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MyCoE

CoE Marketo approval checklist

Before you submit your email for approval, please review this non-comprehensive checklist to catch common Marketo issues, avoid errors and ensure your message follows key accessibility and formatting best practices.

Email illustration

Do not approve your email message before requesting approval

We will approve your email when your program is approved. This will ensure any additional edits you may need to make will be captured correctly.

File structure

  • Program is in correct folder
  • Email follows correct naming convention (e.g. ENG-FY26-OIE-12345-SpringLetter)
  • Program ID is filled in (Five-digit Program ID is found in the URL)
  • Folders for Assets, Reports and Smart Campaigns are nested in Program
  • Email is located within Assets folder
  • Email asset is created with a current, non-deprecated template

Tags

  • Channel, purpose and target audience appropriately reflect the email content and audience
  • Subscription name is correct and matches the subpref in your email list

Control panel

  • Audience is attached and count matches your list or estimated count
  • Email is scheduled for a date and time (at least two business days in the future to allow for review)

Smart list

(audiences are always set up by UMAC, this step is just to double-check – send questions to marketo@engr.uw.edu)

  • The subpref for “is not” “unsubscribed” matches your email tag
  • If applicable, the subpref for “is” “subscribed” matches your email tag (if including smart list subscriptions)

Concerned about your list? Email marketo@engr.uw.edu to receive more information or to spot check that your members are accurate.

Email settings

  • The preheader is selected and populated with descriptive text (that’s different from the subject line)
  • If email is “Operational”, make sure that is selected in Email Settings (only for rare emails that do not have an opt-out!)
  • “View as web page” is selected (except text-only, Outlook-style emails)

From, reply-to and subject line

  • The “from” name matches the content of the email
  • The subject line is clear, concise and catchy

Message content

  • Text utilizes UW style guide standards and is grammatically correct
  • If copying and pasting text into your email, ensure it is either from a file with no formatting (such as an .rtf) or right-click and select “paste as plain text”. Do not copy and paste directly from Microsoft Word!
  • The content is email-appropriate and concise
    • We may request edits if text blocks are too long or if content is easily found on your website
    • Limit the number of story modules (for newsletters) - the suggested maximum is six
    • Limit CTA button text to a few words or less
  • Links direct to correct URLs and begin with http:// or https://
  • All links have been tested via a test email (not in the preview window in Marketo)
  • Emails in the body are linked by “mailto:email” (note that this is only for emails in the body text - not for the Contact Us module.)
  • Any text over hero images is brief, legible and has appropriate level of contrast
  • All text is formatted correctly and consistently (headers, subheads, bullets, etc.)

Images

  • Images have meaningful alt-text populated (should not include “picture of” or “image of” in alt text)
  • If images are hyperlinked, ensure all images in the email are correctly linked (delete #ADDLINK from images that do not have a hyperlink)
  • Images are <5MB in file size and are the correct dimensions for the module (each Marketo image module lists image dimensions)
  • Contact us email is populated
  • Social media icons direct to correct sites
  • Copyright year is correct
  • Footer includes current branding
  • Full address or box number is included
  • Unsubscribe link is included

Text-only version

  • Text is readable
  • Links are formatted correctly
  • All footer links (including Privacy, Terms and Unsubscribe) are included.