When you set up an Email of the Week automation, Better Email automatically sends you (and your team members) a preview email 24 hours before the scheduled send. This gives you a chance to review the actual content and skip the send if needed.
How Preview Emails Work
Timing
Preview arrives: 24 hours before scheduled send time
For Email of the Week: Emails send Tuesday afternoons, so previews arrive Monday afternoons
Includes: The actual content that will be sent (not sample content)
What You'll See
The preview email shows:
The complete email your contacts will receive
Subject line and preview text
All content, images, and formatting
Your signature as it will appear
Your Options When You Get a Preview
Option 1: Skip This Week's Email
If you want to prevent the email from sending:
Open the preview email
Click Skip button
The email will NOT send this week
The automation continues - you'll get another preview next week
When to skip:
You're on vacation
The content isn't relevant this week
You have other emails going out
Market conditions have changed significantly
Option 2: Do Nothing (Automatic Send)
If you don't click "Skip":
The email automatically sends at the scheduled time
No action required from you
This is the default behavior
Option 3: Review and Let It Send
Many agents review the preview to:
Check that content is appropriate for current market
Verify personalization looks good
Confirm timing is right
Get excited about staying in touch!
Who Gets Preview Emails?
For personal automations:
Only you receive the preview
For team automations:
Each team member gets their own preview
Each person can skip independently
If one person skips, it only affects their list
Preview vs. Test Email
Preview Email (24 hours before)
Shows the ACTUAL content going out
Sent automatically by the system
Includes Skip button
Arrives on schedule (e.g., Monday for Tuesday sends)
Test Email (during setup)
Shows sample/placeholder content
You manually request it
No Skip button
Used to check formatting and design
When You Won't Get a Preview
You will NOT receive a preview if:
You're creating a new automation (first preview comes 24 hours before first scheduled send)
The automation is paused
It's not 24 hours before send time yet
Example: If you set up Email of the Week on Friday, you won't get a preview until Monday afternoon (24 hours before Tuesday send).
Managing Your Automations
To See Upcoming Sends
Go to Automations tab
View active automations
See next scheduled send date
To Pause Completely
If you want to stop emails for an extended period:
Click on the automation
Click Pause
No emails will send (no previews either)
Click Activate when you're ready to resume
To Edit Content
You cannot edit the content of this week's Email of the Week, but you can:
Skip this week
Set up a custom broadcast instead
Update personalization in Settings for future weeks
Best Practices
✅ Set a reminder to check your preview emails ✅ Review preview on Monday for Tuesday sends ✅ Skip if you're traveling or unavailable ✅ Let it send automatically when content looks good
❌ Don't ignore previews - they're your quality control ❌ Don't skip every week - consistency is key to staying top-of-mind ❌ Don't forget - missed previews mean missed opportunities to adjust
Troubleshooting
"I didn't get a preview email"
Check:
Is your automation active (not paused)?
Is it 24 hours before send time?
Check your spam folder
Verify your email address in Settings
"I missed the preview and want to stop the email"
If it's less than 24 hours before send:
Go to your automation
Click Pause immediately
Contact [email protected] if you need help
"Can I get the preview earlier?"
The 24-hour timing is fixed to ensure content relevance and give you adequate review time without being too far in advance.
Remember: The preview system is designed to give you control while maintaining the "set it and forget it" convenience of automated emails. Most weeks, you'll simply review and let it send!