In August 2021 the Quanda email editor and email campaigns gained thirteen updates: a preheader hidden on desktop too, custom ALT text styling, WhatsApp, Xing and Quick call icons, templates split into your own and public ones, extended DNS records, new unsubscribe and double opt-in pages and the reason for SPAM reports in the statistics. For each update you will learn what it does, where to find it in the app and what it is good for.
Key takeaways
- Hide the preheader on mobile and desktop, while it stays visible in the inbox.
- Image ALT text gets its own font, size, colour, style, line spacing and alignment.
- Social media icons now include WhatsApp, Xing and Quick call, with clicks in the statistics.
- Templates are split into yours and public ones, and yours are always at the top.
- DNS records have two parts: sender verification (3 CNAME) and link settings (3 more CNAME).
- SPAM statistics show the reason: the recipient reported it or a server rejected it.
In brief: what is new, since when, who it concerns and where to find it
- What is new: hiding the preheader on desktop, ALT text styling, smarter text block icons, new social media icons, more accurate template previews and split templates, extended DNS records, the sender shown after sending, new unsubscribe and double opt-in pages, an automation check, the processing purpose in the detailed filter, the campaign name in the email editor and the reason for SPAM reports.
- Since when: since August 2021.
- Who it concerns: everyone who creates and sends email campaigns in Quanda, and account administrators who set up sending domains.
- Where to find it: in the right-hand panel of the email editor, on the template selection page, in … / Settings / Domain & DNS verification and in the campaign steps Recipients, Automation, Sending and Statistics.
It is much better when people unsubscribe than when they mark your email as spam.
Jan SpáčilCEO QuandaWhat has changed since this article was published: Today the unsubscribe page offers recipients a choice of content categories, a 3-month pause and a full unsubscribe. The link settings in emails are now called link branding. It is included in the Professional and Enterprise plans, can be purchased in the Standard plan and is set up on your own subdomain with an SSL certificate, as described in How to set up link branding. Link analysis is included in the Professional and Enterprise plans and can be purchased in the Standard plan. Saved templates are in the Your templates section, with public templates from Quanda below them. The current procedure for DNS records is in the guide How to set up DNS records for sending.
1. Hide the preheader not only on mobile but also on desktop
The email preheader is the first text in an email, which email programs show in the inbox list next to or below the subject line. You can now hide it in the opened email on both mobile and desktop: click the preheader in the email editor and, in the email settings of the right-hand panel, switch on hiding on mobile and hiding on desktop. Recipients then see the preheader only in the inbox list and nothing distracts them in the opened email.
Every email program shows the preheader differently. On a desktop, Outlook 365 shows it on the second line below the sender, while on a phone the preheader is usually the third line below the sender and the subject. Some programs do not show the preheader at all.
| Preheader setting | In the inbox list | In the opened email on mobile | In the opened email on desktop |
|---|---|---|---|
| Not hidden | Visible | Visible | Visible |
| Hidden on mobile | Visible | Hidden | Visible |
| Hidden on mobile and desktop | Visible | Hidden | Hidden |
Tip: The same rules apply to the preheader as to the subject line: it should add to the subject, not repeat it. The article Email preheader: 9 tips for writing preview text shows how.
2. Custom styling for image ALT text
ALT text is the image name that an email program shows instead of the image when it does not load it. You can now style it in the email editor: click the image, fill in the image name in the right-hand panel and switch on the appearance setting. You then choose the font, size, colour, style, line spacing and alignment, so even an email without images can show a readable headline.
Tip: The article Can't see images in an email? Styled alt text shows a headline. shows what styled ALT text looks like in individual email programs and how many recipients will see it.
3. Text block icons move with the text
The icons for deleting, copying and moving a text block now move down together with the text you are typing. They do not get in the way when you write longer texts, and they are always at hand at the end of the block.
4. WhatsApp, Xing and Quick call icons
The social media icons content block now includes WhatsApp, Xing and Quick call icons. You will find them in all versions: colour, black and white, round and square. Quanda validates the link, email address or phone number entered for every icon and shows clicks on the new icons in the email statistics.
Tip: Quick call is useful in emails where you want the recipient to get in touch straight away, for example a service reminder or a meeting invitation. On a phone, one tap starts the call.
5. More accurate previews of saved templates
A template preview image is a scaled-down picture of the email that helps you recognise the template on the template selection page. Quanda now generates it accurately even for the most complex templates, so you quickly find the right one in the list of saved templates.
6. Templates split into yours and public ones
The template selection page now has two parts. Your templates are always at the top, with the public templates that Quanda prepares for you below them. If you do not have a template of your own yet, the section with your templates is hidden and appears when you save your first template. Several new public templates were added at the same time.
Tip: The article Email template: how to create, save and reuse it explains how to save an email as a template, fix it and use it again.
7. Extended DNS records for sending
DNS records for sending are CNAME records you add with your domain provider so that mail servers know Quanda may send emails on your behalf. The setup on the … / Settings / Domain & DNS verification page now has two parts: Sender verification and Setting up links in e-mails. Emails with both parts end up less often in bulk and junk folders, and mail servers block them less often.
| Part | What it sets up | Number of CNAME records |
|---|---|---|
| Sender verification | Sending domain verification, SPF and DKIM (records s1 and s2) | 3 |
| Setting up links in e-mails (link branding) | Your domain instead of onquanda.com in all email links | 3 |
Why add the records:
- your emails are more trustworthy and are delivered better,
- they reach the main inbox folder more often,
- mail servers block far fewer of them,
- with DMARC you can move to a stricter security level, from none to quarantine,
- recipients see your domain in the links and therefore trust them more.
