Email Digest Builder

What Email Digest Builder Creates

Every email digest includes:

AI-Generated Content

• 5 subject line variations with your brand name
• Preview text (100-150 characters)
• Personalized intro paragraphs written from your chosen perspective (founder, CEO, team, or company)
• Article summaries with 3 key takeaways per article
• Product section intro connecting products to article themes
• Custom signoff matching your brand voice

Email Design

• Header image (optional, uploaded or URL-based)
• Cross-platform compatible HTML (tested on Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo, Thunderbird)
• Your brand colors, fonts, and styling
• Responsive layout for mobile and desktop
• Shop Now buttons for featured products

Platform Integration

• Send to Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Resend, or Mailgun
• Metrics tracking (opens, clicks, bounces, conversions)
• Campaign history with performance data
• Draft/scheduled/sent status management

Creating an Email Digest

Navigate: Email Marketing > Email Campaigns

Required:

• At least one published article
• Email brand voice settings configured

Optional:

• Products or services to feature
• Campaign Planner integration (pre-selects content)

Step-by-Step

1. Select Content Check the boxes next to articles you want to feature in the email. Select 2-5 articles for optimal digest length. Recent content appears first.
2. Select Products (Optional) If you have products synced (Shopify, WooCommerce, or CSV upload), check the boxes next to products you want to feature. Each product gets a "Shop Now" button linking to your store.
3. Generate Email Click "Generate Email." The AI writes the email in 2-3 minutes, creating intro paragraphs that reference your selected articles and products by name.
4. Review & Edit The generated email appears in a preview pane. You can:

• Choose from 5 subject line options
• Edit the HTML directly in the editor
• Upload or set a header image
• Save drafts for later

5. Send or Schedule Click "Send to [Platform]" and choose:

• Audience/list to send to
• Subject line (select from generated options or customize)
• Send now or save as draft

Email Brand Voice Settings

Navigate: Settings > Brand Voice > Email Settings

Configure these fields to control how ILLIXIS writes your emails:

Email Title The recurring name for your newsletter (e.g., "Postcards From The Sun," "Weekly Insights"). Appears in subject lines: "Subject Hook | [Email Title] by [Brand Name]"

Perspective Who the email is written from:

• Founder (default) - "I'm excited to share..."
• CEO - More formal, strategic tone
• Team - "We're thrilled to announce..."
• Company - Brand voice without personal pronouns

Voice & Tone How the email should sound. Examples:

• "Friendly, casual, and personal"
• "Professional yet approachable"
• "Witty and conversational"
• "Educational and authoritative"

Style Guidelines Specific writing instructions. Examples:

• "Start with a personal anecdote"
• "Use short paragraphs (2-3 sentences max)"
• "Reference specific customer pain points"
• "Include conversational questions"

Constraints Things to avoid. Each line becomes a "DO NOT" rule:
```
use generic openings like "Picture this" or "Imagine"
be overly promotional or salesy
use corporate jargon or buzzwords
write long-winded introductions
```

Email Styling

Navigate: Email Marketing > Email Campaigns > [View Campaign] > Styles

Customize colors and fonts:

Colors

• Header color - Headings and article titles
• Body color - Body text and descriptions
• Link color - Clickable links and CTAs
• Background color - Email background

Font Family
CSS font-family value (e.g., "Arial, sans-serif", "Georgia, serif")

Header Image
Upload an image or provide a URL. The image appears at the top of every email. Best size: 600px wide, 200-300px tall. ILLIXIS does not add text overlays - use pre-designed header images.

Product Sources

Email Digest Builder can feature products from three sources:

Shopify Sync
If you have Shopify connected, click "Sync Shopify Products" to pull in-stock products. Out-of-stock items are excluded automatically. Products sync includes name, description, image, price, and URL.

WooCommerce Products
Products automatically pull from connected WordPress/WooCommerce sites. No manual sync needed.

CSV Upload
Upload a CSV with columns: name, description, url, image_url, price. Useful for businesses without ecommerce platforms or for manually curating a product catalog.

