# Creating a Campaign

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How to create and send a campaign in Retainful?
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Email campaigns are a cost-effective way to reach a large audience while keeping the message relevant. Whether it's a flash sale announcement, newsletter, latest collection update, and more, you can instantly reach targeted audiences or schedule emails for later. These emails create a personalized experience, boosting customer engagement and building loyalty.

## Requirements

Before you get started, you need to check the following things,

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Check the following before you start to build your email campaigns.

* Ensure you have created a list or segment of contacts to whom you plan to send the campaign. Learn how to make a list or segment [here](https://help.retainful.com/list-and-segments).
* Check and confirm if you have verified your email-sending domain. Learn how to verify your domain [here](https://help.retainful.com/installation/setting-up-a-sending-domain).
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### Best Practices for Your Campaign Success

1. **Segment Your Audience** – Group subscribers based on behavior, interests, or demographics to send more relevant and personalized emails.
2. **Craft Engaging Subject Lines** – Keep subject lines short, clear, and compelling to increase open rates. Use urgency, curiosity, or personalization.
3. **Personalize Your Emails** – Use customer names, past purchases, or browsing history to make emails feel more relevant and engaging.
4. **Optimize for Mobile** – Ensure your emails are mobile-friendly with responsive design, concise text, and clear CTAs.
5. **Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)** – Guide recipients on the next step with a well-placed, easy-to-click CTA button.
6. **Maintain a Consistent Schedule** – Send emails at optimal times and maintain consistency without overwhelming subscribers.

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NOTE:&#x20;

The Campaigns feature in the free plan allows up to **100 emails per day and 500 emails per month**. To reach a larger audience, consider upgrading to a premium plan.
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## Build your Email Campaign

### Step 1: Access the Campaigns section

After confirming the required conditions, follow these steps to create a successful email campaign.

1. To create your campaign, go to the Campaigns section in your Retainful dashboard and click the Create Campaign button.
2. In the Create Campaign dialog box, enter your campaign title and click Create Campaign to proceed

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2F6NMe6WoTzRSyAfHW6Z6I%2Fscreenshot-app-retainful-com-2025-09-11-19-17-40%20(1).png?alt=media&#x26;token=1de7b8e8-2891-4f2b-849b-1c0526bfed5a" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Step 2: Configure your Email Properties

Here, you can set the **Name, From Email Address, Reply-To Address, Subject, and Preview of your email.**

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FWQaJqZzDoQ5GtvMlb2sl%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=82430b1e-2fde-41e4-8b1a-ddfbcac26e69" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

1\. In the **From Email Address option,** select **Send using your own domain's email address**. If your sending domain is not verified, click the **Click here to verify** link. This will redirect you to the **Email Settings** section. For step-by-step instructions, refer to the article [Set your sending domain](https://help.retainful.com/installation/setting-up-a-sending-domain).<br>

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FtNBKWUPzifogAPJHolrI%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=614f621e-2128-4b51-a8ae-677699104f43" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

2. **Reply to**: In the Reply-To field, enter the email address where you want to receive customer responses. When a customer replies to your email, their messages will be delivered to this address.
3. After you have configured your email properties, click on the Continue to Content button.

   <br>

   <figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FRxYyUiLZzQtzq2jZaw2U%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ea0c4424-9e0c-44fb-ba58-a94c715318d3" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Step 3: Design your Email

You can design your email from scratch or customize a pre-built template.&#x20;

* Use the checkbox to filter templates as needed. To preview a template, click the **Preview** icon. Once you've selected a template, click **Use this Template** to customize it in the editor.
* To start from scratch, click the **Build from Scratch** button.

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FZyMo9UcLey90j5EtVbwu%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=870af953-1ce9-45d9-b942-084e4bee90ba" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FEkf6z45PqtRrwduKHKwv%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=63a642b0-dad6-4cf2-bfeb-2553951ee837" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

For more details on customization options, refer to the [Email customization](https://help.retainful.com/campaigns/using-drag-and-drop-editor) article. Once you have finished designing your email, click the Save & Choose Recipients button.

### Step 4: Choose your Recipients

In the **Choose Recipients** section, you can select whether to send the email to **All Contacts** (subscribed users) or a specific list or segment.

You can select up to **5 lists or 5 segments**, but not a combination of both. If you choose lists, you can select up to 5 lists. If you choose segments, you can select up to 5 segments.

Once you have selected your campaign recipients, click the **Continue to Review** button.

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FuZ3M2neo7OKjWXn2U3z6%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=2fb6644f-1342-4b0e-aaf0-ad81fbfc9b61" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

\
If you haven't created any lists or segments for your campaign, refer to the following articles to learn how to create them.

1. &#x20;[Create a List](https://help.retainful.com/list-and-segments/creating-a-list)
2. [Create a segment](https://help.retainful.com/list-and-segments/creating-a-segment)

### Step 5: Review your content and Campaign settings

In the **Review** section, you can preview your email settings, content, and recipient list. If needed, you can make changes by clicking the **Edit** button in the respective sections.

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2FgG2E6V3Eg8NlSLkG8Xha%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=fcf9ce71-f953-4ef1-884f-4568b7fdb8e4" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

Click the **Schedule or Send** button to either send your email campaign immediately or schedule it for later.

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Schedule campaigns in Retainful
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## Smart Sending

When enabled, this feature prevents campaign emails from being sent to contacts who have received emails from other automation workflows within the specified time frame. By default, this is set to **24 hours.**

To adjust the time limit, go to Email Settings. Under the Smart Sending option, select the desired time frame from the dropdown menu and click on **Save Changes.**

<figure><img src="https://837552055-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2F-MDdKRAW4KzC-CNNbvnH%2Fuploads%2Fe282mDWp3EujSJkiMMbw%2Fimage.png?alt=media&#x26;token=ad819faf-82a2-408f-bf6a-e3c8ebe61590" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Why Is Smart Sending Important?

Smart Sending helps you avoid sending too many emails to your subscribers in a short period. It ensures that they don’t feel overwhelmed or annoyed. By limiting email frequency, you improve engagement, reduce unsubscribes, and increase the chances of your emails being opened.

This leads to a better experience for your customers and improves your email deliverability. In simple terms, Smart Sending helps you stay connected without overdoing it.

**To learn more about smart sending, click** [**here**](https://help.retainful.com/automations/smart-sending)**.**

That’s it! You’ve successfully created and sent your campaign.

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**Need More Help?**&#x20;

We’re here to make things easier for you!

* Email Us: Reach out anytime at <support@retainful.com>.
* Schedule a Call: Still stuck or need a hands-on walkthrough? Book a quick session with our support team, and we’ll guide you step-by-step.

[**Schedule a call with us**](https://zcal.co/retainful/onboarding)**.**
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Additional Resources

* Learn how to create automated email sequences with our guide, [Email Drip Campaign: How to Create + Best Practices ](https://www.retainful.com/blog/email-drip-campaign)to nurture leads and increase conversions.
* Explore [Email Campaigns: 9 Examples + How to Create](https://www.retainful.com/blog/email-marketing-campaigns) to get inspiration and step-by-step guidance for building effective email campaigns.
* Learn about [GDPR compliance](https://help.retainful.com/how-tos/gdpr-compliance) to improve the deliverability of your Emails.
* Refer to the[ Retainful Shortcodes](https://help.retainful.com/how-tos/shortcodes-for-reference) article to add dynamic information like customer name and order summary in your emails.
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