How do I create and send A/B testing emails?

A/B testing lets you compare different versions of an email to find what drives more engagement. Follow the steps below. 

Tip: Test one element at a time (subject line, sender name, or content) so you can clearly attribute any difference in results to what you changed. Use a large enough audience — too few recipients can return unreliable results. 

Step 1: Create your email and set up your first variant 

Create your email normally. On the Compose Message step, fill in all details for your first variant. The information you enter here will be automatically copied to any additional variants you create. 

Step 2: Add additional test variants 

Select Add a Test Case to create your next variant. You can create up to 10 variants (A through J). 

Edit only the element you want to test in each variant — for example, change only the subject line in variant B while keeping everything else the same. 

Send yourself a sample email to verify the email looks correct across different browsers and devices before finalizing. 

Step 3: Set up your test groups 

On the Review & Deliver Message step, use the Recipient Breakdown section to enter the percentage or raw number of recipients for each variant. 

Note: EveryAction uses the hard count, not the percentage, when sending. If your list size changes before you send, recalculate your groups. If your list changes between scheduling and sending and there are no longer enough recipients to fill all variants, your email will fail to send — you’ll need to recreate it. 

Step 4: Send and select a winner 

Review the summary of your test cases under Review Message Info before sending. Once scheduled, your email will appear in the Pending section of the dashboard. 

Automatic winner selection: Use Pick Winner to have EveryAction automatically send the winning variant based on a metric you select (such as open rate or click rate) after a wait period you define. 

Manual winner selection: If you prefer to select the winner yourself, allow enough time for data to return, then go to Select Winner, review the stats for each variant, and send the winning email immediately or schedule it for later. 

You can also choose to Withdraw the email — but once withdrawn, you cannot change it. 

Sent emails appear in the Sent Messages section of the dashboard. Withdrawn emails show an indicator next to the email name. 

Step 5: Review performance 

Use the Email Test Case Comparison Report in Report Manager to compare your variants. Add columns for Subject Line, From Name, and From Email Address to see how those elements affected results. 

Use the Email Links Clicked Report to see which links in which variant received more clicks. 

Not quite what you were searching for? 

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How do I set up an A/B test in Targeted Email? | How do I create a test case in EveryAction Targeted Email? | How do I select a winner for my A/B test email in EveryAction? | How do I use Pick Winner in Targeted Email? | How many test variants can I create in EveryAction? | How do I review A/B test results in EveryAction? | How do I add a subject line column to the Email Test Case Comparison Report?