Category: Miscellaneous

The effectiveness of an emailing campaign is measured not just by the number of messages sent, but by the quality of the interactions generated. A poorly managed database can turn your best marketing tool into a legal and commercial nightmare. Between strict regulations, risks of sanctions and loss of customer confidence, managing your emailing database requires a methodical and respectful approach. 🎯

Understanding the risks: what is spam and why avoid it?

To manage your emailing base properly, you first need to understand what not to do. Spam, in the context of email marketing, refers to unsolicited messages, often of a commercial nature, sent en masse to a multitude of recipients. These messages are generally perceived as intrusive and unwanted by users.

The impact of spam on companies and users is far from negligible. For companies, sending spam can seriously damage their reputation. Recipients of these unwanted messages often develop a negative perception of the sending company, which can lead to a loss of trust and, consequently, a loss of customers. 📉

What’s more, spam can result in legitimate company messages being placed in recipients’ spam folders, reducing the reach and effectiveness of email marketing campaigns.

The consequences of spam for your business

• Damage to brand reputation
• Lower deliverability rate
• Legal penalties and fines
• Loss of customer confidence
• Blocking by ISPs

Understanding the nature of spam and its impact is essential for marketing professionals. This underlines the importance of adopting responsible emailing practices, in line with regulations such as the RGPD.

Legal fundamentals: managing permissions under the RGPD

Now that we’ve identified the risks of spam, let’s look at the solutions. Permission management is the cornerstone of a successful, compliant emailing strategy.

Respect confidentiality and regulations 🔐

Respecting privacy and regulations isn’t an option, it’s a necessity! 🌍 Understanding and correctly applying legislation, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, is essential to building trust and maintaining the legitimacy of your brand.

1. Legal knowledge

It’s crucial to familiarize yourself with the relevant laws in the regions where your subscribers reside. The RGPD, for example, imposes strict rules on the consent, collection, storage and processing of EU citizens’ personal data. 📚

2. Clear and explicit consent

Make sure your subscribers have explicitly agreed to receive your emails. This means:

• No pre-checked boxes or implied consent
• Transparent, explicit consent through positive action
• Clear information on data use

3. Right to be forgotten

Users need to be able to easily unsubscribe and request the deletion of their data. Making this process simple and accessible builds trust. 🚫

4. Data protection

Invest in data security to protect your subscribers’ personal information from breaches. Measures such as encryption and regular audits are fundamental. 🔒

5. Training and updates

Keep abreast of legislative changes and train your team regularly on these aspects. Compliance is an ongoing process, not a fixed destination. 📈

The CNIL’s position on commercial prospecting by email

The French Data Protection Authority (Commission Nationale de l’Informatique et des Libertés – CNIL) has established clear rules for commercial prospecting by e-mail, distinguishing between BtoB and BtoC practices.

BtoC prospecting: mandatory consent

The CNIL draws a clear distinction between canvassing aimed at private individuals and canvassing aimed at professionals. For private individuals, the rules are strict.

Advertising by e-mail is possible, provided that people have given their explicit consent before being canvassed.

For private individuals, the CNIL requires :

• Explicit prior consent
• Clear information at the time of collection
• A positive action by the person (checkbox not pre-ticked)

Exceptions to prior consent

The CNIL makes two important exceptions:

1. Existing customer: If the prospect is already a customer of the company and if the prospecting concerns similar products or services provided by the same company.
2. Non-commercial canvassing: If the canvassing is not of a commercial nature (e.g. charitable).

BtoB prospecting: legitimate interest

While the rules are strict for private individuals, the CNIL takes a more flexible approach to commercial prospecting between professionals.

Prospecting towards professionals may be based on the organization’s legitimate interests.

For professionals, the rules are more flexible:

• Mandatory prior information
• Simple, free right of objection
• Object related to the recipient’s profession

Generic business addresses

Generic business addresses such as info@nomsociete.fr, contact@nomsociete.fr or commande@nomsociete.fr are corporate addresses. They are not subject to the above principles.

Obligations common to all prospecting

Whatever the nature of your prospecting (BtoB or BtoC), certain obligations apply to all commercial emails.

Whether BtoB or BtoC, every electronic message must :

• Identify the advertiser
• Provide an easy way to unsubscribe (unsubscribe link)
• Respect the choice to unsubscribe immediately

The RGPD, an asset for your emailing strategy

Far from being a constraint, RGPD compliance can become a real competitive advantage for your company.

The RGPD is fully in force and compliance is not simply a legal obligation, but a key element in building a relationship of trust with your contacts. By adhering to the standards set by the CNIL, companies demonstrate their commitment to data protection and privacy.

This approach is essential for :

• Maintaining your company’s reputation
• Ensuring the sustainability of your marketing strategies
• Create a lasting relationship of trust with your customers
• Optimize the performance of your campaigns

Remember: ethical, respectful marketing is always winning marketing! A well-managed, RGPD-compliant and user-friendly emailing base will always perform better than one put together in a rough way. 🚀🌟

The key to success lies in balancing commercial efficiency with regulatory compliance. By following these recommendations, you can build a sustainable, high-performance emailing strategy that protects both your company and your recipients.

