Checklist

The email QA checklist

Everything to check before an email goes out, in 6 passes: what shows in the inbox, the content and links, images, rendering, the technical details, and sign-off. Tick items off as you go. Your progress stays in this browser, and you can copy the list into a ticket or print it for the team.

0 of 27 checked

1. Inbox view

The from name and address are right, and replies reach an inbox someone readsUse a name subscribers recognize. A no-reply address throws away replies from people who want to talk to you.
The subject line is final, with the important words firstPhones show only the first 30 to 40 characters or so, depending on the app and the screen.
EmailQA previews the inbox view
Preheader text is setWithout it, inboxes show whatever text comes first in the email, which is often "View in browser".
EmailQA previews the inbox view

2. Content and links

Spelling and grammar are checked, including names, prices, dates and discount codesTypos in a price or a code cost more than typos in a sentence. Read those twice.
EmailQA spell-checks the email
Merge tags show real data, and fallbacks work when a field is emptySend a test to a contact with no first name and check that "Hi ," or a raw tag never appears.
Every link works and goes to the intended pageClick each one from the test send, including the logo, images and footer links.
EmailQA checks every link
Links carry the right tracking tagsCheck the UTM source, medium and campaign so the results show up in analytics where you expect them.
No placeholders are left: "#" links, example.com, lorem ipsum, "TBD"Search the HTML for them. Placeholders survive longest in footers and secondary buttons.
The unsubscribe link works and a physical mailing address is in the footerIn the US, CAN-SPAM requires both in commercial email.

3. Images

Every image loadsA broken image shows as an empty box, sometimes with its alt text. Check images hosted on a staging server that will go away.
EmailQA flags broken images
Meaningful images have alt text, and decorative ones have an empty alt (alt="")Screen readers read alt text aloud, and many clients show it when images are blocked.
EmailQA flags missing alt text
The email still makes sense with images turned offSome clients and workplaces block images by default. Keep the key message and the call to action in live text.
Images are compressedHeavy images load slowly on mobile data, and a slow hero image can be the whole first impression.
EmailQA flags images over 1 MB

4. Rendering

It renders correctly in Outlook on WindowsClassic Outlook lays out email with Microsoft Word's engine, so modern CSS such as flexbox, many background images and some padding does not work there.
EmailQA renders it on real devices
It renders correctly in Gmail, on the web and in the appsGmail supports less CSS than a browser, and its iOS and Android apps treat dark mode differently.
EmailQA renders it on real devices
It renders correctly in Apple Mail on Mac and iPhoneApple Mail is the most capable of the major clients, which makes it easy to design for it and break everywhere else. Check it alongside the others.
EmailQA renders it on real devices
Dark mode is checked in each clientClients recolor email differently: some invert everything, some only light backgrounds, some nothing. Watch logos, dark text on colored backgrounds, and borders.
Light and dark mode on real devices
On a phone, columns stack, text is readable without zooming, and buttons are easy to tapMost email is opened on a phone. Check the narrowest screen you care about.
EmailQA renders it on real devices

5. Technical

The HTML is comfortably under 102 KBGmail clips larger messages and hides the rest behind a "View entire message" link, often including the unsubscribe link.
A plain-text version exists and reads wellSome people and clients read the plain-text part. Check that it isn't empty or a wall of raw URLs.
Text has enough contrast, the language is set, and layout tables have role="presentation"Without role="presentation", screen readers announce every layout table as a data table.

6. Sign-off and send

The right people reviewed the final version, not an earlier draftFeedback in email threads and chat tends to land on the wrong version. Keep it on the email itself.
Pin comments and version compare
Sign-off is recorded: who approved it, and whenWhen something goes wrong after the send, you want to know what was approved, not argue about it.
Approval workflow
A test send arrived in real inboxesA preview is not a send. The test catches from-address, tracking and deliverability surprises.
EmailQA sends a test to your inbox
The audience, segment and suppression lists are rightDouble-check exclusions: past purchasers, unsubscribes imported from another tool, internal addresses.
The send time and time zone are rightA 9am send in the wrong time zone arrives at 3am for someone.
What is scheduled in your ESP matches the approved versionLast-minute edits made in the ESP skip review. Compare before you send.

EmailQA helps with 15 of these 27

The tagged items above: real-device renders in Outlook, Gmail and Apple Mail in light and dark mode, link, image and spelling checks, an inbox preview, test sends, pin comments from reviewers without an account, and approvals. Free for 14 days, no credit card required.

Frequently asked questions

What is email QA?

Email QA (quality assurance) is the check an email gets before it is sent: that it looks right in the clients your subscribers use, the content and links are correct, it meets legal requirements, and the right people have signed off on the final version.

Who should do email QA?

Ideally someone other than the person who built the email. Rendering and link checks suit the email developer, content and offer checks suit the marketer or the client, and final sign-off belongs to whoever owns the send.

Can email QA be automated?

Partly. Link, image, spelling and rendering checks automate well. Whether the offer, tone and audience are right still needs a person. EmailQA automates the first group and gives the people doing the second a place to comment on the email and approve it.