> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sendkit.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Campaigns

> Send marketing emails to your audience with targeted campaigns.

## What are campaigns?

Campaigns let you send the same email to a group of contacts — your entire list, a specific list, or a dynamic segment. They're built for marketing and promotional emails like newsletters, product updates, and announcements.

## Campaign lifecycle

Every campaign goes through a clear set of statuses:

| Status           | Description                                                        |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **Draft**        | Being configured. You can edit, preview, and test                  |
| **Scheduled**    | Set to send at a specific date and time                            |
| **Sending**      | Currently processing and delivering emails                         |
| **Sent**         | All emails have been delivered                                     |
| **Partial sent** | Some emails were sent before a limit was reached (warmup or quota) |

## Creating a campaign

<Steps>
  <Step title="Name your campaign">
    Give it an internal name to identify it in the dashboard (recipients don't see this).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose a template">
    Select an email template for the campaign body. The template's subject and sender are auto-filled but can be overridden.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select your audience">
    Choose who receives the campaign:

    * **All contacts** — Every subscribed contact in your team
    * **Contact list** — A specific list you've created
    * **Segment** — A dynamic group based on filter conditions
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send or schedule">
    Send immediately or pick a date and time for scheduled delivery.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Audience targeting

You have three options for choosing recipients:

| Audience type    | How it works                                                                                   |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **All contacts** | Sends to every contact in your team                                                            |
| **Contact list** | Sends to contacts in a specific [list](/knowledge-base/lists-and-segments)                     |
| **Segment**      | Sends to contacts matching a [segment's](/knowledge-base/lists-and-segments) filter conditions |

In all cases, SendKit automatically excludes:

* **Unsubscribed contacts** — Contacts who opted out of marketing emails
* **Suppressed addresses** — Addresses on your [suppression list](/knowledge-base/suppression-list) (bounces, complaints)

## Personalization

Campaigns support dynamic variables that are replaced with each contact's data when the email is sent:

| Variable         | Replaced with                |
| ---------------- | ---------------------------- |
| `{{FIRST_NAME}}` | Contact's first name         |
| `{{LAST_NAME}}`  | Contact's last name          |
| `{{FULL_NAME}}`  | First and last name combined |
| `{{EMAIL}}`      | Contact's email address      |
| `{{USER_ID}}`    | Contact's user ID            |

Custom [properties](/knowledge-base/properties) are also available as variables. If a variable isn't set for a contact, the property's fallback value is used.

Variables work in the **subject line**, **preview text**, and **template body**.

## Scheduling

Set a `scheduled_at` date and time to send the campaign later. The campaign status changes to **Scheduled** and SendKit automatically sends it at the specified time.

You can cancel a scheduled campaign at any time before it starts sending — it reverts back to **Draft** status.

## Sending limits

Campaigns respect your account's sending limits:

* **[Domain warmup](/knowledge-base/domain-warmup)** — If your domain is still warming up, the campaign pauses when the daily limit is reached. The status becomes **Partial sent**.
* **Daily limit (Free plan)** — Free plan accounts are limited to 100 emails per day. The campaign pauses when this limit is reached.
* **Monthly quota** — Your plan's monthly email limit is enforced. The campaign stops if the quota is exceeded.

<Note>
  If a campaign is partially sent due to limits, the remaining contacts won't receive the email automatically. You may need to create a new campaign for the remaining audience after limits reset.
</Note>

## Campaign analytics

After sending, the campaign detail page shows real-time stats:

| Metric         | What it tracks                            |
| -------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Recipients** | Total emails created for the campaign     |
| **Sent**       | Emails successfully accepted for delivery |
| **Delivered**  | Emails confirmed delivered to inbox       |
| **Opened**     | Recipients who opened the email           |
| **Clicked**    | Recipients who clicked a link             |
| **Failed**     | Emails that permanently failed            |

You can also browse individual email deliveries with their status and event history.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I edit a campaign after sending?">
    No. Only campaigns in **Draft** status can be edited. Once a campaign is scheduled or sent, its configuration is locked.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I delete a sent campaign?">
    No. Only **Draft** campaigns can be deleted. Sent campaigns are preserved for analytics and history.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if a contact unsubscribes mid-campaign?">
    Contacts are checked at processing time. If they unsubscribe before their email is processed, they won't receive it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I send the same campaign twice?">
    No. Each campaign is sent once. To resend to the same audience, create a new campaign with the same template.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How fast are campaigns sent?">
    Campaigns are processed in chunks of 500 contacts. Each email is dispatched individually with rate limiting to protect your sender reputation.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>