Boost your sales with the Ediware platform

Summer sales are a key period for boosting sales, clearing stock and rekindling customer interest. But to maximize your results, careful preparation is essential. Ediware offers you all the tools you need to make your email campaigns a success and capture your prospects’ full attention.

Pre-sales: Anticipate the craze with an early promotion

Pre-sales are an effective strategy for attracting customers before the official launch of the sale. By sending exclusive promotions before the official start of the sales, you can create a sense of urgency while increasing prospect engagement. Here’s a suggested calendar for your sales promotion email campaigns:

Clean up your database for better deliverability

Before sending out your emails, make sure your contacts are up to date. Ediware offers you the CleanMyList module, a powerful tool for :

• Eliminate invalid addresses (NPAI)
• Delete unsubscribers and inactive contacts
• Optimize your sender reputation to improve deliverability

Effective cleaning ensures that your e-mails arrive directly in your inbox, not as spam.

Create high-performance emails with our intuitive editor

With Ediware’sdrag-and-drop editor, you can create professional, responsive emails suitable for all devices.

• Clearly display discounts and promotions
• Highlight the sale end date (urgency creates desire)
• Make sure your CTAs (Call To Action) are visible right at the start of the message.

Automate your campaigns for greater efficiency

Why limit yourself to a single mailing? With Ediware, you can automate your entire communication sequence:

• Announce the launch of sales or pre-sales.
• Follow up contacts who clicked but didn’t buy with an additional promo code. The API allows you to synchronize your customers on the platform.
• Send a last-chance reminder at the end of the sale

This allows you to maximize the impact of sales without having to send each message manually.

Analyze your performance to adjust in real time

Follow the results of your campaigns in real time with detailed statistics available on your dashboard:

• Open rate and click rate
• Recipient behavior (clicks, conversions, etc.)
• Analyze the breakdown by segment to adjust your messages according to observed performance

Adjust your campaigns on the basis of this data to continually improve your results.

Post-campaign follow-up: Capitalize on results

Once the sales are over, it’s crucial to track the impact to maximize long-term profits. Here are a few things you can do once your campaigns are over:

• Track customer returns: Make sure you manage returns smoothly and send personalized messages to thank your customers and offer them exclusive deals.
• Loyalty: Leverage data from customers acquired during sales to create loyalty campaigns tailored to their preferences and buying habits.
• Overall performance analysis: Compare your campaigns with previous sales to identify areas for improvement and the actions that generated the best results.

SMS Marketing: Follow up your customers efficiently

As a complement to email, SMS marketing can be an extremely powerful tool for increasing in-store traffic and boosting conversions. With a read rate of over 90% in just a few minutes, SMS allows you to :

• Reminders of last-minute offers or urgent promotions.
• Send geolocation notifications to attract customers to your physical stores.
• Follow up with interested customers who have not yet made a purchase.

Ediware lets you send personalized, perfectly targeted SMS messages, in sync with your email campaigns, to guarantee maximum impact.

In a business environment where every small business and agency receives an average of 50 emails a day, the way you write the body of your message can make all the difference between a successful conversion and a deleted email. Whether you run a digital communications agency, a BtoB service provider or outsource accounting or human resources, mastering the art of email copywriting has become indispensable.

The problem? Most professionals neglect the body of the message, concentrating solely on the subject line. The result: conversion rates that stagnate at around 2.3%, when they could easily reach 5 to 8% with the right techniques.

In this guide, we reveal three tried-and-tested strategies for turning your emails into real conversion tools: get straight to the point, optimize readability and intelligently enrich your content.

I. Direct-to-the-point strategy: the art of concision

Why conciseness is important in email marketing

Your prospects’ attention is measured in seconds, not minutes. In the digital agency sector, the average professional spends 12 seconds reading an email before deciding whether to continue or abandon it. For BtoB services, this drops to just 8 seconds. Accounting subcontractors have a little more time at 15 seconds, while HR professionals generally allow 10 seconds.

This behavioral reality imposes a golden rule: your main message must be understandable and convincing in less than 10 seconds of reading. This doesn’t mean writing telegraphic e-mails, but structuring the information in such a way that the essential is immediately perceptible.

The challenge lies in striking the right balance between conciseness and persuasiveness. A message that’s too short can appear rushed and lack credibility, while an email that’s too long will lose the reader’s attention before reaching its conversion objective.

Techniques for getting straight to the point

The AIDA structure adapted to email marketing :

• Warning: punchy first paragraph (1 sentence maximum)
• Benefits: Concrete benefits in 2-3 lines
• Desire: Social or statistical evidence (1 item)
• Action: Clear and unique call-to-action

A concrete example for a communications agency:

“Your competitor has just won 3 new customers thanks to its digital strategy.

Our agency customers increase their sales by an average of 40% with our automated prospecting method.

Créativ+ agency generated 12 qualified leads in 30 days.

