# Create an email marketing activity

Shopify Email helps you to send emails to segments of customers who have subscribed to email marketing from your store. To send email campaigns to specific audiences, learn more about [creating customer segments](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/customers/customer-segmentation).

Depending on what kind of message you're sending to your customers, you can select from a variety of branded templates in Shopify Email. Some templates automatically include assets from your store, such as your logo, products, and colors. The default content of Shopify Email templates is based on [email marketing best practices](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/best-practices), and includes placeholder text, images, and links in sections that are based on information from your store.

When you set up an email marketing activity, you need to add a subject for the email. You can add international characters and emojis to subject lines. After you add a subject, your email activity is saved with that name. You can change the email marketing activity name at any time.

**Steps:**

1. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > [**Apps and sales channels**](https://admin.shopify.com/settings/apps).
2. Click **Email**.
3. Click **Open app**.
4. Click **Create campaign**.
5. Select an email template.
6. Click **To**, and then select a customer segment.
7. Enter a subject line for the email.
8. Optional: Enter preview text to customize the text that displays after the subject in customer email inboxes. For example, `More fresh finds for your summer wardrobe`.
9. Make any of the following changes to the email body content:
   * To add a section, use your mouse to hover over the email content where you want the new section, and then click `+`.
   * To remove a section from the email content, first click it to open editing options, and then click the trash can icon to remove the section.
   * Click the section that you want to edit to review the editing options. Editing options are determined by the [section type](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/create-campaigns#section-types).
10. Optional: To personalize the subject line, preview text, or body text, click the **Personalize** icon in the appropriate section, and then choose the value that you want to personalize, and then enter an optional **Default value** to use if the customer's information is unavailable. If you don't enter a default value, then the space for personalized text is left blank. Learn more about [personalizing your emails](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/create-campaigns#personalize)
11. Optional: To customize the UTM tracking for your email marketing activity, take the following steps:
    * Click **...** > **Edit UTM parameters**.
    * Update the [UTM parameters](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/analyze-marketing/shopify-email-analytics#utm-parameters) that you want to change.
    * Click **Save**.
12. After you set up the email marketing activity, [send a test email](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/create-campaigns#send-test), and then [review and send the email](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/create-campaigns#review-and-send).

To change your store's **From** email address for outgoing email messages, go to your [Shopify store settings](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/setup#change-your-sender-email-address).

### Send a test email <a href="#send-test" id="send-test"></a>

After you set up an email marketing activity, you can send a test email to preview how the email displays in your customer's inbox.

**Steps:**

1. From the email editor, click **Send test**.
2. In the **Email addresses** section, enter up to five email addresses that you want to send the test to, one at a time.
3. Click **Send**.

### Review and send an email <a href="#review-and-send" id="review-and-send"></a>

Shopify doesn't check your email content for misspelled words or other errors. After you set up an email activity, you should review your email content before you send it to your subscribers.

When you choose to send or schedule your email, there is a suggested future time that's displayed with a **Suggested** badge beside it. The suggested time is based on Shopify's data and optimized for the best click-through rate. If you choose to send your email at the suggested time, then it might lead to a better conversion rate. If there's a cost to send the emails, then an estimated cost displays next to the send option that you select.

**Steps:**

1. From the email editor, click **Review**. Review the email content, and then do either of the following:
2. Optional: To make additional edits, click **Edit email** to go back to the email editor and make your changes.
3. Click **Schedule send**, and then do any of the following:
   * To send at the time that Shopify Email suggests, select the suggested time, and then click **Schedule**.
   * To send the email immediately, select **Now**, and then click **Send**.
   * To schedule a different time, select **Custom date and time**, select a **Send date** and **Send time**, and then click **Schedule**.

#### Cancel or reschedule a send time <a href="#cancel-or-reschedule-a-send-time" id="cancel-or-reschedule-a-send-time"></a>

You can cancel a scheduled email to stop it from sending at the chosen time. You can also reschedule it for another time.

**Steps:**

1. From Shopify Email, click the campaign.
2. Click **Edit send date**.
3. You have the following choices:
   * To cancel the email from being sent at the scheduled time, click **Remove send date**.
   * To reschedule, choose a new time and date, and then click **Save**.

### Change your sender email address <a href="#change-your-sender-email-address" id="change-your-sender-email-address"></a>

The [sender email address](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/intro-to-shopify/initial-setup/setup-your-email#change-your-sender-email-address) is the email address displayed in the **From** field in messages that customers receive from you. Some domains might require additional authentication, otherwise your sender email address might be displayed with `via shopifyemail.com`, or as `store@shopifyemail.com`.

**Steps:**

1. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > [**Notifications**](https://admin.shopify.com/settings/notifications).
2. In the **Sender email** section, enter your email address.
3. Click **Save**.

### Template section types <a href="#section-types" id="section-types"></a>

You can customize the body content for your email marketing activities by adding, editing, or removing sections. Changes are saved only to the specific email marketing activity that you're editing.

