> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.retainful.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Create a campaign

> Step-by-step: design, target, test, and send your first email campaign.

This walkthrough covers the full journey from a blank campaign to a scheduled send.

<Info>
  Before your first campaign, make sure you have a verified [sender address](/email-setup/sender-addresses) and ideally a verified [sending domain](/email-setup/sending-domains).
</Info>

## 1. Pick a template

Go to **Campaigns → Create campaign**. The template gallery opens — browse, sort, or search, then pick a starting point. Every part of a template can be changed, so choose for layout rather than color.

You can also start from one of your own saved [templates](/campaigns/email-editor#save-and-reuse-templates).

## 2. Design your email

The editor opens with your chosen template. Depending on the template type you'll be in the **drag-and-drop editor**, the **rich text editor**, or the **HTML editor** — see [Email editor](/campaigns/email-editor) for what each can do.

The essentials for every campaign:

* **Subject line** — the single biggest factor in whether the email gets opened. Keep it under \~50 characters and specific.
* **Preview text** — the gray snippet shown next to the subject in the inbox. Don't waste it on "View in browser".
* **From name and address** — pick a verified sender your customers will recognize.
* **Unsubscribe link** — included automatically in the footer; required by law and by mailbox providers.

## 3. Choose your audience

Select who receives the campaign: one or more [lists](/audience/lists), a [segment](/audience/segments), or your whole subscribed audience.

Retainful automatically excludes [unsubscribed and suppressed contacts](/audience/suppressed-contacts), so you can't accidentally email someone who opted out.

## 4. Configure tracking

Under campaign settings you can add **UTM parameters** to every link, so the campaign's traffic and sales show up clearly in Google Analytics and your store's reports.

## 5. Test before you send

Click **Send test email** and send it to yourself (and a teammate). Check:

* Subject and preview text look right in the inbox list.
* Images load and buttons work.
* Personalization renders correctly — including for contacts with no first name (set a [fallback](/campaigns/personalization)).
* It reads well on a phone.

## 6. Review and send

The **Review** step shows everything in one place — audience size, sender, subject, and a final preview.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Send now">
    Click **Send** and the campaign starts going out in batches. Status changes to **Sending**, then **Sent**.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Schedule">
    Pick a date and time. Scheduled campaigns can be edited or cancelled any time before they start sending. Mid-morning in your customers' timezone is a reliable default.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Check>
  After sending, watch the first hour in [campaign analytics](/campaigns/analytics) — if something's wrong (broken link, wrong audience), pause the campaign and fix it before the rest goes out.
</Check>

## Re-target from a previous campaign

From any sent campaign's recipient list you can create a follow-up campaign — for example, target everyone who **didn't open** with a different subject line a few days later, or move everyone who clicked into a list for a special offer.