What are Broadcast Campaigns?

Broadcast campaigns are single-send emails you dispatch to a specific audience segment. They're ideal for:

  • Newsletters with your latest content
  • Product announcements and launches
  • Promotional offers and sales
  • Event invitations and reminders
  • Seasonal content tied to specific dates

Unlike automated email sequences that trigger based on user behavior, broadcasts go out when you click "Send."

Key differences from sequences:

| Broadcast | Sequence |
|-----------|----------|
| One-time send | Multi-email series |
| Manual trigger | Behavior-triggered |
| Everyone at once | Individual timing |
| Best for: announcements | Best for: nurturing |


Accessing Email Campaigns

  1. Navigate to Email & Automation in the sidebar
  2. Click Campaigns (or you'll land on the unified view)

Direct URL: /email-digest/

The campaigns view shows all your broadcast emails with status, metrics, and quick actions.


Creating a Campaign

Step 1: Start a New Campaign

  1. Click Create Campaign button
  2. Enter a campaign name (internal reference only)
  3. Select campaign type:
  • Article Digest - Feature recent articles
  • Product Showcase - Highlight products/services
  • Custom - Build from scratch

Step 2: Select Content

Depending on campaign type:

Article Digest:

  • ILLIXIS auto-suggests your latest published articles
  • Select which articles to include (1-5 recommended)
  • Reorder by dragging

Product Showcase:

  • Pull products from connected Shopify store
  • Or upload a CSV of products
  • Select items to feature

Custom:

  • Start with a blank template
  • Add content blocks manually

Step 3: Generate Email HTML

Click Generate to create the email:

  1. ILLIXIS generates subject line options
  2. AI writes engaging preview text
  3. Content is formatted into email-safe HTML
  4. Product/article cards are styled for email clients

Generation takes 30-60 seconds. Review the preview before proceeding.

Step 4: Edit and Customize

The email editor lets you:

  • Edit subject line and preview text
  • Adjust content (headlines, descriptions)
  • Update header image and branding
  • Preview desktop and mobile views

Click Save to preserve changes. Your edits are stored separately from the generated content.


Platform Routing

ILLIXIS supports multiple email platforms. Choose where to send your campaign:

Supported Platforms

| Platform | Best For | Required Setup |
|----------|----------|----------------|
| Klaviyo | E-commerce, segmentation | API key + lists |
| Mailchimp | General marketing | API key + audiences |
| Resend | Developer-friendly, transactional | API key + domain |
| Mailgun | High-volume sending | API key + domain |

Connecting Platforms

Before sending, connect at least one email platform:

  1. Go to Settings > Integrations > Email Marketing
  2. Click Connect on your preferred platform
  3. Enter API credentials
  4. Verify connection is active

See individual integration guides for detailed setup instructions.

Selecting Send Platform

When publishing a campaign:

  1. Click Publish to... dropdown
  2. Select your connected platform
  3. If multiple platforms connected, you'll see all options

Default platform: Set a default in Settings > Account > Default Email Platform to skip the selection step.


Audience Selection

Klaviyo

Select from your Klaviyo lists or segments:

  • Lists - Static subscriber groups
  • Segments - Dynamic groups based on behavior

ILLIXIS fetches your lists/segments automatically when you click to send.

Mailchimp

Select from your Mailchimp audiences:

  • Audiences - Your subscriber lists
  • Segments - Filtered subsets of audiences
  • Tags - Subscribers with specific tags

Resend

Select from your Resend audiences:

  • Audiences - Subscriber groups you've created
  • Import contacts via CSV in Resend dashboard first

Mailgun

Send to your mailing lists:

  • Mailing Lists - Subscriber groups
  • Lists must be created in Mailgun dashboard first

Scheduling Options

Send Now

Click Send Now to dispatch immediately:

  1. Select platform and audience
  2. Review recipient count
  3. Confirm send

Emails begin delivering within seconds. Large lists may take several minutes for full delivery.