→ Discover their strategy in 15 minutes [Book a free call]“

List of essential items to include :

• A customized sector tagline
• A quantified benefit
• Concrete social proof
• A single visible call-to-action

Critical mistakes to avoid

II. Optimizing readability: facilitating the user experience

Basic principles of readability in email marketing

Readability determines whether your message will be read to the end. Here are the standards to follow:

Essential formatting rules :

• Paragraphs: 2-3 lines maximum
• Sentences: 15 words maximum for 80% of content
• Spacing: 1 blank line between each idea
• Hierarchy: Headings, subheadings, bullets

Performance comparison by format :

Advanced formatting techniques

The structure of your email determines its performance. A winning format starts with a catchy headline that immediately appeals to the reader, followed by a teaser paragraph limited to a maximum of two lines. This approach captures attention without losing the reader in premature detail.

The core of the message should present the main benefit accompanied by a maximum of three key points. This limitation is not arbitrary: beyond three elements, the human brain struggles to prioritize information, and the persuasive impact diminishes. Each point should be formulated as a concrete benefit, not as a technical feature.

The transition to action is made by a one-line connecting paragraph that psychologically prepares the reader for engagement. Social proof, whether in the form of a customer quote or a statistic, reinforces credibility just before the call to action. Finally, a postscript can add further information or create a sense of urgency.

Mobile-first optimization

With over 68% of business emails read on mobile, mobile optimization is no longer optional:

Mobile technical specifications :

III. Enriching content: Creating added value

Content strategies for email marketing

Content enrichment turns a simple email into a valuable resource that your prospects retain and share. This approach differs according to your business sector. Digital agencies perform best with content focused on trends and innovations, presented in the form of infographics accompanied by exclusive data. A headline like “5 statistics that will transform SEO in 2025” naturally generates more engagement than a conventional presentation of services.

For BtoB service companies, the focus must be on return on investment and operational efficiency. Numerical case studies create a strong emotional impact, as they project the prospect into a tangible success story. The example of “Customer X increasing sales by 150% in 6 months” speaks directly to the concerns of the VSE manager.

Accounting outsourcers find their strength in compliance and security content. A practical guide such as “Checklist fiscale 2025” answers a recurring anxiety and positions the sender as a trusted expert. HR subcontractors, meanwhile, excel with regulatory templates and advice, such as a “Compliant annual interview template” which provides immediate value.

High-performance enrichment formats

Enriched content efficiency hierarchy :

1. Authentic customer testimonials (engagement rate +340%)
2. Exclusive sector data (engagement rate +280%)
3. Templates and practical tools (+195% engagement rate)
4. Detailed case studies (engagement rate +165%)
5. Synthetic infographics (engagement rate +120%)

Example of enrichment for HR subcontractors :

“New: Salary Barometer 2025 [Tech Sector]”

Here are the 3 exclusive insights from our study of 2,847 companies:

– Senior Developer: +12% vs 2024 (average €58k) – Digital Project Manager: +8% vs 2024 (average €48k)
– Data Analyst: +15% vs 2024 (average €45k)

→ [Download the full study (free PDF)]

Bonus: Excel salary grid template included

Automation and enriched sequences

Nurturing scenario by sector :

For communication agencies (sequence 5 emails) :

• Email 1: Free diagnostic + audit tool
• Email 2: Similar customer case + quantified ROI
• Email 3: Sector trend + analysis
• Email 4: Strategic template + guide
• Email 5: Personalized offer + urgency

Powerful behavioral triggers :

IV. Putting the sector into practice

Email marketing for communications agencies

Positioning expertise – Template type :

Subject: Agency [City]: +180% leads in 60 days

Hello [First name],

Créativ+ (Nantes) was at 80% capacity. Problem: how to grow without hiring?

Our 3-step solution: – Automate prospecting (gain: 15h/week) – Optimize conversion tunnel (+180% prospects) – Scaling virtual team (cost: -40%)

Result: 12 new customers in 60 days

→ [See their full strategy – 15 min]

Agency-specific checklist :

• [ ] Mention a competitor or similar case
• [ ] Calculate time savings or sales
• [ ] Offer free audit or diagnosis
• [ ] Use business vocabulary (ROI, conversion, scaling)

Emailing strategies for BtoB service providers

Personalized relationship approach :

BtoB VSEs rely on proximity and trust. Here’s the optimal structure:

Framework “Partenaire de Confiance” :

[Contexte personnel/local]
   ↓
[Problème spécifique métier]
   ↓
[Solution éprouvée + preuve]
   ↓
[Next step simple et humain]

Case study – VSE management consultancy :

Hello Mr. Martin,

Congratulations on the extension of your showroom on avenue Foch!

This growth often raises a question: how to optimize cash flow without making management more complex?

3levers we activate for our retail customers: – Negotiating supplier lead times (+30 days on average) – Optimizing the invoicing cycle (-15 days) – Setting up automated weekly reporting

→ Similar customer result: +€47k of available cash

Interested in a free 30-minute audit? Simply reply “YES” to this email.

Emailing for specialized subcontractors

Accounting: Trust and expertise

The accounting industry demands a reassuring and professional approach:

Points of differentiation to integrate :

• Certifications and approvals
• Precise sector expertise
• Responsiveness and availability
• Expertise in digital tools

Accounting subcontractor template :

Subject: Cabinet [Ville]: Automated VAT return

Hello,

New service for accounting firms: outsourced VAT returns with 48-hour guarantee

Your gain : – 12 hours/month free time per employee – Zero reporting delays (contractual commitment) – Rate: 40% less expensive than full-time work

Our references: ✓ 15 years as a chartered accountant ✓ Approval no. 2024-XX-XXX
✓ 47 partner firms

→ [Free test on 3 folders]

HR: Humanization and compliance

Specific HR structure :

• Human issues in focus
• Reassuring regulatory aspect
• Concrete operating profit
• Partnership approach

Example of an HR subcontractor:

New disability regulations: are you up to date?

