat widget in your AIQ Dashboard.