#### Text <a href="#text" id="text"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>edit text</li><li>change text font, color, weight, alignment or apply italics</li><li>add bulleted or numbered list</li><li>add a link</li><li>use <a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/shopify-magic">Shopify Magic</a> to automatically generate email subject lines and body text</li></ul><p>Changes to the text style are applied to the whole email. For example, when you set Heading 1 to use Times New Roman font, then all text with Heading 1 applied to it is displayed in Times New Roman.</p><p>The text of Price can’t be changed. The price of a product has to be changed in the product itself.</p><p>You can add international characters to email subject lines and text. Email subject lines also support emojis.</p> |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |

#### Button <a href="#button" id="button"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>change font, size, corner styles (square, curved, rounded), fill (solid or outline), width (auto, narrow, wide), text color, background color, and alignment</li><li>add a link</li></ul> |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                   |

#### Image and GIF <a href="#image" id="image"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>edit width, image style, background color</li><li>add <a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/productivity-tools/file-uploads">alt text</a></li><li>add a link</li></ul><p>You can select an image or GIF from your <a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/productivity-tools/file-uploads">Shopify files</a>, or upload a new image or GIF.</p> |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Requirements    | <ul><li>file size: maximum of 20 megabytes</li><li>resolution: maximum of 20 megapixels</li><li>aspect ratio: between 100:1 and 1:100</li><li>supported file types: gif, jpg, or png</li></ul>                                                                                                                                                                                                |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |

#### Countdown <a href="#countdown" id="countdown"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>add an end date and end time</li><li>add an optional URL</li><li>customize font, text color, background color</li></ul><p>After you add an end date and time, a live countdown GIF automatically generates.</p> |
| --------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |

#### Video <a href="#video" id="video"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>edit thumbnail image</li><li>edit <a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/productivity-tools/file-uploads#edit-a-file">alt text</a></li><li>update a video URL</li></ul><p>You can select a thumbnail image from your <a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-admin/productivity-tools/file-uploads">Shopify files</a>, or upload a new image.</p> |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Requirements    | <ul><li>accepts YouTube or Vimeo links</li></ul>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |

#### Header <a href="#header" id="header"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize with store logo or store name, or change the font, text size, text color, text alignment, and background color</li><li>can be hidden</li></ul> |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                  |

#### Product <a href="#product" id="product"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize the text, button, columns, image style, width, alignment, and background color</li><li>can be a mutli-column layout to highlight products in different orientations</li><li>select new product image (won't change the image in your Product settings)</li><li>up to 9 products can be added</li></ul><p>The price of a product can only be changed in the Products section where the template pulls the product detail from. It can't be changed in the Shopify Email editor.</p> |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |

#### Express checkout <a href="#express-checkout" id="express-checkout"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize the text, button, columns, image style, width, alignment, and background color layout</li><li>select new product image (won't change the image in your product settings)</li></ul><p>Only one product with one variant can be selected for this section.</p><p>If you have Shop Pay activated on your store, then both Buy with Shop Pay and the Check out now buttons display in the section by default. You can deselect the Shop Pay button to hide it, but the Check out now button can't be hidden.</p><p>You can edit only the button size and corner style of the Shop Pay button.</p> |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 |

#### Gift card <a href="#gift-card" id="gift-card"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize with a new image, text, button, alignment, or background color</li><li>can be hidden</li></ul><p>Gift cards must be created in the admin before creating an email campaign. They can’t be created or edited from the Shopify Email editor.</p> |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |

#### Discount <a href="#discount" id="discount"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize the text, font size, text color, and button</li></ul><p>Discounts must be created in the admin before creating an email campaign. They can’t be created or edited from the Shopify Email editor.</p> |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |

#### Image with text <a href="#image-with-text" id="image-with-text"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize the text, button, image style, position, spacing, alignment, and background color</li><li>ensure a link is added to any buttons</li><li>hide or unhide text and buttons, but images must always be selected</li></ul> |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |

#### Multi-column <a href="#multi-column" id="multi-column"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize the text, button, image style, position, spacing, alignment, and background color</li><li>ensure that a link is added to any buttons</li><li>hide or unhide images, text, and buttons, as long as one element remains visible</li></ul> |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |

#### Footer <a href="#footer" id="footer"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize the layout, font, text color, link color, background, and divider color</li><li>display store information, legal details, and social media icons</li><li>the footer section can't be removed</li></ul><p>The store address and phone number can be customized by editing the text directly, or in your store settings. The store name can be customized in your template branding settings or in your store settings.</p><p>Social media links can be added to your email directly, or in your store brand settings.</p> |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |

#### Custom Liquid <a href="#custom-liquid" id="custom-liquid"></a>

| Editing options | <ul><li>customize image size and section size</li><li>create custom buttons, multi-columned sections, side-by-side images, bulleted lists, and other dynamic content.</li></ul><p>You can input custom <a href="https://shopify.dev/api/liquid/basics?shpxid=81796bbd-49A9-4B73-7862-7E8F30C6BBF8">Liquid</a> and HTML into the code editor.</p><p>The code that you enter can't exceed 50 kilobytes (KB) in size.</p><p>Learn more about the <a href="https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/custom-liquid">supported Liquid variables for Shopify Email</a>.</p> |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |

### Marketing automation section types <a href="#marketing-automation-section-types" id="marketing-automation-section-types"></a>

The following additional section types are available in the Shopify Email editor when you [create a Shopify Email marketing automation](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/marketing-automations/types#shopify-email-automations).