Since January 2025, AGEFIPH sanctions have been tightened. Risk: up to €8,000 fine per undeclared employee.

Our compliance service: – Full DOETH audit (2 hours maximum) – Automated declaration of compliance – Ongoing regulatory monitoring

Rate: €89/month for companies with fewer than 50 employees

→ [Free audit – Online appointment]

V. Measuring and optimizing campaigns

Essential email marketing KPIs

Performance dashboard by sector :

Advanced audience metrics

Key behavioral indicators :

• Average playback time: 45-60 seconds (optimal)
• Transfer rate: 8-12% (virality)
• Direct response rate: 2-4% (commitment)
• Deliverability score: >95% (inbox)

Priority A/B tests :

Analysis and optimization tools

Your choice of emailing platform largely determines the success of your email marketing campaigns. An effective solution needs to combine ease of use with advanced functionality, particularly for small businesses and agencies that don’t always have dedicated technical resources.

Essential criteria include an intuitive interface that lets you quickly create professional campaigns, responsive templates that automatically adapt to different screens, and an automation system capable of handling complex sequences without manual intervention. Real-time analytics remain indispensable for rapidly adjusting ongoing campaigns.

Ediware meets these requirements perfectly with an approach specially designed for the French market. The platform integrates all the necessary tools in a unified interface: drag-and-drop editor, advanced segmentation, automated A/B testing and detailed reporting. French-language customer support and a premium deliverability guarantee complete an ecosystem designed to maximize results for small businesses and agencies.

Monthly optimization checklist :

👉 Clean email base (bounces, inactives)
👉 Analyze email heat maps
👉 Test 2 CTA variants
👉 Segment by behavior
👉 Adjust sending frequency
👉 Check sender score

To conclude

Message body copywriting in e-mail marketing is no longer an art, but a precise science. The three strategies we’ve detailed – strategic conciseness, optimized readability and intelligent enrichment – can transform your results in a matter of weeks.

Summary of potential gains :

• Open rate: +45% with appropriate conciseness
• Click-through rate: +67% with optimal readability
• Conversion rate: +89% with enriched content

Sector-specific adaptation remains the key to success. A digital agency doesn’t communicate like an accounting subcontractor, and your emails must reflect this specificity.

What’s your next step? Choose one of the templates presented, adapt it to your business and test it on your next campaign. You’ll be amazed at the results.

Additional resources

Pre-shipment checklist: 10 checkpoints

✅ Subject: 6-8 words, clear benefit
✅ Sender: Name + recognizable company
✅ Hook: 1 sentence, immediate benefit
✅ Structure: Short paragraphs, bullets, spacing
✅ AHU: only 1, visible, operable
✅ Mobile: Test smartphone display
✅ Personalization: First name + context if possible
✅ Social proof: Testimonial, figure, reference
✅ P.S.: Additional information or emergency
✅ Signature: Direct contact, useful links

Ready-to-use templates

Template Agence Communication :

Objet : [Ville] Agence : +[%] prospects en [délai]

Bonjour [Prénom],

[Accroche concurrent/marché local]

Notre méthode [nom] génère :
• [Bénéfice 1] (+[chiffre]%)
• [Bénéfice 2] (gain : [temps/argent])  
• [Bénéfice 3] (coût : -[%])

Résultat client : [métrique concrète]

→ [CTA découverte stratégie]

P.S. [Bonus ou urgence]

Template TPE Services BtoB :

Objet : [Entreprise] : [problème] résolu ?

Bonjour M./Mme [Nom],

[Contexte personnalisé/local observé]

[Question/problème métier spécifique]

3 solutions que nous appliquons :
• [Solution 1] ([gain])
• [Solution 2] ([gain])
• [Solution 3] ([gain])

Client similaire : [résultat chiffré]

Intéressé par [offre discovery] ?
→ Répondez "OUI" à cet email

Cordialement,
[Signature]

Emailing remains one of the most effective channels for communicating with prospects and customers. But in Europe, its use is framed by strict rules designed to protect personal data. Between the RGPD and the ePrivacy directive, it’s no longer enough simply to have an email list: you also have to ensure that contacts have given their consent, that their data is secure, and that every mailing complies with the laws in force. Compliance isn’t just about avoiding sanctions: it’s also about strengthening the trust and quality of your customer relationships.

1. The two pillars of regulation

1.1. RGPD: the basis for all data collection in Europe

Since 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) has been the reference text for personal data protection in the European Union. It applies to any organization, European or not, as long as it processes data relating to EU residents, which of course includes email campaigns.

The RGPD covers any information that directly or indirectly identifies a person: surname, first name, email address, browsing behavior, etc. To put it plainly, every email marketing sent to a European individual falls within the scope of the RGPD.

