How to Test Email Broadcasts

DAP’s email broadcast feature allows you to send mass emails to your members efficiently. You have several options for targeting specific user groups based on their product access and status.

How to Test Email Broadcasts

Testing your email broadcasts is crucial to ensure that your emails are delivered correctly and that the content displays as intended. Here’s a step-by-step overview of how to perform a successful test:

1. Create a Test Product: Setting up a dedicated test product allows you to streamline your testing process. You can add test users to this product and send targeted emails without impacting real users.
2. Add Test Users: Populate your test product with test users. This will enable you to target specific individuals during your testing.
3. Schedule an Email Broadcast: Use the email broadcast feature to schedule an email to your test users. Ensure you choose the right group option that corresponds to your test product.
4. Monitor the Job Queue: After scheduling, check the job queue to confirm that the email is queued correctly and has the status of NEW.
5. Run the Cron Job: Wait for cron to run until the top of the hour. If you have less than 500 users, and don’t want to wait until the top of the hour to test, you can also run the cron manually by visiting this page: https://yoursite.com/dap/dap-cron.php . It will display a blank screen after it completes successfully. Check the job queue after it completes and see if the job status has changed to completed.
6. Check for Errors: Be vigilant for common issues, such as non-standard characters or errors in the email payload. Address these issues as needed. You will find errors in the DAP system >> job queue >> failed section. Make sure to select a long enough date range so it captures all errors/failed broadcasts.
7. Confirm Delivery: Verify that the test users receive the email, and ensure that the content displays correctly.

By following these steps, you can effectively test your email broadcasts and troubleshoot any issues that arise during the process.

Step 1: Creating a Test Product

Creating a test product is essential for streamlining the email broadcast testing process. This dedicated product allows you to easily send emails to specific test users associated with it, ensuring that your testing does not affect real customers or existing products.

1. Log in to DAP Admin:
   • Access your DAP Admin dashboard with your credentials.
2. Add a New Product:
   • Click on Products in the left-hand menu, then select Add New Product.
   • Fill in the following details:
     • Product Name: Test Product for Email Broadcasts
     • Product Description: A product for testing email broadcasts.
     • You can make it a free or a paid product. Doesn’t matter. It’s only for testing.
3. Save the Product:
   • Click Save to create your test product.

Step 2: Adding Test Users to the Product

1. Navigate to DAP > Members > Add Page
2. Add New Users:
   • Enter the details for each test user:
     • User 1:
       • Email: testuser1@example.com
       • First Name: Test
       • Last Name: User One
     • User 2:
       • Email: testuser2@example.com
       • First Name: Test
       • Last Name: User Two
     • User 3:
       • Email: testuser3@example.com
       • First Name: Test
       • Last Name: User Three
   • Ensure each test user is assigned to the Test Product for Email Broadcasts by selecting the product during user setup.
3. Save Each User:
   • Click Save for each user to complete their registration.

Step 3: Scheduling an Email Broadcast

1. Go to Email Broadcasts:
   • Navigate to Email > Broadcast in the DAP Admin dashboard.
2. Select the Appropriate Group:
   • Choose Group 3 for specific products and select this test product.
3. Fill in the Email Details:
   • Subject: Test Email Broadcast
   • Body: Write the broadcast message.
4. Schedule the Broadcast:
   • Set your desired schedule for the email broadcast (either immediate or a future date/time).
   • Click Schedule to finalize the setup.

Step 4: Monitoring the Job Queue

1. Check Job Queue:
   • Navigate to DAP Admin > System > Job Queue.
   • Confirm that your scheduled email appears with a status of NEW.
2. Manually Run the Cron Job (if needed):
   • To test immediately, you can manually run the cron job but we don’t recommend this if you have say more than 500 users because the cron might hang if the browser times out. You can run the cron manually by visiting this page: https://yoursite.com/dap/dap-cron.php . Replace yoursite.com with your domain name. It will display a blank screen after it completes successfully.
3. Verify Email Delivery: Return to the job queue and check if the status of the email job has changed to C (COMPLETE). Confirm that the test users received the email.

By following this guide, you can effectively test email broadcasts in DAP, ensuring that your emails are correctly sent and received without errors.