Navigate: Email Marketing > Email Campaigns > Upload CSV

Platform Integration

Klaviyo

Features:

• Campaign creation with full HTML
• List and segment selection
• Send now or save as draft
• Metrics sync (opens, clicks, conversions)

Setup: Settings > Integrations > Connect Klaviyo (API key required)

Sending:

1. View campaign
2. Click "Send to Klaviyo"
3. Select list/segment
4. Choose subject line
5. Send now or save as draft

Mailchimp

Features:

• OAuth integration (no API key needed)
• Campaign creation
• Audience selection
• Performance tracking

Setup: Settings > Integrations > Connect Mailchimp (OAuth flow)

Sending:

1. View campaign
2. Click "Send to Mailchimp"
3. Select audience
4. Choose subject line
5. Send now or save as draft

Resend

Features:

• Broadcasts API for marketing emails
• Segment-based sending
• Delivery tracking

Setup: Settings > Integrations > Connect Resend (API key required)
Note: Resend uses BYOA (Bring Your Own Account) - you must provide your own Resend API key for sending.

Sending:

1. View campaign
2. Click "Send to Resend"
3. Select segment/audience
4. Choose subject line
5. Send immediately (no draft mode for Resend)

Mailgun

Features:

• Managed email sending for non-technical users
• ILLIXIS owns the Mailgun account
• You provide your sending domain
• Mailing list management

Setup: Settings > Integrations > Connect Mailgun (provide your sending domain, add DNS records)

Sending:

1. View campaign
2. Click "Send to Mailgun"
3. Select mailing list
4. Choose subject line
5. Send immediately

Campaign History

Navigate: Email Marketing > Email Campaigns

View all created campaigns with:

Status Labels

• Draft - Not sent yet
• Sent - Delivered to platform
• Error - Send failed (see error message)

Metrics (after sending)

• Delivered count
• Open rate
• Click rate
• Bounce rate
• Conversion rate (if platform supports it)

Actions

• View - See full campaign HTML and metrics
• Edit - Modify HTML before sending
• Refresh Metrics - Pull latest stats from platform
• Regenerate HTML - Rebuild email with updated template (fixes old campaigns with styling issues)

Automation Schedule

Digest emails can be configured to compile and send automatically based on your chosen frequency.

Daily Digests

• Send time: 8:00 AM UTC
• Digest generation starts at 7:00 AM UTC (1 hour before send)
• Content cutoff: Midnight UTC the day before

Weekly Digests

• Send time: Mondays at 8:00 AM UTC
• Digest generation starts at 7:00 AM UTC on Monday
• Content cutoff: Midnight UTC Sunday (the day before)

How It Works

1. ILLIXIS begins compiling the digest 1 hour before the scheduled send time
2. The system selects content published before the midnight UTC cutoff
3. AI generates subject lines, intro paragraphs, and summaries
4. The completed email is sent to your connected platform at the scheduled time

Time Zone Note
All automation times are in UTC. For reference:

• 8:00 AM UTC = 3:00 AM EST / 12:00 AM PST
• 8:00 AM UTC = 9:00 AM CET / 5:00 PM JST

To change your digest frequency, navigate to Settings > Email Automation > Digest Settings.

Metrics Tracking

After sending a campaign, ILLIXIS stores metrics in the campaign record:

Email Platform Integration
Metrics sync happens when you click "Refresh Metrics" on a sent campaign. ILLIXIS fetches:

• Delivered count
• Unique opens
• Total opens
• Unique clicks
• Total clicks
• Bounces
• Unsubscribes

Cross-Channel Analytics
Email campaign metrics feed into Cross-Channel Analytics, allowing you to compare email performance against social, organic, and paid channels.

Navigate: Analytics > Cross-Channel Analytics > Email Metrics

Campaign Planner Integration

If you're using Campaign Planner (Strategy Hub), you can pre-select content for an email digest:

1. Create a campaign in Strategy Hub
2. Add content sources to the campaign
3. Click "Create Email" from the campaign detail page
4. Email Digest Builder pre-selects campaign content

This workflow ensures your email aligns with broader campaign strategy.

Header Image Best Practices

Dimensions

• Width: 600px (email client standard)
• Height: 200-300px (tall headers work better on mobile)

File Size

• Keep under 200KB for fast loading
• Use JPEG for photos, PNG for graphics with text

Content

• ILLIXIS does not add text overlays
• Use pre-designed headers from Canva, Figma, or your design tool
• Include your logo and email title if desired
• Avoid text-heavy headers (email clients may block images)

Hosting

• Upload directly to ILLIXIS (stored in your media library)
• Or provide a URL to an externally hosted image

Per-Campaign Override
Set a default header image in Settings, then override it per campaign if needed. Click "Upload Header Image" on the campaign view page.

