Sending emails

This page walks you through everything you need to send emails to your subscribers: drafting, previewing, scheduling, and troubleshooting common delivery issues.

The "Emails" page is the command center for your newsletter. When you write, schedule, and publish newsletters, they'll appear here.

To write a newsletter, click New in the upper right corner of the Emails page:

Buttondown saves your work automatically as you write.

Before publishing to your subscribers, you can send a draft to yourself:

1. Open the Preview pane by clicking Preview in the top-right corner.
2. Click the Send draft button.
3. Enter the email address to receive your test newsletter.
4. Click Send draft.

The draft will appear in the recipient's inbox with [PREVIEW] in the subject line.

When you're ready to send, review this checklist:

• Verify that all links work
• Decide your target audience (all subscribers, or only those with certain tags)
• Decide whether to send immediately or schedule for later

To publish:

1. Click the Publish button in the top-right corner. The "Send this email" drawer appears.
2. Review the summary and verify everything looks correct.
3. Click Publish.

After sending, a pop-up appears with social sharing buttons and a URL to copy. You'll also see an Undo option if you change your mind.

You don't have to send an email immediately. To schedule it for later:

1. Open the email you wish to send.
2. Click Send at the bottom. A drawer appears.
3. Expand the Schedule section.
4. Select Send at a specified time.
5. Set your target date and time.
6. Click Send.

Sometimes Buttondown blocks an email due to a processing error or billing tier issue.

To re-send a blocked email:

1. Open the Emails page.
2. Find the email, click the ••• (three-dot icon), then click Reuse.
3. Delete the original email.
4. Open the new copy and click Send.

The Gmail "Promotions" tab filters low-value or sales-focused emails. While it's not the enemy—it helps your subscribers manage their inbox—you want your newsletter in Primary.

Best practices to improve inbox placement:

• Avoid using too many links or images. These suggest the email is low-quality or purely promotional.
• Send emails of readable length. 500 to 750 words works well.
• Remove inactive subscribers. Gmail tracks how often readers click, open, and reply. Higher engagement means better placement.

There's no guaranteed method for landing in Primary—Gmail's categorization is deliberately opaque. The best strategy is great content.

More tips on avoiding the Promotions tab

Buttondown automatically appends an unsubscribe link to all emails, but you can place one manually using the {{ unsubscribe_url }} variable:

[Click here to unsubscribe!]({{unsubscribe_url}}).

This link renders in drafts but won't function until the email is sent. See Templating for more variables.

Tags create subgroups of subscribers. Subscribers can have multiple tags, letting you tailor content to specific audiences.

Ways to apply tags:

• Manually in a subscriber's details page
• Through your subscription form
• Via the API

To manually tag a subscriber:

1. Click Subscribers.
2. Select the subscriber.
3. In the "Tags" section, choose the tags to apply.
4. Click Save changes.

Learn more in Tags.

Mail merges personalize emails using subscriber metadata. For example:

Set metadata via the API or in a subscriber's "Metadata" section, then reference it with {{ subscriber.metadata.first_name }}.

You can also use conditionals: