If you’re on the hook for sending emails that actually look right in people’s inboxes, you know the drill—broken layouts, missing images, or embarrassing typos can slip through way too easily. Manually testing every single campaign gets old fast and isn’t realistic when you’re busy. This is for email marketers, designers, or anyone who’s tired of sending “test, test, test” to their own inbox.
Let’s cut the fluff. Here’s how you can use Litmus to set up automated email testing workflows, so your emails are reliable and you don’t have to babysit every step.
Why bother with automated email testing?
Manual testing is fine for a one-off, but it falls apart when you’re running campaigns regularly. Here’s what you get with automation:
- Consistency: The same checks, every time. No “Oops, I forgot to check Outlook.”
- Speed: Feedback in minutes, not hours.
- Less human error: Because you’re not relying on your memory (or attention span) to catch everything.
- Scalability: Works whether you’re sending one campaign or fifty.
But let’s be honest: automation isn’t magic. Garbage in, garbage out. It only works if you set it up thoughtfully, and it won’t catch every nuance (like “Does this sentence sound weird?”). Still, it’ll save you from 90% of the headaches.
Step 1: Get your Litmus account and pick your plan
First things first: you need a Litmus account. If your team already has one, great—just make sure you’ve got access to the right features. Automated workflows are only available on certain plans (as of 2024, you’ll want “Litmus Plus” or above).
What’s worth paying for?
- Automated Previews: Saves a ton of time, especially if you’re sending to a diverse audience.
- Integrations: If you want to connect to ESPs like Salesforce Marketing Cloud, Marketo, or Mailchimp, double-check that your plan supports it.
- User seats: Don’t get stuck with too few logins—testing is a team sport.
Pro tip: If you’re managing a small list or just want to check a few emails a month, the price can sting. Weigh the cost against the time you’re currently wasting on manual checks.
Step 2: Map your current email workflow
Before you automate anything, sketch out how you actually build and send emails today. This doesn’t have to be pretty—just get clear on:
- Who writes and builds emails?
- Where does the copy/design live?
- What testing steps do you do right now?
- When does testing happen (before/after approvals)?
- Which ESP (Email Service Provider) do you use?
You want to automate the boring, repeatable stuff—not the creative or strategic steps. Automation works best when you know what you actually do, not what you think you do.
Step 3: Connect your ESP or code repository to Litmus
Litmus plays well with most major ESPs (like Salesforce, Marketo, HubSpot, Mailchimp) and can also connect to code repositories (like GitHub). This makes it possible to automatically test emails as soon as they’re built or approved.
Options:
- ESP Integration: Pulls in drafts or scheduled emails directly from your ESP.
- Code Integration: Useful if you build emails in code (e.g., MJML, custom HTML) and want to test every commit.
- Manual Upload: Drag-and-drop works, but defeats the point of automation—only use as a backup.
How to set it up:
- In Litmus, go to Integrations.
- Pick your ESP or code tool.
- Follow the prompts—usually, you’ll need an API key or to authenticate your account.
- Test the connection with a sample email.
Gotchas: Sometimes ESP integrations only support drafts, or you might need admin rights to connect. If you hit a wall, check with your IT/security team before wasting an afternoon.
Step 4: Set up Litmus Projects or Folders for each campaign type
Organize your workspace in Litmus so you’re not dumping everything into a single folder. Think about:
- Newsletter vs. Promotional vs. Transactional: Keep these separate.
- By Team or Brand: If you manage multiple brands, organize accordingly.
- Naming conventions: “2024-06-Product-Launch” beats “final_FINAL_v2.”
Creating structure now pays off later—especially if you’re automating tests for dozens of campaigns.
Step 5: Build your automated test checklist
Litmus can run a bunch of tests automatically, but you should decide which ones are must-haves for your team.
Common checks to automate:
- Email previews: See how your email looks in different clients (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.).
- Spam filter checks: Finds content or setup issues that might land you in spam.
- Link validation: Checks if any links are broken.
- Image validation: Flags missing or broken images.
- Accessibility checks: Looks for missing alt text, bad color contrast, etc.
- Load time/sizing: Make sure your email isn’t massive.
What to skip (or at least, don’t automate blindly): - Tone, voice, or offer accuracy: No tool can tell you if your CTA is boring or your discount code is wrong. - List segmentation logic: Automation can’t check if you’re targeting the right folks.
Pro tip: Start small. Automate the basics first, then add tests as you go. Too many notifications and you’ll start ignoring them.
Step 6: Set up triggers and notifications
The real power comes from not having to think about testing at all. Configure Litmus to run tests automatically when:
- A new draft is created in your ESP
- An email is updated or pushed to a certain folder
- A pull request is merged (if you use GitHub)
How to do it:
- In Litmus, go to your project or folder.
- Set up an automation rule (the wording changes, but look for “Automated Testing” or “Auto-Run”).
- Choose your trigger (e.g., “When a new email appears in the [Newsletter Drafts] folder”).
- Set notification recipients—who should see the results? (Don’t spam the whole company.)
Notifications: You can get alerts by email, Slack, or in the Litmus dashboard. Pick what works for your team.
Watch out for: Too many notifications = everyone ignores them. Only alert people who need to take action.
Step 7: Use Litmus Proof for collaborative reviews (optional, but handy)
If you do a lot of back-and-forth on email approvals, Litmus Proof can help. It lets stakeholders comment on the actual email (not a PDF or screenshot), so changes are clearer.
- Upload or sync your email draft.
- Invite reviewers (copywriters, brand, legal, whoever).
- They comment inline—no more endless email threads.
- Once approved, automate the final round of Litmus tests.
Caveat: Proof is great for feedback, but if your team already has a solid process in Google Docs or Figma, you might not need it.
Step 8: Review and act on test results before launching
Automation’s only good if someone actually looks at the results. Build this into your workflow:
- Assign someone to check the Litmus dashboard before sending.
- Fix critical issues (broken images, failed previews, spam flags).
- For “nice to have” issues (like a logo that’s 2px off in Outlook 2016), decide if it’s worth the trouble. Perfection isn’t always realistic.
Document any recurring issues—if Outlook 2013 keeps breaking your footer, tweak your template for next time.
Step 9: Iterate and improve your workflow
You’re not going to get this perfect on day one. After a few campaigns:
- Tweak which tests run automatically (add, remove, or reorder).
- Adjust notification settings (less noise is better).
- Update your templates to fix repeat offenders.
Ask your team what’s helpful and what’s just noise. The goal is to make catching mistakes easier, not to add busywork.
What works, what doesn’t, and what to ignore
What works:
Automated previews, link checks, and spam filter tests catch the majority of real-world issues. Integrations save hours, especially if you’re sending lots of campaigns.
What doesn’t:
No tool is going to fix a bad subject line, an off-brand message, or a typo in your coupon code. And no, you don’t need to obsess over how your email looks in Lotus Notes.
What to ignore:
Don’t try to automate creative decisions or approval chaos. Automation is for grunt work, not judgment calls.
Keep it simple and iterate
Automating email testing with Litmus isn’t hard, but it’s easy to overcomplicate. Start with the basics—preview, links, spam checks—then build from there. The best workflow is the one your team will actually use. Keep it simple, keep it consistent, and keep improving as you go. Less firefighting, more sending with confidence.