Fundamental principles :

• Legality, fairness, transparency: recipients must be clearly informed about the use of their data.

• Minimization: only strictly necessary data should be collected (e.g. e-mail, first name).

• Limited shelf life: no need to keep contacts inactive for years.

• Security and confidentiality: your databases need to be protected against leakage or unauthorized access.

What is the legal basis for sending emails?

Two main options are provided by the RGPD:

1. Explicit consent
   The recipient gives his consent freely and with full knowledge of the facts. This consent must be active (box unchecked by default), and documented (proof to be kept).

2. Legitimate interest
   In certain cases (particularly in B2B or for existing customers), the company can justify sending information without formal consent, if it can demonstrate that this does not infringe the rights of the recipient. This requires a formal balancing test.

💡 Practical tip: in the absence of a pre-existing relationship or B2B context, explicit consent remains the safest route.

1.2. The ePrivacy Directive: the specific framework for electronic communications

Less publicized than the RGPD, the “Privacy and Electronic Communications” directive, often referred to as ePrivacy, complements the RGPD by providing a framework for communication methods: emails, SMS, cookies, etc. It lays down the ground rules for electronic canvassing and consent gathering via websites.

Unlike the RGPD, this directive is not directly applicable: it is transposed into national laws, leading to variations from country to country. This makes compliance more complex for Europe-wide email campaigns.

Consent and prospecting: the main points

• In principle, prior consent is required to send a commercial e-mail to an individual.

• This consent must be clear, free, specific and informed, and given through an explicit action (e.g. checking a box, validating a form).

• Some countries require double opt-in (e.g. Germany, sometimes France), i.e. confirmation of the email address by clicking on a validation email.

• Others tolerate soft opt-in under strict conditions: if the person is already a customer, and the message concerns similar products or services.

🔎 Example: in France, article L34-5 of the Code des postes et des communications électroniques takes up this logic, with an exception for existing customers, provided they are offered a simple option to unsubscribe.

For several years, Ediware has taken rigorous measures to ensure the protection of its customers’ and partners’ personal data. Thanks to the Privacy Protection Pact, the company guarantees ongoing compliance with the requirements of the RGPD and ePrivacy directives, ensuring security, transparency and respect for consent in all its operations, including email campaigns.

2. Best practices for collecting and managing consents

To send email campaigns that comply with European regulations, it’s essential to follow certain best practices, particularly when collecting and managing user consent. Here are the key points to implement:

Structured, informative form

From the outset, your registration form should indicate in a simple, understandable way why you’re collecting the email address. Is it to send a newsletter, commercial offers or satisfaction surveys? Make this clear.
Make sure each purpose is clearly identified, and avoid pre-ticking boxes. Internet users must make an active choice to give their consent. For example, they can tick one or more boxes themselves, depending on the type of message they wish to receive.

Double opt-in: a guarantee of reliability

Although not mandatory, double opt-in is strongly recommended. This involves sending a confirmation email after registration, asking the user to click on a link to validate their choice. This guarantees that the address is valid and that consent has been given. It’s also a good protection in the event of a control or complaint.

Preference management

Offering a preference center gives your subscribers greater control over what they receive. They can choose the frequency of messages (weekly, monthly…), the type of content (news, promotions, events), or change their contact details. This improves the user experience and reduces unsubscribing.

Quick and easy to unsubscribe

Every marketing email you send out should have a visible unsubscribe link, usually at the bottom of the message. This link should work in a single click, with no complicated steps. As soon as a person unsubscribes, you should stop sending within 24 hours. This shows that you respect their choices and helps preserve your reputation as a sender.

3. Data security and storage

Once you’ve collected your contacts’ e-mail addresses, it’s important to protect them. In the event of leakage or mismanagement, you’re not only legally liable, but your credibility is also at stake.

First of all, your databases need to be encrypted. This means they must be protected by security protocols such as TLS/SSL during exchanges, and ideally also encrypted at rest (in your servers or CRM tools). This prevents unauthorized access.

Next, limit access to this data. Only authorized persons, such as your communications manager or marketing service provider, should be able to consult or manipulate e-mail lists. To achieve this, set up restricted access rights and avoid uncontrolled sharing.

Finally, don’t forget that you can’t keep data indefinitely. It is recommended to delete contacts that have been inactive for more than 2-3 years, unless they have expressed a new interest. This is part of the RGPD’s “minimization” and limited retention obligations.

4. Specific national requirements: a framework that varies across Europe

Although the RGPD is common to all EU countries, the precise rules for email marketing may vary slightly between member states, not least because of local transposition of the ePrivacy Directive.

Here are a few examples to be aware of if you are sending emails to contacts in different European countries:

This means that, even if you’re based in just one country, you need to adapt your practices if you have subscribers abroad. To remain compliant, it’s often simpler to apply the strictest standards (such as double opt-in and proof archiving) to all your mailings.

To conclude

Complying with email marketing legislation in Europe is essential to avoid penalties and build lasting relationships with your contacts. But beyond legal obligations, it’s also an opportunity to adopt more efficient and secure tools.

Rather than collecting and sending emails yourself, we strongly recommend using a professional emailing router. These platforms offer much more than just sending: they automatically manage consents, unsubscriptions, double opt-in, data security and campaign traceability. They keep pace with regulatory changes, and help you avoid technical or legal errors.

