You can continue creating and sending emails with the Legacy Email Composer if it suits your workflow or branding needs. The tool remains available and supported for teams who prefer its familiar structure.

Instructions

Start a New Email

There are several ways to begin creating an email. You can start a new message, build a reusable template, or recycle an existing email. Once you choose your starting point, you’ll customize the content in the Legacy Email Composer.

Method 1: Create a New Email Message

1. Go to Outbound > New Message.
   • Or navigate from Home > Quick Start > Email Campaigns > New Message.
2. At the bottom, under “Create a message with the legacy email composer,” choose: Blank message, Plain text email, or Upload HTML code.

Next, you can customize your email content in the Email Composer.

Method 2: Create an Email Template to Reuse

Templates help maintain consistent branding and save time for frequently used layouts.

1. Go to Content > Email Templates.
2. Click Create Template.
3. Choose a starting point (Blank message, Plain text email, or Upload HTML code) under “Create a message with the legacy email composer.”

Once created, you can customize the template in the Email Composer.

Method 3: Recycle an Existing Email Message

1. Go to Outbound > Sent Messages.
   • Or navigate from Home > Quick Start.
2. Sort by Date to find recent messages.
3. Click the subject line of a legacy email to open its analytics.
4. Click New Message to create a draft copy.
5. Edit the content in the Legacy Email Composer.

Create and Send the Message

There are four stages when creating a message in the Legacy Email Composer:

• Address – Choose who will receive the message.
• Design – Build and style your email content.
• Review – Validate, preview, and test before sending.
• Send – Launch immediately or schedule for later.

Enter Address Information

1. Click the Address tab.
2. Enter a descriptive Message Title.
3. Write a compelling Subject Line.
   • See our Tips for Email Subject Lines.
4. Add Preview Text.
5. Select your Sender and Reply-To addresses.
6. Select your Recipients:
   • Choose Lists or Segments to select full groups.
   • Choose Specific People for individual contacts.
7. Specify Suppress Against lists or segments.
   • Act-On automatically suppresses opt-outs, hard bounces, spam complaints, and suppression domains.
   • Learn more: Sending or Suppressing a List or Segment.
   • Uncheck Suppress Duplicates if needed.
8. If using Subscription Management, choose a subscription category.
9. Click Save.

Design Your Email

The Legacy Email Composer uses a WYSIWYG editor to build your email visually.

1. Go to the Design tab.
2. Expand Stationery to adjust layout and appearance.
   • Change stationery using the dropdown menu, or create custom stationery (learn more).
   • Configure Responsive Design, logo alignment, message width, background, and borders.
3. Add Blocks and Sections from the Content panel.
4. Style your header, body, and footer in Message Styling.
5. Use Validate Clickthrough Links to ensure all URLs work.
6. Click Check Spelling.
7. Click Save.

Review & Test Your Email

1. Go to the Review tab and preview your message in HTML, Text, and Mobile.
2. Validate your message to ensure it meets sending requirements.
3. Click Check Spam Score to evaluate your email against SpamAssassin’s filter.
4. Send a test email using the Test button in the top right corner.

Send Your Email

You can send immediately or schedule your message.

1. Click the Send tab.
2. Choose a send method: Send now, Schedule, Recipient’s time zone, Send over time, or Adaptive Sending.
   • Learn more: Choosing an Email Send Method.
3. Click Submit Launch Request.