#### Abandoned browse <a href="#abandoned-browse" id="abandoned-browse"></a>

| Editing options | <p>Customize text, button, image style, width, alignment, and background color.</p><p>The product that displays in the email will match the item that the customer viewed, but didn't add to their cart.</p>                                                             |
| --------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Requirements    | You can use this section only within an **Abandoned browse** automation, or when you [create a custom workflow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create/create-workflow#create-new-workflow) that uses the Shopify Email **Send Marketing Email** action. |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |

#### Abandoned cart <a href="#abandoned-cart" id="abandoned-cart"></a>

| Editing options | <p>Customize text, button, image style, width, alignment, and background color.</p><p>The products that display in the email will match the items that the customer left in their abandoned cart.</p>                                                                  |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Requirements    | You can use this section only within an **Abandoned cart** automation, or when you [create a custom workflow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create/create-workflow#create-new-workflow) that uses the Shopify Email **Send Marketing Email** action. |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |

#### Abandoned checkout <a href="#abandoned-checkout" id="abandoned-checkout"></a>

| Editing options | <p>Customize text, button, image style, width, alignment, and background color.</p><p>The products that display in the email will match the items that the customer left in their abandoned checkout.</p>                                                                  |
| --------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Requirements    | You can use this section only within an **Abandoned checkout** automation, or when you [create a custom workflow](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/shopify-flow/create/create-workflow#create-new-workflow) that uses the Shopify Email **Send Marketing Email** action. |
|                 |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |

### Personalizing your email messages <a href="#personalize" id="personalize"></a>

You can add personalized text to your email campaigns during campaign setup, such as your customer's first name, last name, email, city, state, province, and country. If you add personalized content to a certain section of your email message, then Shopify Email automatically uses customer information in that section, if it exists for the customer receiving the email. You can add personalized text to your subject line, preview line, and email body text. Personalization provides a more tailored experience for your email subscribers, and can improve open rates, conversions, and engagement.

You can personalize the following customer values in an email:

* First name
* Last name
* Email
* City
* State/Province
* Country

You can have only two personalization values in your email's subject line and preview line. For example, in the subject line you can use `First name` and `Last name`, but not a third personalization value. You can have a maximum of ten personalization values in the email body text. You can also add default information that is used when specific customer information isn't available.

### Creating and managing new Shopify Email templates <a href="#creating-and-managing-new-shopify-email-templates" id="creating-and-managing-new-shopify-email-templates"></a>

All emails that you create using Shopify Email can be edited and customized. You can save custom templates to use as a starting point for future campaigns.

#### Creating a custom template <a href="#creating-a-custom-template" id="creating-a-custom-template"></a>

You can create and save custom templates to use as a starting point for future campaigns.

**Steps:**

1. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > [**Apps and sales channels**](https://admin.shopify.com/settings/apps).
2. Click **Email**.
3. Click **Open app**.
4. Click **Templates**.
5. Click **Create template**.
6. Select a template to customize.
7. Name your template.
8. In the Shopify Email template editor, edit your template. All changes are saved automatically.
9. Click **Done**.

#### Using a custom template <a href="#using-a-custom-template" id="using-a-custom-template"></a>

You can use your custom templates for any future marketing campaigns.

**Steps:**

1. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > [**Apps and sales channels**](https://admin.shopify.com/settings/apps).
2. Click **Email**.
3. Click **Open app**.
4. Click **Create campaign**.
5. Under **Custom templates**, select a template. After you select your template, follow the steps to [create an email marketing campaign](https://help.shopify.com/en/manual/promoting-marketing/create-marketing/shopify-email/create-email/create-campaigns#email-marketing-activity).

#### Editing a custom template <a href="#editing-a-custom-template" id="editing-a-custom-template"></a>

If you need to change an existing template, then you can edit it from the Templates list in the Email app.

#### Steps: <a href="#steps" id="steps"></a>

1. From your Shopify admin, go to **Settings** > [**Apps and sales channels**](https://admin.shopify.com/settings/apps).
2. Click **Email**.
3. Click **Open app**.
4. Click the overflow menu button to open the available options for the template that you want to manage.
5. Click one of the following:
   * Click **Duplicate** to duplicate the selected template.
   * Click **Create email** to create a marketing campaign from the selected template.
   * Click **Delete** to delete a template.


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