If you've ever tried to wrangle feedback from a handful of coworkers on an email campaign, you know the pain. Endless email threads, comments in Slack, conflicting edits in Google Docs—and still, someone misses a typo. If you want a more organized, less maddening way to get emails reviewed and approved, this guide is for you.
This is a practical, honest walkthrough for using Litmus to run your email review and approval process. We'll cover what works, what to skip, and how to keep your sanity intact.
Why use Litmus for email reviews?
Litmus is best known for checking how emails look in different inboxes and on different devices. But it's also pretty handy for collecting feedback, tracking approvals, and keeping all the back-and-forth in one place—if you use it right.
Who benefits:
- Email marketers juggling multiple campaigns
- Designers and copywriters who need fast, actionable feedback
- Project managers tired of chasing approvals
If your team is small and sends a couple of emails a month, Litmus might be overkill. But for bigger teams or anyone tired of piecing together feedback from everywhere, it's worth a look.
Step 1: Set up your Litmus workspace
Before you dive in, get your workspace set up. This is the foundation for everything else.
What to do: - Create an account (if your company hasn’t already). - Invite your team—everyone who will review or approve emails should have access. Don’t go overboard; only invite people who actually need to give feedback or sign off. - Set up folders or naming conventions for different campaigns, clients, or departments. This keeps things findable. If you skip this, things get messy fast.
Pro tip:
If you only use Litmus for testing, your team might not be used to logging in. Give them a quick heads-up about why you’re using it for reviews now.
Step 2: Create a new email project
Everything in Litmus revolves around projects (sometimes called “emails” or “proofs”). This is where your draft lives and where feedback happens.
How to start: - Click “Create New” and pick “Email” or “Proof” (the naming can be confusing, but both get you to the review features). - Upload your HTML or drag in your ESP’s preview URL. If you’re still writing copy or designing, you can upload a PDF or image, but HTML is best for real-world testing. - Name your project clearly—think “May Newsletter v2” not “finalfinal3.”
Stuff to ignore:
Litmus will try to get you to use every feature—analytics, spam testing, checklists, etc. For now, focus on the review workflow; you can always come back to the rest later.
Step 3: Share the email for review
This is where the magic (or chaos) happens. Done right, all feedback and approvals end up in one tidy thread.
Options for sharing: - Send a review link: Litmus creates a unique URL for each proof. Copy and send it to reviewers (they don’t always need a Litmus login, but they’ll need to enter their name/email to leave comments). - Assign reviewers: You can invite people by email and assign roles (reviewer or approver). Approvers have to sign off before the email is done. Don’t assign everyone as an approver—too many cooks slow things down. - Add instructions: At the top of the proof, you can leave a note. Use this to tell reviewers what you actually want: “Just check links and typos,” or “Does this fit brand guidelines?” Otherwise, people will nitpick everything.
What works:
- Keeping the list of reviewers tight.
- Giving clear instructions.
What doesn’t:
- Sharing the link in a random Slack channel and hoping for the best.
- Letting everyone in the company comment.
Step 4: Collect and manage feedback
Now, your reviewers get to work. Litmus lets them leave comments right on the email (like sticky notes on a paper draft).
Best practices: - Centralize feedback: Ask everyone to comment directly in Litmus instead of sending emails or Slack messages. Push back (gently) if people go rogue. - Threaded comments: Litmus supports replies and threads, so you can discuss changes right there. Use this instead of side conversations elsewhere. - Resolve comments: Once you address feedback, mark it as resolved. This keeps things tidy and shows progress.
Honest take:
The commenting tools are good, but not perfect. Sometimes there’s a lag, and people can still miss things if they don’t check the proof. Don’t be shy about nudging folks to actually look at it.
Step 5: Make edits and update the proof
Once feedback’s in, make your changes. You’ll need to update the proof with the latest version.
How to handle this: - Upload the new HTML or update the preview URL each time you make changes. - Keep the same project—don’t start a new proof for every round unless you want chaos. - Version history: Litmus tracks changes, so reviewers can see what’s new. Still, it helps to summarize major changes in a comment.
Pro tip:
If you’re on round three (or more), let folks know what’s changed so they don’t have to re-review everything.
Step 6: Get final approval
When everyone’s happy, it’s time to get the official sign-off. This is where you avoid the “I never saw the final version!” headaches.
How approvals work: - Assign one or two final approvers. Don’t make everyone an approver—pick the people who actually have authority to say “go.” - Request approval in Litmus. Approvers can hit a button to sign off. You get a record of who approved and when. - Download or export the sign-off record (if your compliance team cares about that sort of thing).
What to ignore:
Don’t chase approvals in Slack or by email if you’re using Litmus. Keep it in one place, or you’re back where you started.
Step 7: Archive and move on
After approval, archive the project or move it to a “sent” folder. This keeps your workspace clean and lets you find old proofs if you need to check what was approved.
Why bother? - Fewer headaches if someone asks, “Did we sign off on last month’s newsletter?” - Easier to onboard new team members (they can see how past reviews went).
Real-world tips and things to watch for
- Don’t add every possible reviewer. More people = slower feedback and more nitpicking.
- Set deadlines. Litmus doesn’t nag people for you. If you need feedback by Friday, say so.
- Skip the bells and whistles at first. Focus on the review and approval tools. You can get fancy with analytics and spam checks later.
- Train your team. If people aren’t used to Litmus, do a quick screenshare or send screenshots. The tool’s not hard, but new things throw people off.
- Remember: it’s just a tool. Litmus won’t solve political turf wars or unclear sign-off processes. Set expectations up front.
Wrapping up: Keep it simple
Litmus can make collaborative email reviews a lot less painful—if you use it to centralize feedback and approvals. Don’t overcomplicate things, and don’t feel like you have to use every feature. Start simple, get your team on board, and tweak your process as you go. The goal is fewer headaches and faster, cleaner launches—not a perfect system on day one.