How to set up the records:
- Log in to Quanda and open … / Settings / Domain & DNS verification.
- In a new tab, log in to the service where your domain is registered and where you manage its DNS records.
- Add the CNAME records that Quanda shows for the sending domain: 3 for sender verification, 6 with link branding.
- In Quanda, click Check DNS record settings. Verification can take several hours.
- When everything is fine, green ticks appear next to the domain. An orange exclamation mark means a record is still missing.
- Repeat this for every sending domain.
Tip: The guide How to set up DNS records for sending describes the procedure in detail, including how to enter the name and alias with different domain providers. The guide DKIM, SPF, DMARC, link branding and sending domain verification explains what SPF, DKIM and DMARC mean.
8. The selected sender stays visible after the campaign is sent
The campaign sender is the user on whose behalf the emails go out, and you set it on the Sending page in the sender settings. If you choose the manual option, the selected sender stays displayed on the Sending page even after the campaign is sent. You can then check later who sent the campaign.
| Order | Who sends with automatic settings | When |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Contact owner | The contact has an owner. |
| 2 | Company owner | The contact has no owner, but its company does. |
| 3 | Campaign manager | Neither the contact nor its company has an owner. |
Tip: The automatic sender is useful when different salespeople look after your customers. The guide Contact owner shows how to assign owners to contacts, and the guide Setting up mailing in a simple campaign describes both sender options.
9. A new look for the unsubscribe and double opt-in pages, with your logo
The unsubscribe page is the page recipients reach from the unsubscribe link in the email footer. It now shows your logo, has a clearer layout and prominent buttons for confirming the unsubscribe. If you do not see your logo on the page, add it on the … / Settings / Contact details page.
The page confirming the unsubscribe now shows more clearly that it was successful, and the button that used to lead back to your website is gone. Unsubscribing should be as simple as possible, because it is much better when people unsubscribe than when they mark your email as spam.
The page subscribers see after clicking the verification link in a double opt-in email also has a new look and your logo. Double opt-in is email address verification: after submitting a form, the subscriber receives an email with a link and is added to your contacts only after clicking it.
Tip: An unsubscribed contact has the sending status We cannot send (unsubscribed) and does not count towards the contact limit of your plan. Keep it in Quanda, though, so that it cannot be imported again by mistake, see the guide Unsubscribed contacts. The article Double opt-in. What it is and how does it work? explains how double opt-in works and how to switch it on.
10. A check of conditions in campaign automation
Campaign automation is a set of conditions that trigger a further action after an email is sent, for example adding a tag or sending another email after a click on a specific link. Quanda now checks whether the link used in an automation condition is still in the email. If you change or delete it, Quanda warns you that the automation condition needs updating.
Tip: After every change to the links in an email, open the Automation page and check that no condition has an exclamation mark. Examples of automations based on link clicks are in the guide Automation in a simple campaign.
11. The processing purpose of personal data in the detailed recipient filter
The purpose of processing personal data is information stored with a contact that tells you what you may use their data for. We moved the field for selecting recipients by processing purpose from the campaign Settings page to the detailed filter on the Recipients page. Selecting by purpose is now in one place together with tags, the contact owner and other details.
Tip: You open the detailed filter on the Recipients page with the orange Show detailed filter button. The guide Filtering of contacts and selection of recipients in a simple campaign describes how to combine filters with tags.
12. The campaign name in the email editor, even after sending
In email series, A/B testing campaigns and logical campaigns, the Email editor page now shows the campaign name in the top bar, even after the campaign is sent. This is especially handy when you click through to the campaign from Link analysis: the name helps you find it quickly in the list of emails.
13. The reason for SPAM reports in the statistics
In the statistics of a sent campaign, the Marked as SPAM figure leads to a list of recipients who marked your email as SPAM. Each of them now has a reason next to them. It quickly tells you whether the recipient marked the email or a mail server rejected it during delivery and the email was not delivered.
Tip: If you see server rejections for several recipients, check the DNS records of your sending domain and run the email through the SPAM test on the Sending page. The guide Statistics of a simple e-mail campaign explains what each figure means.
What to try in Quanda right now
A few minutes of work that will pay off in every campaign:
- Write a preheader for your next campaign that adds to the subject line, and hide it in the opened email.
- Fill in the image name of your main image and give it a headline style.
- Add a Quick call or WhatsApp icon to your footer.
- Save your most used email as a template in the Your templates section.
- Open … / Settings / Domain & DNS verification and check that all domains have green ticks.
- After changing links, check that no automation condition has an exclamation mark.
- Go through the reasons behind Marked as SPAM in the statistics of your latest campaign.
Email editor in 2021: summary
If you have any questions about these updates or need help with your DNS records, write to us at support@onquanda.com or call us on +420 605 163 892. Support is included in all plans. If you would like help with your emails from the start, book a free consultation. You will find newer email editor updates in the articles Email editor: mobile images, block colours and up to five columns and Email editor: autosave, email background and SPAM test. Everything about DNS records and delivery is covered in the free online course Email Deliverability from A to Z.
All the best!
Honza from Quanda
