Email Campaign Brief template thumbnail

MARKETING TEMPLATE

Email Campaign Brief Template

Plan an email campaign with audience segmentation, messaging, design requirements, and A/B test variants.

Use this template

What's inside

Field

Details

Campaign Name

Descriptive name for this email send

Status

Draft

Campaign Type

Promotional / Newsletter / Transactional / Nurture / Re-engagement

Owner

Name of campaign owner

Send Date

Audience Size

Estimated list size

ESP / Platform

Mailchimp / HubSpot / Klaviyo / Iterable / Braze

Objective & Success Metrics

Define the primary goal of this email and how success will be measured.

Metric

Target

Benchmark

Open Rate

XX%

Industry avg or past campaign avg

Click-Through Rate

XX%

Conversion Rate

XX%

Unsubscribe Rate

< X.X%

Revenue / Goal Value

$X,XXX or N signups

Audience & Segmentation

Define who receives this email. Segment before writing copy — the same message rarely works for every audience.

Segment

Criteria

List Size

Personalization

Primary

Describe the inclusion/exclusion rules

X,XXX

Dynamic content or merge tags used

Suppression

Who is excluded (recent purchasers, unsubscribed, etc.)

Subject Line & Preheader

Write at least three subject line alternatives for A/B testing. Keep subject lines under 50 characters for mobile.

Variant

Subject Line

Preheader Text

A

Write subject line option A

Preview text that complements variant A

B

Write subject line option B

Preview text that complements variant B

C

Write subject line option C (optional)

Email Content

Hero Section

Describe the top-of-email visual and headline. This is the first thing the reader sees — it must immediately communicate the value proposition.

  • Headline: One clear, benefit-driven statement

  • Hero image: Describe the visual or link to the asset

Body Copy

Write the key message and supporting points. Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences. Use bullet points for scanners.

  1. Key message: The single thing you want the reader to understand

  2. Supporting point: Evidence, benefit, or detail that reinforces the message

  3. Supporting point: Second reason to act

Call to Action

Element

Details

CTA Button Text

Action-oriented verb (e.g., Shop Now, Get Started, Claim Offer)

CTA URL

https://...

Secondary CTA

Optional: Learn More, View Details

Footer

  • Company name and physical address (CAN-SPAM / GDPR requirement)

  • Unsubscribe link (required by law)

  • Social media links

  • Preference center link

A/B Test Plan

Define what you are testing and how you will determine a winner.

Variable

Variant A

Variant B

Sample Size

Winner Metric

Subject Line

Option A text

Option B text

20% of list per variant

Open Rate

Design & Technical Checklist

  • Email width is 600px max for consistent rendering

  • All images have alt text for accessibility

  • CTA button is at least 44x44px tap target for mobile

  • Tested in dark mode (background colors, image contrast)

  • Links are tracked with UTM parameters

  • Dynamic/personalization merge tags verified with test data

  • Plain-text version reviewed

  • Renders correctly in top 5 email clients (Gmail, Apple Mail, Outlook, Yahoo, mobile)

  • Seed list / proof sent and approved by stakeholder

Send Schedule

Step

Date

Owner

Status

Copy finalized

Not Started

Design complete

Not Started

HTML built & QA'd

Not Started

Stakeholder approval

Not Started

A/B test send

Not Started

Full list send

Not Started

Legal Compliance

Other Marketing templates