# The campaign launch checklist

> What the Ready to launch checklist blocks on, what it only warns about, and how to clear each item before you start a campaign in EmailPal.

Source: https://emailpal.io/help/campaign-launch-checklist

## Where you see it

The checklist sits beside the editor under **Ready to launch?** and opens again in the launch dialog when you choose **Launch**. It runs again when you **Resume** a paused campaign.

Each row is a blocker, a warning, or a pass. Blockers stop the campaign from starting. Warnings do not. Most rows have a button that jumps to the place where you fix it.

## Blockers

| Check | How to clear it |
| --- | --- |
| No first email, or a step with an empty email | Write the first email, or write or delete the empty step. |
| First email has no subject | Add a subject line. |
| A `{{` is not closed | Close the variable. An unclosed one would send as literal text. |
| Unknown variable | Use a variable from the picker. [Steps and variants](/help/campaign-steps-and-variants). |
| No unsubscribe link in the first email | Use the editor's unsubscribe button, which inserts `{{unsubscribeLink}}`. |
| No business mailing address | Set it in the Engage workspace settings under "Business mailing address". |
| No leads | Add leads on the **Leads** tab. |
| No mailbox selected, or none able to send | Pick a mailbox under Settings that is not on hold or unavailable. A mailbox that is still warming counts as able to send. |
| Invalid schedule, or the stop date has passed | Fix the schedule or move the stop date. [Schedules and time zones](/help/campaign-schedules-and-time-zones). |
| Leads verified as invalid | Remove them. Invalid addresses never send. |
| Link shorteners or bare-IP links | Replace them with your real domain. |
| Prohibited content | Rewrite the email. |
| DNS failing on every usable mailbox | Fix SPF, DKIM or DMARC. [SPF, DKIM, DMARC and MX](/help/spf-dkim-dmarc-and-mx). |
| Account limit reached, account restricted, platform paused, or outreach not switched on | These come from your account, not the campaign. Contact support if you do not know why. |

## Warnings

- **Variables with no fallback.** `{{firstName}}` would send as blank for a lead with no first name. Write `{{firstName | there}}` instead.
- **Spam wording** in the copy.
- **Subject starts with "Re:" or "Fwd:".** It reads as a fake reply.
- **More than 3 different links.**
- **DNS partly failing, or not checked yet** on the selected mailboxes.
- **Unverified leads.** Leads that have not been verified still send, but verifying the list first is the best way to keep bounces down. [Importing leads and verification](/help/importing-leads-and-verification).
- **Risky addresses skipped.** Risky and catch-all leads are skipped unless the campaign allows risky addresses.
- **Some selected mailboxes are still warming.** They still send. The warning is that sending cold now may hurt deliverability, so you may want to keep volume low on them until placement looks good. [When is a mailbox ready to send?](/help/when-is-a-mailbox-ready-to-send)
- **Some selected mailboxes are on hold.** They are skipped, and the others carry the sending.

## What happens at send time

Every email carries your mailing address in the footer. If the body has no `{{unsubscribeLink}}`, an "Unsubscribe" link is added. With **One-click unsubscribe header** on (the default), `List-Unsubscribe` and `List-Unsubscribe-Post` headers are added too. [Google and Yahoo sender requirements](/help/google-yahoo-sender-requirements).

## FAQs

### Why can't I launch even though the editor looks fine?

Open the checklist and read the first red row. Blockers often come from outside the editor: leads, mailboxes, the mailing address or the schedule.

### Do warnings stop my campaign?

No. They are the cheapest fixes to make before you send, but you can launch with them.

### Why does Resume fail on a campaign that was fine yesterday?

Resume runs the same checks as Launch. A mailbox that went on hold, a stop date that passed, or a DNS record that broke will show up as a blocker.

## Need More Help?

[Create a campaign](/help/create-a-campaign), [Auto-pause on bounces](/help/campaign-auto-pause-and-circuit-breakers), [List verification by EmailPal](/help/list-verification-by-emailpal).