A campaign is one email to many people. The mechanics take ten minutes; the two things that decide success are who you send to and your subject line. This guide covers both.

Send only to people who said yes. Emailing bought lists or strangers gets your account flagged and your emails buried. A small list of real customers beats a big list of strangers, every single time.

The steps

  1. Open the email builder

    Click Marketing in the left sidebar, then the Emails tab at the top, then + New Campaign (top-right corner).

  2. Pick a simple template

    Choose a clean single-column template. Emails that look like a note from a person get more replies than emails that look like a catalog.

  3. Write the email

    Click into the text and write like you talk. One topic, one link, one ask. Sign it with your real name.

  4. Write the subject line last

    Now that you know what the email says, give it an honest, curiosity-friendly subject under about 45 characters — for example “quick question about your kitchen” beats “Our July Newsletter Vol. 3”.

  5. Choose who gets it

    In the send step, do not pick “all contacts.” Filter by a tag — like the imported-july tag from the import tutorial, or a customers tag. Deliberate lists keep complaints near zero.

  6. Send a test to yourself first

    Use the Send test button and read it on your phone. Typos, broken links, and weird spacing all show up on the small screen. Fix, then hit Send (or schedule it for a weekday morning).

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Original illustration of the email campaigns screen. Hover the numbered dots.

Success check: the test email lands in your inbox (not spam) and reads well on your phone; after sending, the campaign shows opens within a few hours.

Common questions

“What is a good open rate?” For a small, permission-based list: 30-50%. If you see under 15%, your list is stale or your subject lines need work.

“Why did my email go to spam?” Most often: no custom sending domain yet, spammy words (“FREE!!!”, all caps), or a cold list. Setting up a dedicated sending domain under Settings → Email Services is the single biggest fix.

“Email or SMS campaign — which is better?” Email is for longer stories and links; SMS is for short, timely nudges. The winning move is both, connected by a workflow.

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