---
title: "The email campaign builder"
slug: "the-email-campaign-builder"
abstract: "Learn about the parts that make up the email message and how to access functionality."
---
# The email campaign builder

The email campaign builder has four tabs each of which represents a step in the process.

![The email campaign builder.](<https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/images/The_Email_campaign_builder%2093+.png>)

<details>
<summary><h2>General</h2></summary>

On the **General** tab, you specify the campaign name and description along with the sender's details.

You can also tag the campaign as part of a specific campaign group. Using [campaign groups](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/organize-email-campaigns-into-groups.html "Organize email campaigns into groups") is a useful way to organize your email campaigns and enables you to generate report data specific to a group of campaigns.

![The email campaign builder General tab.](<https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/images/Campaign%20builder%20and%20Org%20campaigns%2092+.png>)

</details>

<details>
<summary><h2>Recipients</h2></summary>

On the **Recipients** tab, you add lists or segmented lists that you have created in the [List Manager](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/create-a-list-in-the-email-experience-manager.html "Create a list in the Email Experience Manager"). You can also add a list of recipients that have been saved to a file. To ensure you target the right audience for a particular campaign, you refine the list of recipients using [Include lists and Exclude lists](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/users/100/sitecore-experience-platform/create-a-contact-list-or-a-segmented-list.html). For example, during a re-engagement campaign, you include a list of 200 recipients. Out of this group, 10 made a purchase on their first visit to the website and, as such, you want to ensure they do not receive a follow up email. To do this, you add the 10 recipients who already completed a purchase to an Exclude list.

</details>

<details>
<summary><h2>Message</h2></summary>

On the **Message** tab, you define the elements of the email message and this tab contains some important controls.

![The email campaign builder Message tab.](<https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/images/The_Email_campaign_builder_c%2093+.png>)

The following main functional areas are available:

- **1 Message controls**: use the Manager Root selector to specify which Manager Root contains the email you want to edit.
- **2 Message variants**: use the plus (+) button to add a new message variant. You can then easily switch between variants by clicking the variant letter.
- **3 Message actions**: use these buttons to quickly access relevant commands. For example, you can select **Quick test** to send an email or variant to a test address, to validate the look, feel, and content of the message. You can add a function to the button bar by selecting the star next to it.

    ![Message actions.](<https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/images/Email%20campaign%20builder%2092+.png>)

- **4 Message contents**: click in the Body section to open the **Edit Body** dialog box where you can add text, images, and other attributes to the email message body.

</details>

<details>
<summary><h2>Delivery</h2></summary>

On the **Delivery** tab, you have the choice to select the message variant and specify options and schedule.

![The email campaign builder Delivery tab.](https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/xp/en/users/exm/100/email-experience-manager/images/EXM_93_Performing_a_b_tests_4.png)

The following functionality is available:

- **Select variants to A/B test**: Select the variants to include in the campaign.
- **Size of the test**: Select how many recipients are part of the test run.
- **Select winner**: Select the criteria for choosing the best variant.
- **Schedule delivery**: Choose the delivery option.
- **Notification**: Choose who you want to send confirmation of email delivery to.
- **Personalization**: Include rule-based personalized content. 
- **Service email campaign**: Tag the email campaign as a service, which means that suppression lists and opt-out lists are ignored. This can be useful, for example, when sending forgot password messages or account alerts. [Default service messages](https://doc.sitecore.com/xp/en/developers/exm/100/email-experience-manager/the-service-messages.html) include subscription confirmation or notification, unsubscribe messages, dispatch complete messages, and triggered notifications.
- **Language**: For multi-language campaigns, indicate the language of preference.

> [!note]
> If there are no message variants, the first three items above are not visible.

</details>