In short, a professional router means more compliance, greater reliability and real time savings, while improving the deliverability and performance of your campaigns. A solution that’s both strategic and reassuring for any company anxious to do things by the book… and efficiently.

What if your emailing tool isn’t working as well as you think?

There’s one thing many companies forget: an emailing tool isn’t a machine you turn on once and for all. It’s a living, fragile ecosystem that depends on dozens of technical and strategic parameters… often invisible to the naked eye.

Your email subject line may be perfect, your message clear and your targeting precise, but if your collection systems are faulty, if your messages don’t reach the inbox, or if your email templates no longer display correctly on mobile, your whole strategy falters. What’s even more annoying? These problems don’t necessarily show up in your classic statistics.

In a context where :

• competition in the inbox is increasing all the time,

• compliance rules are tightened every year,

• marketing tools are evolving at breakneck speed,

… it’s essential to take a step back and regularly check the health of your emailing tool.

You don’t have to start from scratch every week. But implementing a few simple audits – and repeating them regularly – can make all the difference between a program that purrs along and one that really converts.

Here are 7 essential checks to keep you on track, protect your reputation, improve your results… and prevent your emails from ending up in the trash without even being opened.

1. Collecting systems audit: are your new contacts really arriving in your database?

It’s one of the most neglected links… and yet one of the most strategic.
Your collection system – registration forms, pop-ups, checkboxes, integrations with your CRM or e-commerce tools – is the first point of contact between your prospects and your email program.

And in many companies, it malfunctions without anyone noticing.

A badly configured mandatory field, a double opt-in that no longer sends, a forgotten welcome message, a buggy mobile version… and a flood of potential prospects evaporates into silence.

👉 Check regularly :

• Can you subscribe to your newsletter from every collection point (website, blog, order tunnel, social networks)?

• In the case of double opt-in, is the confirmation message sent? Within an acceptable timeframe?

• Did you receive a welcome email after registration? Is its content always up to date?

• Are field labels and RGPD mentions clear and visible?

• Is the registered address injected into the right list, with the right tags or attributes in your platform?

🎯 To be done every 3 months (minimum).
Ideal? Create a tracking table with all acquisition sources and test as if you were a new subscriber. It takes 30 minutes… and can save months of ineffective campaigns.

Don’t let your forms collect empty space. That’s when it all comes down to it.

2. Unsubscribe audit: a broken link can cost you dearly

It’s another part of the journey. And if it’s badly managed, it can do more damage than you can imagine.

An unsubscribe link that doesn’t work, an unsubscribe that isn’t taken into account, a contact who continues to receive your messages after asking you to stop… and you go from being a serious brand to a spammer in an instant. Worse still: you risk a complaint or a penalty.

Too many companies still regard unsubscribing as a mere technical formality. This is a mistake.
It’s a point of contact in its own right, which must be fluid, reliable and fast.

👉 To be checked each quarter:

• Does the unsubscribe link in your emails work correctly on all messaging systems?

• Is the unsubscribed address automatically excluded from future campaigns, without delay?

• Is the status change visible in your database or CRM?

• Do you offer an intelligent alternative (preference management page, change of frequency, type of content, etc.) to limit losses?

• Do your transactional messages respect unsubscribe requests (to the extent permitted by law)?

💡 A good unsubscribe system doesn’t seek to retain at all costs. It reassures and respects.
It’s often at this point that the perception of your seriousness comes into play.
And paradoxically, a well-treated unsubscriber is sometimes more likely to return than a badly treated contact.

3. Email template audit: a poorly displayed message is a lost message

Just because your emails looked good last year… doesn’t mean they’re still readable today.

Technologies evolve. So do behaviors. And if you haven’t recently tested the display of your email templates on the latest versions of iOS, Gmail or Outlook, it’s quite possible that some of your messages are now illegible, truncated or visually outdated.

And even if everything looks good… are you sure the content is still relevant? The right logo, the right copyright, the right tone?

👉 Here’s what you need to check at least once a quarter:

• Mobile rendering (recent smartphones, main mail clients like Apple Mail, Gmail, Outlook web).

• Do all links work (CTA, legal notice, unsubscribe, social networks…)?

• Updating mandatory information: sender’s name, physical address, copyright.

• Is the graphic style consistent with your current corporate identity? Does the email make people want to read it?

• Are transactional emails (confirmation, invoice, dispatch) also up to date and usable for relaying a useful message or link?

💡 Think of your templates as marketing tools in their own right.
You can discreetly integrate :

• product recommendation modules (for cross-sell or upsell),

• order tracking or loyalty reminders (points remaining, benefits, etc.),

• a teaser for an upcoming event or a reserved offer,

• or even an incentive to subscribe to your promotional communications if the contact is not yet a subscriber.

Even a purely transactional message can contain a thoughtful marketing touch.

4. Data and integration audit: are your campaigns being managed with the right information?

You’ve set up automated scenarios, precise segments, behavioral triggers… Very good.
But everything depends on one condition: that your data is accurate, up to date, and well synchronized.

