Email marketing

How to QA in email marketing: a checklist

Maite Larrañaga

December 2, 2025

Illustration of checklists, a magnifying glass, and a checkmark representing a structured QA and review process.

Quality assurance (QA) is one of the most overlooked parts of email production, yet it is one of the most powerful key drivers of performance. A strong QA process protects your brand, improves deliverability, and ensures that every email you send reflects the standard your customers expect.

For lifecycle teams, email marketers, and CRM managers working with fast-moving brands, a clear QA checklist removes uncertainty and prevents costly mistakes before they reach your customer's inbox. In this guide, we break down what an email QA checklist is, why every brand needs one, and how to build an effective version for your team.

What is an email QA checklist and why does it matter

An email QA checklist is a structured framework used to review every part of an email before launch. It covers copy, links, design, rendering, segmentation, personalization, deliverability, compliance, and technical setup.

Teams use a QA checklist to:

Reduce errors in production
Improve email performance and conversion rates
Strengthen deliverability and sender reputation
Maintain design consistency across campaigns and automated flows
Create accountability and alignment across lifecycle, design, and engineering teams

Email QA is especially important in lifecycle marketing, where automated flows run long term and small errors can affect thousands of customers. A consistent QA process ensures your journeys perform without friction and your campaigns meet quality standards.

Last year, 52% of marketers reported making between two and five email marketing mistakes, highlighting how common production errors are even among experienced teams. No one is immune to it, but sometimes email mistakes teach us valuable lessons.

Before you send any campaign, conduct a final review to make sure everything works as intended: visually, technically, and strategically. A solid QA checklist ensures every part of your message supports your brand and meets deliverability and accessibility standards.

How to build an effective email QA checklist

A great QA checklist is clear, actionable, and aligned across all roles involved in your email process. It should include steps that cover:

Audience logic and segmentation
Subject lines and preheaders
Design consistency
Link and CTA validation
Rendering across email clients
Personalization and fallback rules
Accessibility and alt text
Compliance requirements
Deliverability checks
Domain and warm up considerations
Technical HTML quality

Here is a detailed QA checklist that you can use as inspiration:

Email QA checklist

Category	Checklist Item	Description / What to Verify
Campaign	Audience - Inclusion segment	Are you targeting the right audience or segment(s)? Verify relevance and accuracy before sending.
Campaign	Audience - Exclusion segment	Ensure proper exclusion lists are applied. Avoid overlapping or redundant audiences.
Campaign	Targeting “unsubscribed”	Confirm unsubscribed users are not included in the send. Respect consent at all times.
Campaign	Send date	Validate that the scheduled date matches the intended campaign timing.
Campaign	Send time + timezone	Verify time zones for global sends. Are recipients receiving the email at the right local time?
Campaign / Email	From name and address	Ensure the sender name and email address are correct, consistent, and recognizable.
Campaign / Email	Subject line	Is this the latest approved subject line? Proofread for typos and clarity.
Campaign / Email	UTM parameters	Ensure UTMs are unique, properly formatted, and relevant to the campaign.
Email	EOA Inbox Preview	Test the rendering in Email on Acid (or similar) to ensure visuals and copy display correctly.
Email	Dark Mode	Is the design rendering correctly in dark mode across email clients?
Email	Preview text	Confirm that preview text is present, not placeholder (“PREVIEW TEXT GOES HERE”), and rendered properly.
Email	Image alt tags	Ensure all images include alt tags that are relevant to the image content.
Email	Image links	Verify all images are linked correctly and direct to the intended destinations.
Email	CTAs	Confirm all CTAs are included and the text is accurate and engaging.
Email	CTA links	Check that CTA links are functional and lead to the right destinations.
Email	Copy	Proofread for typos, outdated copy, or missing content. Ensure tone and voice match the brand.
Email	Remove unused code or elements	Delete any unused sections or placeholder elements before final send.
Email	Unsubscribe link	Ensure unsubscribe link works during testing. Check if it’s hardcoded, preference center-based, or client-provided.
Email	Email clipping	Review EOA and live previews for clipping issues. Adjust code if content gets cut off.
Email	Fonts	Confirm backup fonts are defined for consistent rendering across devices.
Email	Mobile vs. Desktop	Test both versions. Use responsive design or classes for optimal layout per device.
Email	Personalization	Confirm personalization fields render correctly and fallback logic is in place.
Code Quality	Structure and HTML tags	Ensure all tags are properly nested and closed; remove unused or duplicate IDs.
Code Quality	Inline styles	Confirm that essential CSS is inline and there’s no external CSS/JS.
Compatibility	Rendering across ESPs	Test rendering on major providers (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail).
Compliance	Legal footer	Verify inclusion of physical address and required policy links.
Assets & Hosting	HTTPS assets	Confirm all hosted assets (images, fonts, etc.) load securely over HTTPS.
Dynamic Content	Merge tags	Check syntax and fallback logic for personalization variables.
Deliverability	Spam triggers	Review for excessive capitalization, exclamation points, or image-only layouts.
Deliverability	Domain warm-up	Confirm the domain has been properly warmed and authenticated.

Helpful tools for email QA

Here are tools commonly used by lifecycle teams to test rendering and deliverability before sending:

Final thoughts

A strong QA checklist gives lifecycle teams more confidence, improves execution speed, and protects your brand with every send. By making QA part of your process, you reduce risk, improve engagement, and ensure that every campaign and automated journey delivers a seamless experience.

If your team wants help strengthening QA workflows or building scalable, modular email systems, Scalero can help. We work with brands to design, code, and optimize lifecycle programs that drive long term retention.