Send Email

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Action Update: Send Email

Introduction

The Send Email action in ActiveCampaign Automations has been significantly enhanced as of the October 2024 release. As part of the redesigned Automations Builder, users can now create, manage, and preview email campaigns directly from within the automation environment, offering a seamless and flexible experience when building automated customer journeys.

This enhancement simplifies email campaign management by allowing users to compose new emails on the spot, reuse existing assets, and more efficiently configure automated communication flows. Whether you’re sending welcome emails or nurturing leads, this improvement helps streamline your marketing efforts.

This update emphasizes the importance of a unified platform where you can build emails without leaving the automation context, thus saving time and ensuring clarity in customer communications.

How to Access the Send Email Action

To access the updated Send Email action within ActiveCampaign:

1. Navigate to Automations from your dashboard. 2. Create a new automation or edit an existing one. 3. In the automation workflow, click the + button to add a new action. 4. Select the Sending Options category. 5. Choose the Send an Email option.

You will now experience the redesigned interface that allows dynamic email creation and selection from within the builder interface.

Step-by-Step Instructions

The redesigned Send Email functionality enables full-service configuration, from starting an email to saving a draft for later. Here’s a walkthrough of the updated options:

Step 1: Add 'Send Email' to Your Automation

- In your automation flow, click on the + Add node where you want to insert an email. - From the list of actions, select Send an Email under the "Sending Options".

Step 2: Choose Your Email Setup Path

Once you select Send Email, you have several choices: - **Create a new email**: Begin a campaign from scratch, choose a pre-built template, or use AI tools to generate a first draft. - **Use an existing email**: Select a previously created email from your campaigns or one already associated with the automation. - **Save and design later**: Insert the action into your automation, then come back later to customize your email.

Step 3: Selecting Campaigns Within the Automation

If you’ve already built emails as part of your automation, you can: - **Select an email from this automation**: Choose an existing email campaign not currently assigned to another Send Email action.

Step 4: Email Preview

Before finalizing, you can hover over the email card to trigger a visual preview: - Click on Preview to open a full version of the email in a new browser window.

Configuration Options and Settings

The updated Send Email action includes several powerful options that provide flexibility and control over automated campaigns:

• Create a new email: Build an email directly in the workflow; you can start from scratch, select a design template, or invoke AI-generated drafts.

• Use an existing email: Utilize emails that are already created or previously linked in the automation system.

• Save and design later: This allows you to place the action in your sequence and return later to configure content and settings.

• Assign unassigned emails: If emails within an automation are unconnected to other Send Email actions, they are made available for easy selection.

• Preview your email: Hover over the email thumbnail in the builder and click Preview to open the layout and content in a new tab for detailed visual assessment.

Best Practices and Tips

To maximize efficiency and maintain consistency across your campaigns, consider the following best practices when using the redesigned Send Email action:

• **Use AI-generated drafts** to speed up creation time for high-volume campaigns.
• **Save incomplete work** using the ’Save and design later’ functionality to stay agile in your automation layout process.
• **Always preview your email** before publishing to catch formatting or content issues early.
• **Avoid using the same email in multiple points** of one automation unless intentional, to ensure the correct message reaches your contacts at the right time.
• **Name your emails clearly** for easier selection and reuse in longer or multi-step automations.

Common Use Cases with Examples

The enhanced functionality supports various marketing and operational automation scenarios. Some example use cases utilizing the Send Email action include:

• **Welcome Email Series**: Send a sequence of personalized emails when someone signs up to your service. Example: Welcome Drip Series

• **Tag-based Email Nurture**: Trigger a series of nurturing emails when a contact is tagged, e.g., as a lead or high-value opportunity. Example: Nurture Series When Tagged

• **Free Trial Sequence**: Educate users during their trial period with timed messages to increase product adoption. Example: Free Trial Automation

• **Lifecycle Email Nurturing**: Send messages in stages—like introduction, education, and conversion—to new leads. Example: Lifecycle Nurture for New Leads

These use cases can all be implemented from within the Automations Builder using the Send Email action without needing to jump between multiple UI areas.

Troubleshooting

If you're encountering problems with the Send Email action, consider the following troubleshooting steps:

• **Email not appearing in selection list**: Ensure the email isn't already assigned to another Send Email action in the automation.
• **Preview not opening**: Pop-up blockers may prevent a new window. Try enabling pop-ups in your browser or clicking using a different tab.
• **"Save and design later" isn't editable**: You must revisit the automation and click on the placeholder email to begin design customization.
• **Email template not rendering correctly**: Clear your cache or try editing in a different browser to rule out formatting or CSS issues.

Related Features

While focused on automation workflows, the Send Email action ties closely with several other ActiveCampaign capabilities:

• Learn more about Automation features that provide context for how the Send Email action fits into broader workflows.

• Creating an automation from scratch is outlined in this helpful resource:

Read: Create an Automation from Scratch in ActiveCampaign

• Explore the announcement blog on enhanced builder tools deployed in 2024:

Read: 2024 Marketing Automation Enhancements

FAQ

What is the 'Send Email' action used for?

The Send Email action is used within ActiveCampaign Automations to automatically send a marketing or transactional email to contacts as they pass through a workflow.

Can I create a new email directly inside the automation?

Yes. With the latest update, you can create a new email from scratch, select a template, or generate a draft using AI directly within the automation builder.

What if I want to reuse an email campaign?

You can choose to use an existing campaign previously created, or select an email already added to the automation—as long as it's not used by another Send Email action.

Is it possible to preview emails before sending?

Absolutely. Hover over the email card and click Preview to open a full preview window of the email content.

What does 'Save and design later' do?

This option allows you to insert a Send Email action and return later to construct the email content. It’s ideal for mapping out automation logic before fleshing out the messaging details.

Can I use one email across multiple points in a workflow?

Technically yes, but the system only allows emails not already assigned to another Send Email action to be selected. Duplicating emails or creating versions is recommended.

Will these updates affect my previous automations?

Past automations using Send Email remain unaffected, but you’ll have access to the updated interface when editing or creating new automation workflows.

Conclusion

The October 2024 update to the Send Email action dramatically simplifies email campaign deployment within automations. With smarter creation paths, direct previews, and cleaner integration, this feature empowers marketers to deliver high-impact emails more efficiently than ever before. Whether you're welcoming new leads or nurturing ongoing relationships, the updated tool helps ensure that your email automation is both powerful and easy to manage.

For a refresher on general workflow tools, see the full Automation documentation.