However, an integration that goes wrong or a poorly populated field can send an entire campaign off-topic.
You thought you were writing to your loyal customers? You’re actually reaching inactive contacts.
You wanted to personalize with the right first name? You get an empty field.

👉 To avoid these discrepancies, here are the checks to be carried out twice a year:

• Map out your data flows: where does your information come from? Which platforms send and receive it?

• Check that every synchronization (CRM, e-commerce, forms, scoring, etc.) works as expected.

• Identify latency or break points: data that takes 24 hours to come up can be too late.

• Clean up duplicates, poorly mapped fields and inconsistent values.

• List the optimizations to be made: new tools to connect? Scenarios to be refined with more relevant data?

💡 Data is your fuel. If it’s polluted, all your optimization efforts are in vain.
And the more automated or personalized your campaigns, the more strategic this verification becomes.

5. Compliance auditing: it’s not just a legal issue, it’s a question of trust

Compliance is not an option. And even less a “lawyer’s trick”.
It’s a pillar of your relationship with your prospects and customers.
Because behind the forms, legal notices and consents, there’s a strong expectation: to be respected.

And with the constant evolutions of the RGPD and international regulations, you have no right to relax vigilance.

👉 Here’s what you need to audit at least every 6 months, in conjunction with your DPO or legal referent:

• Are the consent statements on your forms clear, understandable and up-to-date?

• Is the purpose of collection explicit? Is the link to your privacy policy functional and legible?

• Is the data collected strictly necessary for the intended processing?

• Do you have recorded proof of consent (date, source, version of form)?

• Is the unsubscribe link active on all emails (including test, follow-up and transactional emails)?

• Do your marketing segments and scenarios comply with the rules on purpose and data retention periods?

💡 And above all: avoid indigestible legal language.
A simple, well-turned sentence inspires much more confidence than an illegible paragraph written for a court of law.
👉 Example: “Your data is never resold. It is only used to send you the information you have requested.”

Compliance shouldn’t hold back your marketing. It should enlighten it.
A well-formulated message on transparency and data protection can become an argument for differentiation.

6. The deliverability audit: are your emails really being read… or filtered directly?

One figure to remember: almost one in three emails never reaches the inbox.
And the worst thing is, you may not even realize it.
Because in most tools, an email classified as spam is still considered to have been “successfully sent”.

In other words, you look at your statistics without knowing whether your messages are really visible.

And when deliverability starts to fall, it’s often too late: your reputation as a sender is damaged, performance plummets, and every email you send makes the situation worse.

👉 Here are the checks to do every week (yes, really):

• Use an external deliverability measurement solution (seedlist, IP monitoring, reputation alerts, etc.).

• Monitor your arrival rates by domain (Gmail, Outlook, Orange, etc.): discrepancies may conceal a localized problem.

• Identify problematic campaigns: content too commercial? Poor targeting? Too many mailings too close together?

• Be alerted as soon as a spike in complaints, unsubscriptions or soft bounces occurs.

• Analyze emails sent from different subdomains or addresses (confirmation, reminder, support…).

💡 Deliverability is a global health indicator.
It depends as much on the quality of your messages as on the cleanliness of your database, your sending history, your frequency, your volumes…

A well-conducted deliverability audit can often correct unseen errors, but with far-reaching consequences.
And sometimes, a simple change (cleaning up a segment, modifying frequency, requalifying inactives) can restart everything.

7. The competitive audit: you’re not alone in the inbox

Your competition is not necessarily who you think it is.
Because in an inbox, each email competes with dozens of other messages: promotions, newsletters, account alerts, personal messages…

What you need to analyze is not just what your market is doing, but what your recipients are receiving.
And there are often surprises to be found: some ultra-creative B2C companies indirectly influence the visual or editorial expectations of your B2B prospects.

👉 Here’s what to look out for each month:

• What types of emails do your recipients receive most often (format, tone, design, frequency…)?

• Where does your message fit into this picture? Is it identifiable? Differentiating?

• Are your email subjects as powerful as those of other senders in the same time slot?

• Is the frequency of your mailings appropriate (neither too little nor too much)?

• Does the design of your messages make people want to read them? Are your calls to action visible and understandable at a glance?

💡 Use these observations to test different approaches on your future campaigns:
A more airy structure, a more direct tone, a more profit-oriented hook, an adjusted frequency…

Inspiration doesn’t mean copying.
But understanding what captures the attention of the same audience as you is an inexhaustible source of inspiration.

A simple routine for campaigns that really perform

A high-performance emailing tool doesn’t depend on a stroke of luck or a miracle tool.
It relies on a well-oiled mechanism, regularly checked and continuously adjusted.

These 7 audits are not constraints. They are intelligent appointments with your strategy.
Simple, concrete checkpoints that allow you to :

• keep a clean contact database,

• ensure compliance of your practices,

• identify technical problems before they cost you leads,

• and, above all, increase the effectiveness of each campaign.

👉 One audit every quarter, another every month, a final one every week: this rhythm is easy to set up, especially if you integrate it into your marketing schedule.

And if you don’t know where to start, here’s a simple tip: go back over your last few emails, and follow the 7 points in the list above.
You’ll soon see what can (and should) be improved.

💡 Because good emailing isn’t just a good message.
It’s a well-controlled system, invisible to your recipients, but essential to getting results.