Common Use Cases

Weekly Newsletter
Select 3-5 recent articles, no products. Generate once per week. Use consistent subject line format: "This Week | [Email Title] by [Brand]"

Product Launch
Select 1-2 articles related to the product category, add 3-5 products. Generate when launching new products. Subject line references the product: "Meet [Product Name] | [Email Title] by [Brand]"

Content Roundup
Select 5-7 evergreen articles on a theme (e.g., "Best of Summer Content"). No products. Generate monthly or quarterly.

Holiday Campaign
Select holiday-relevant articles, add holiday-related products. Generate 1 week before the holiday. Subject line ties to the holiday: "Your [Holiday] Guide | [Email Title] by [Brand]"

Troubleshooting

"No articles available to select"
You need published content in Content Hub first. Create and publish at least one article before generating an email digest.

"No email platform connected"
You must connect Klaviyo, Mailchimp, Resend, or Mailgun before sending. Go to Settings > Integrations and connect at least one platform.

"Email HTML looks broken in [Platform]"
Click "Regenerate HTML" on the campaign view page. This rebuilds the email with the latest cross-platform compatible template. Older campaigns may have styling issues fixed in newer templates.

"Products not appearing in digest"
If using Shopify sync, click "Sync Shopify Products" to pull latest inventory. Out-of-stock products are excluded. If using CSV, re-upload your CSV if product data changed.

"Metrics not updating"
Click "Refresh Metrics" on the campaign view page. Metrics are not real-time - they require a manual refresh to pull from the email platform.

"Subject lines don't match my brand voice"
Update your Email Brand Voice Settings (Settings > Brand Voice > Email Settings). The AI uses your Voice & Tone and Style Guidelines fields to generate subject lines. Be specific about what you want.

"Intro paragraphs are too generic"
Provide more detail in your Brand Voice settings. Include example sentences or phrases you use frequently. The AI needs specific guidance to match your unique voice.

Tips for Better Results

Select Related Content
Choose articles on a similar theme. The AI writes better intros when content has a unifying thread.

Fewer Articles = Deeper Engagement
2-3 articles with longer summaries perform better than 6-7 articles with shallow summaries.

Reference Products in Articles
If you're featuring products, select articles that mention or relate to those product categories. The AI can make better connections.

Consistent Email Title
Use the same Email Title every send. "Postcards From The Sun" becomes recognizable. Changing it weekly reduces brand recognition.

Write Custom Constraints
The Constraints field is powerful. Add specific phrases you never want to see (e.g., "never use the phrase 'dive into'"). The AI respects these as hard rules.

Test Subject Lines
ILLIXIS generates 5 options for a reason. Test different styles (questions vs. statements vs. curiosity gaps) and track which perform best in your email platform.

Update Styling Seasonally
Consider changing header colors or header images seasonally (e.g., warmer tones in fall, cooler in winter) to keep emails feeling fresh.

Performance Benchmarks

Open Rates

• Average: 20-25%
• Good: 25-35%
• Excellent: 35%+

Click Rates

• Average: 2-4%
• Good: 4-6%
• Excellent: 6%+

Best Sending Times

• Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-2pm (local time)
• Avoid Monday mornings and Friday afternoons
• Test your specific audience - B2B and B2C patterns differ

Frequency

• Weekly newsletters: sustainable, builds habit
• Bi-weekly: works for lower content production
• Monthly: retention drops, open rates decline

Related Features

Visual Sequence Builder
Create automated email sequences that include one-time digests as part of a larger workflow. Navigate to Email Automation > Visual Sequence Builder.

Campaign Planner
Plan multi-channel campaigns that include email as one distribution channel. Navigate to Strategy Hub > Campaign Planner.

Cross-Channel Analytics
Compare email performance against social, organic search, and paid ads. Navigate to Analytics > Cross-Channel Analytics.

Content Hub
The source of all articles featured in your digests. Navigate to Content Hub to create, edit, and publish content.