Save as Draft

Click Save as Draft to create the campaign in your email platform without sending:

  1. Campaign appears in platform dashboard
  2. Review and edit in native interface if needed
  3. Send manually when ready

This is useful for stakeholder approval before sending.

Schedule for Later

Some platforms support scheduled sends:

  1. Click Schedule
  2. Select date and time
  3. Confirm timezone
  4. Campaign queues for future delivery

Platform support:

  • Klaviyo: Full scheduling
  • Mailchimp: Full scheduling
  • Resend: Via platform dashboard only
  • Mailgun: Via platform dashboard only

Tracking Performance

After sending, metrics sync automatically:

Metrics Tracked

| Metric | Description |
|--------|-------------|
| Delivered | Emails successfully received |
| Opens | Total and unique opens |
| Clicks | Total and unique link clicks |
| Open Rate | % of delivered that opened |
| Click Rate | % of delivered that clicked |
| CTOR | Click-to-open rate |
| Bounces | Failed deliveries |
| Unsubscribes | Opt-outs from this send |

Refreshing Metrics

Metrics update automatically but you can force a refresh:

  1. Open the campaign detail view
  2. Click Refresh Metrics
  3. Latest data pulls from your email platform

Metrics are typically available within 1-2 hours of sending.

Cross-Channel View

Campaign performance flows into Cross-Channel Analytics for unified reporting alongside social and web metrics.


Common Workflows

Workflow 1: Weekly Newsletter (15 minutes)

Goal: Send a digest of the week's best content.

  1. Navigate to Email > Campaigns
  2. Click Create Campaign > Article Digest
  3. Select 3-5 articles from the past week
  4. Click Generate
  5. Review and edit subject line
  6. Click Publish to Klaviyo
  7. Select your newsletter list
  8. Click Send Now

Workflow 2: Product Launch Announcement

Goal: Announce a new product to your subscriber list.

  1. Create a Custom campaign
  2. Add a hero section with product image
  3. Write (or AI-generate) compelling copy
  4. Add CTA button linking to product page
  5. Save as Draft first
  6. Review in email platform
  7. Send when product page is live

Workflow 3: A/B Test Subject Lines

Goal: Test which subject line performs better.

  1. Create your campaign as normal
  2. Save as Draft (don't send)
  3. In Klaviyo/Mailchimp, set up A/B test
  4. Test different subject lines
  5. Platform auto-sends winning version

ILLIXIS generates the content; use native platform features for A/B testing.


Troubleshooting

"No audiences found":

  • Verify your platform connection is active
  • Create at least one list/audience in your email platform
  • Click "Refresh" to re-fetch audiences

Send failed:

  • Check your email platform dashboard for errors
  • Verify domain is verified (Resend, Mailgun)
  • Confirm API key has send permissions

Metrics show zero:

  • Wait 1-2 hours after sending
  • Click "Refresh Metrics"
  • Check if the send actually completed in your platform

Email looks broken:

  • Test by sending to yourself first
  • Some email clients strip certain HTML
  • Use platform's preview tools for client-specific rendering

Best Practices

Subject lines:

  • Keep under 50 characters for mobile
  • Personalize when possible
  • Avoid spam trigger words (FREE, URGENT, etc.)

Send timing:

  • Tuesday-Thursday typically performs best
  • Avoid weekends unless your audience is active
  • Test different times and track results

Frequency:

  • Weekly is ideal for most businesses
  • Don't exceed 2-3 per week
  • Set expectations during signup

List hygiene:

  • Remove bounced addresses
  • Re-engage or remove inactive subscribers
  • Never purchase email lists

Related Features

  • Email Sequences - Automated multi-email flows
  • Quick Email Copy - Generate email content without a campaign
  • Cross-Channel Analytics - Unified performance reporting
  • Klaviyo Integration - E-commerce email platform
  • Mailchimp Integration - General email marketing

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