Skip to content
NewSee how

Send a test email before you launch

Preview merge tags and send a real test email to yourself from a campaign template before going live.

Tutorials
Campaigns
min read
4 min
steps
7 · Beginner

  1. Test before you send to real prospects

    A test email shows you exactly what a prospect will receive, with merge tags filled in, before anything goes live to your list.

  2. Open your campaign's Email Template

    In a Template-mode campaign, open the Email Template config and edit or preview a template.

  3. Click Send Test

    Click Send Test to open the Send Test Email drawer.

  4. Pick a sender and confirm the recipient

    Choose a Sender Account - only verified inboxes appear in this dropdown - and confirm the Recipient Email, which defaults to your own address.

  5. Choose a Contact Profile and review the preview

    Pick a Contact Profile (for merge tags) so tags render with real data, or leave "No profile (fallbacks only)" selected to check your fallback text. Review the live Preview of the subject and body before sending.

    Choose a Contact Profile and review the preview

  6. Send and read it like a prospect would

    Click Send Test, then open the inbox you sent to and read the email as your prospect would. Fix anything off, and repeat.

  7. Also run Test Workflow before launch

    Separately, run Test Workflow from the main action button to validate node configuration and launch readiness. It's a different check - Test Workflow sends no email; only the Send Test Email drawer does.

Pro tips

  • Send one test with a profile, one without

    The one without proves your {{fallback}} values still read naturally when a merge tag has no data to fill in.

  • Missing sender in the dropdown?

    Only verified email connectors show up - verify or reconnect the mailbox first if yours isn't listed.

  • Test from the sender you'll actually send from

    Signatures and deliverability can differ per inbox, so testing from a different sender doesn't tell the full story.

  • Check it on a phone too

    A subject line that fits fine on desktop can truncate awkwardly on mobile - read the test email on both.

Frequently asked questions

Does “Send Test” send a real email?

Yes - it's a live send via the sender account you choose, to the recipient you specify.

Where do I find it?

In the Email Template editor or the Template Preview drawer, click Send Test.

Why is my sender account not listed?

Only verified email connectors appear in the Sender Account dropdown.

What does “Contact Profile (for merge tags)” do?

It renders merge tags like {{first_name}} against a real contact in both the preview and the sent email.

What if I pick “No profile (fallbacks only)”?

Merge tags render using your fallback values instead, so you can proofread them directly.

Is “Send Test” the same as “Test Workflow”?

No. Test Workflow validates configuration and launch readiness and sends nothing; Send Test sends a real test email.

Does sending a test count against my sending limits or credits?

It's a one-off test send from your own inbox rather than a campaign send. Check the billing tutorials for current details on how test sends are counted.

Campaigns

Outreach that keeps going after you log off.Leads, emails, follow-ups and replies, handled.

Connect unlimited mailboxes and let AI agents find leads, write each email and follow up. Or send your own templates in manual mode. From $29/mo.

Start your $1 trial See pricing

$1 for 3 days · Cancel anytime · No contract

Install with AI

Your coding agent sets up the FirstSales CLI and skills for you.

Prompt for Claude Code

I'm setting up FirstSales (https://firstsales.io), an AI outbound sales platform: campaigns, contacts, a reply inbox, deliverability and lead signals. Help me get my workspace sending real, good emails end to end, from Claude Code.

Read these first so you know how FirstSales works:
- Developer docs and API: https://developer.firstsales.io
- CLI: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@firstsales.io/cli
- Skills for coding agents: https://github.com/firstsalesio/firstsales-skills (read README.md and GUIDE.md)

Setup
1. Install the CLI: npm install -g @firstsales.io/cli
2. Install the FirstSales skills:
   claude plugin marketplace add firstsalesio/firstsales-skills
   claude plugin install firstsales@firstsales
3. Ask me if I already have a FirstSales account. If not, send me to https://app.firstsales.io to sign up.
4. Ask me to create an API key under Settings → API → API Keys, with only the scopes we need.
   Never ask me to paste the key into this chat. Tell me to run this in my own terminal, so the key stays hidden:
   read -rs FS_KEY && firstsales auth login --api-key "$FS_KEY"; unset FS_KEY
5. Run `firstsales whoami` and tell me which workspace and organisation we are connected to.

Then ask me about my business: what I sell, who I sell to (roles, company size, countries), my best customers, and what I use today for outbound (tools, lists, mailboxes). Walk me through:
1. Teaching FirstSales my business: website, offer, proof points and case studies in the knowledge base, so the AI writes like someone who knows the product.
2. Connecting my sending mailboxes and checking my sending domain: SPF, DKIM, DMARC and warm-up. If anything is unhealthy, tell me the exact DNS record to add.
3. Bringing in contacts: import my CSV or CRM export into a clean list, remove duplicates and bad emails, and block domains I must never email (customers, competitors, my own).
4. Building my first campaign: the right list, senders, steps and timing. Write the sequence with me, show me the drafts, and do not launch until I say yes.
5. Setting up Signals if it fits: find people engaging with LinkedIn posts about topics my buyers care about, and turn them into leads.
6. Inviting my team and giving each person the right access.

Once campaigns run, show me how to work the reply inbox from here: which replies need an answer, draft responses in my voice, and move good conversations into deals. If I use Cal.com, connect it so follow-ups can offer my booking link (not the first email).

Throughout, as you learn about my business, proactively suggest and help create:
- Reply templates for the questions and objections my prospects are likely to raise, based on my product, site and codebase if you can see them.
- Campaign ideas and segments worth testing, with the reason for each.

Safety rules:
- Show every change as a dry run (--dry-run) first and wait for my yes. Never send emails, launch campaigns or delete anything without my yes.
- Tell me before anything that spends credits, and how many.

Be opinionated. If the docs give a sensible default, just use it. Don't make me choose between five options.
Developer docs ↗npm: @firstsales.io/cli ↗GitHub: firstsales-skills ↗