Create an email in the Litmus platform

Emails are created either by emailing into a personal email address (you can set this up and find this in the Inbox folder or any other folder you create), choosing a draft from a connected ESP, importing or pasting HTML, or start from scratch or a template in Builder.

1. Utilize your personal email address to send in your email from your email provider. You can set up your personalized email in the Inbox folder. Once you have your email address, go to your email provider and send a draft of your email to that email address. The draft will then appear in the Inbox folder. If you click on the email, you’ll be brought to the Summary view where you can edit the name, description, due date, status, and tasks. You can also hop between Builder, Proof, and Checklist views.

Email into a different folder:

Every folder also has its own address based on your personal address. Navigate to that folder in the sidebar and copy the address at the top. Note that your name has been appended with "+###" as a code for that folder.

folder test address

2. Click on “Create a new email” on the dashboard or “New email” within any folder. When you click on this button, name your email project and select from one of three workflows to start your email:

new email dialog

Build: If you’d like to build your campaign from scratch, utilize a pre-existing template, or import your HTML, then this is the best option for you. There are a few ways to start an email in Builder:

Import HTML from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive: This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in Checklist).
Build from scratch or choose a template: These methods will only create your email in Builder and do not automatically generate any Email Previews. You can run Previews from the Builder view and then use the "Update Proof & Checklist" (or "Update Checklist" for customers without Proof) option to send your code from Builder to Checklist and Proof once you’re ready. Note that this will generate one set of Email Previews.

build

Review: If you want to Invite stakeholders to review and approve your email, this is the best option. There are a few ways to start your email in Proof:

review

Sync from your ESP: Connect your Litmus account to one of the supported ESPs (Campaign Monitor, MailChimp, Eloqua, Marketo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud*) and select from your recent drafts. This will automatically send an email from your ESP to Litmus—without having to log in to your ESP or switch back and forth between tools. This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in both Builder + Checklist).
Send in manually from your ESP: Press “Copy” to copy the email address provided in the modal and then send a draft email from your ESP into Litmus. This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in both Builder + Checklist).
Paste your HTML: This method will automatically create your Proof and also put your HTML in Builder. No Checklist will be created and Email Previews will not be generated. Note that this method is for customers who want to use Proof without generating a Checklist or a set of Email Previews. To create a Checklist, use the "Update Proof & Checklist" (or "Update Checklist" for customers without Proof) option from Builder or email into the New Version address.
Upload an Image file: For teams that need to review and approve their email designs before creating the HTML version of the email, use this feature to proof a PNG or JPG of the design.

* If you’re a Salesforce Marketing Cloud customer that utilizes the Approval functionality in Content Builder, this functionality will not work unless the email is marked as approved.

Test: Ready for final QA in Litmus Checklist? Validate your email is working as intended before sending with this option. There are a few ways to start your email in Checklist:

test

Sync from your ESP: Connect to one of the supported ESPs (Campaign Monitor, MailChimp, Eloqua, Marketo, Salesforce Marketing Cloud*) and select from your recent drafts. This will automatically send an email from your ESP to Litmus—without having to log in to your ESP or switch back and forth between tools. This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in both Builder + Checklist).
Send in manually from your ESP: Press “Copy” to copy the email address provided in the modal and send a draft email from your ESP into Litmus. This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in both Builder + Checklist).
Paste your HTML in the create email modal: This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in Checklist).
Import your HTML from Dropbox, Google Drive, or One Drive: This method will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (available in Checklist).

* If you’re a Salesforce Marketing Cloud customer that utilizes the Approval functionality in Content Builder, this functionality will not work unless the email is marked as approved.

Send in a draft email

If you’re already a Litmus customer, your existing unique personal Litmus email addresses won’t work in the new Litmus platform. You will need to create a new personal email address (@litmusemail.com) when you start using the new Litmus platform.

From the Inbox folder, you’ll see the option to create a new personal address. After your personal address has been created, you can then send an email to that address (from your email provider). All emails sent to your personal email address will end up in the Inbox folder. Once your email has been created, you can then move it into the appropriate folder.

Create an email in a specific folder

folder test address

Choose draft from connected ESP account

Click on “New Email” and then either the “Review” or “Test” options. If you’ve connected your ESP with Litmus, we’ll display a list of your most recent draft emails from your ESP. Simply select your draft and we’ll automatically trigger a test send from your ESP into Litmus. You don’t have to switch tools or log in to your ESP.

We offer support in the following ESPs:

Campaign Monitor
MailChimp
Eloqua
Marketo
Salesforce Marketing Cloud*

* If you’re a Salesforce Marketing Cloud customer that utilizes the Approval functionality in Content Builder, this functionality will not work unless the email is marked as approved.

Import your HTML

Click on “Create Email”. Within “Build,” “Review,” and “Test” you’ll see an option to import your HTML from Dropbox, Google Drive, or OneDrive.

Simply select the storage system you’d like to use, connect your account, and then pick the HTML file you want to bring into Litmus.

Paste in your HTML or start in Builder

When creating an email by using the “New Email” button, you’ll notice a few places where you can paste in your HTML:

Build: Simply press “Start Building” to start from scratch in Builder and paste your HTML in there. This will automatically open your email in Builder, and will not automatically generate Email Previews or auto-populate your email in the Proof and Checklist views. You can move your code from Builder to Proof and Checklist with the "Update Proof & Checklist" (or "Update Checklist" for customers without Proof) button.
Review: This method will automatically create your Proof and also put your HTML in Builder. No Checklist will be created and Email Previews will not be generated. Note that this method is for customers who want to use Proof without generating a Checklist or a set of Email reviews. To create a Checklist, use the "Update Proof & Checklist" (or "Update Checklist" for customers without Proof) feature from Builder or email into the New Version address.
Test: Paste your HTML in the create email modal. This will automatically create your email across Builder, Proof, and Checklist, and automatically generate one set of Email Previews (in Checklist).

Don’t have your HTML yet but want to fill out the Summary view? Simply click on the “New email” modal and then close it out. It’ll automatically drop you in the Summary view.

Duplicate an Existing Email

You can also start a new email by duplicating an existing email. There are two places where you can duplicate an email:

Duplicating an email in the folder view

Within the folder view, you can duplicate an email by clicking on the breadcrumbs next to the created by field.

Duplicate in folder view

Duplicating an email in the email view

Within an individual email, you can duplicate an email by clicking on the breadcrumbs next to the email's name. Duplicating an email will create the email in the same folder as the original email (you can then move it to the appropriate folder). In addition, it will automatically name it "Copy of [Original email]". You can rename the email.

When you duplicate an email, it will only create the email in Builder and no Email Previews will be automatically generated. You can use the "Update Proof & Checklist" (or "Update Checklist" for customers without Proof) functionality to create the email in Checklist and Proof.