Every day, dozens of emails pile up in our inboxes, be they newsletters, promotions or information messages. In this context of overabundance, it becomes more complex for a sender to capture the recipient’s attention. Many people focus on the subject line of an e-mail, thinking that it’s all a matter of a few words. It’s true that a well thought-out sentence can trigger a message to be opened, but it’s not the only parameter that counts.

The pre-header, that short line of text that extends the object in the preview list, often proves decisive in encouraging the reader to go further. Yet all too often, it is neglected, or even left at its default value. And yet, attention to this element can literally transform a campaign’s performance: in a matter of seconds, the recipient sees not only an eye-catching object, but also additional information that encourages them to click. It’s a crucial detail, but one that makes all the difference in breaking through the flood of incoming e-mails and inspiring the desire to find out more. In the following paragraphs, we’ll explore in detail what a pre-header is, its benefits and the best practices for making the most of it.

What is a pre-header?

The pre-header, sometimes called “preview text”, is the short portion of text you see just after the subject of an email in your inbox. When a recipient flies over their list of messages, they first see the sender, the subject line, and underneath or next to it, this famous pre-header. This area is therefore invaluable for inserting additional information or a teaser to extend the subject line.

In concrete terms, if the subject line stops at a promise or a question, the pre-header takes over by providing a clue to the content, arousing curiosity or adding an element of personalization (for example, the recipient’s first name or a reference to previous interactions). From a technical point of view, the pre-header is a short extract defined in the HTML code of the email, to prevent the recipient’s mailbox from displaying automatic text such as “Click here to view this email”.

The pre-header can be seen as the email’s “second hook”. If the subject line arouses initial interest, the pre-header reinforces the desire to click. It’s an additional opportunity to make the reader want to open the email, rather than letting it disappear into the mass of unread messages.

Why is it essential to treat it?

Careful pre-heading gives you an extra opportunity to convince the recipient that your message deserves their attention. While the subject line of an e-mail is often limited to a few words, the pre-header allows you to add a phrase, a teaser, an emotional appeal or a personalizing element that will strike a chord with the reader. In other words, you take advantage of an additional communication space to remove doubts, add value or simply increase curiosity.

This role is fundamental to the open rate: the more coherence or interest the recipient finds in the first two lines (subject and pre-header), the more inclined they are to click and read the rest. This impact is all the more marked at a time when the majority of people consult their emails on mobile: the preview is often reduced to the sender, the email subject, and a few words in the pre-header. It’s therefore a “showcase” that needs particular attention.

Beyond the purely marketing aspect, a well-written pre-header also illustrates the care given to the relationship with its audience. It shows a certain attention to detail, which builds reader confidence and can lead them, campaign after campaign, to open your next emails more willingly.

How do you set it up (and make it a success)?

To take full advantage of the pre-header, it’s crucial to understand the mechanics behind its creation and display. In concrete terms, you’re going to insert a short line of text into the HTML code of your email, which most email clients will spot and display below the subject line. This line should appear at the very beginning of the code (in the “head” section or just after), often in the form of hidden text to prevent it from visually cluttering the email once opened.

From a technical point of view, there are a few best practices to bear in mind:

1. Limited length: most mailboxes truncate the pre-header beyond a certain number of characters (generally between 50 and 100, depending on the customer and the device). So it’s best to get straight to the point, without unnecessary chatter.
2. Consistency with the object: the pre-header should naturally extend the object. If there’s a promise in the object, extend it. If there’s a question, answer it in part, or bring in something that sparks interest.
3. Personalization: if you have information about the recipient (name, business, previous purchase), integrate it in a subtle way to make the message more “human”.
4. Respect the basic rules: avoid spammy wording, exaggerations or flashy symbols that could alert e-mail filters.

Finally, before sending out a campaign, it’s essential to test the display of this pre-header in the main environments. Ediware offers, for example, a dedicated tool that lets you quickly visualize your email as it will appear in desktop (Outlook, Gmail for PC…) and mobile (iOS, Android…) messaging, to spot any text breaks and ensure optimal rendering.

Common mistakes

Despite the importance of the pre-header, it’s still common to see campaigns where this element is treated lightly. One of the first mistakes is to leave the “default” pre-header, i.e. the one automatically generated by the e-mail system, such as “Click here to view this e-mail” or “Can’t read this e-mail? You can even leave it blank. The pre-header will then be the beginning of the message, generally “Hello Mr…”.
Not only does this add no value for the recipient, it can also give the impression of amateurism.

The second classic mistake is repeating the object word for word. If the object stated “Promotion on our new products”, there’s no point in repeating exactly the same sentence in the pre-header. It adds nothing, except the sensation of having a “copy” following the object.

Some marketers also leave technical characters or coding indications visible, such as a sequence like “%firstname%” that has not been correctly substituted. Or they include poorly optimized keyword strings in the pre-header, which are immediately perceived as spam by the recipient.

Finally, neglecting the mobile display is a major mistake. A pre-header that exceeds the limits imposed by a smartphone screen risks being cut off or illegible. The same is true if compatibility has not been tested on different e-mail clients. All these factors considerably reduce the effectiveness of the campaign.