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Previewing Emails

Before sending messages to your guests, you’ll want to see exactly how the email will appear in their inbox. Dear provides a live preview that updates as you edit.

Accessing the Email Preview

To preview an email:

  1. Go to My Events and select your event

  2. Click on the message you want to preview

  3. Select the Email tab to view the email preview

The email preview shows you exactly what your guests will receive in their inbox.

What the Preview Shows

The email preview displays:

  • Subject line - What appears in the inbox

  • Body text - Your message with merge tags replaced

  • View Invitation button - The call-to-action linking to your invitation

Merge tags like {attendee_name} will show sample values from one of your attendees, so you can see exactly how personalisation works.

Editing the Email

From the preview page, click Edit > Edit Email to make changes.

Editable Fields

  • Subject - The email subject line that appears in the inbox

  • Body - The main message content (supports merge tags)

Live Preview

As you edit:

  1. The subject and body fields update in real-time

  2. The preview panel refreshes automatically

  3. You can see how your changes look immediately

Click Save Changes when you’re happy with the result.

Using Merge Tags

Merge tags let you personalise each email. When editing, you’ll see available merge tags listed below the editor.

Common merge tags:

  • {attendee_name} - The guest’s name

  • {event_name} - Your event name

  • {invitation_button} - A styled button linking to the invitation

Click any merge tag to copy it, then paste it into your email content.

Learn more about merge tags

Sending a Test Email

The best way to check your email is to send yourself a test:

  1. From any message page, scroll to the Scheduled Sends section

  2. Click Send Test

  3. Enter your email address

  4. Click Send Test

A test email will be sent to you using sample attendee data. This lets you:

  • See the email in your actual inbox

  • Check how it displays on mobile

  • Verify the “View Invitation” button works

  • Test how it renders in different email clients

Tip: Send tests to multiple email providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) to ensure your email looks good everywhere.

Email Preview Tips

  1. Keep subject lines concise - Aim for under 50 characters so they don’t get cut off on mobile

  2. Preview personalisation - Make sure merge tags show appropriate content

  3. Check on mobile - Many guests read emails on their phones

  4. Test the button - Click through from the test email to verify the link works

  5. Review each message type - Invitation, reminder, and thank-you emails may need different content

Troubleshooting

Merge tags not replacing

If you see {tag_name} instead of the actual value:

  • Check the tag is spelled correctly

  • Ensure you’ve entered the corresponding data in your event details

  • Verify the tag is available for your event type

Preview looks different from test email

The preview is a close approximation, but email clients can render HTML differently. Always send a test email to see the true result.

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