Pre-send QA checklist: use Composer to audit your campaign, then preview and send a test

How can a marketing agent QA an email campaign using the composer preview and a test send before launch?

Short answer: Run three checks in order. First, ask Composer to QA the campaign. Second, preview it with a real profile. Third, send a test to a real inbox, and use a small internal list for anything a test can't prove. Composer never sends or schedules a campaign on its own, so the final call is always yours.

Step 1: Ask Composer to QA the campaign

Composer is Klaviyo's AI marketing agent. It can run a pre-send quality check on a single campaign. It looks at:

• Subject line
• Links and tracking
• Audience and exclusions
• Send configuration
• A/B test setup
• Compliance basics

How to run it:

1. Open the campaign first. Composer picks up the page you're viewing.
2. Open Composer and type something like "QA this campaign before I send it and flag anything critical."
3. Read the findings and decide which to apply. Composer recommends changes, and you choose what to fix.
4. Re-run the check after you make edits.

Step 2: Preview with real data

A layout preview only shows part of the picture. If your email uses personalization, check it with real data:

• For templates and campaigns, choose a real profile so profile-based variables render.
• For flow emails that support event data, preview with a recent event so event-based variables render.
• If a preview looks wrong, check that the selected profile or event actually contains the data your message references.
• Check the layout in each preview view.

Step 3: Send a test email

A test send shows how the message renders in an actual inbox. It is the best check for spacing, fonts and client-specific rendering.

Know what a test can't prove. Preview emails don't always behave like a live send, and some dynamic content won't render the same way.

Step 4: Send a live test when it matters

For the most realistic check of a campaign email:

1. Create an internal list for reviewers.
2. Add yourself and any teammates who should review.
3. Send the campaign to that list instead of your real audience.

Use this to verify live links, unsubscribe behavior and other send-time behavior.

For a metric-triggered flow email that needs full event details, campaigns won't contain that dynamic event content. Trigger the flow yourself by taking the trigger action.

The checklist

• Composer QA run, critical findings resolved, check re-run
• Subject line and preview text reviewed
• Links and tracking confirmed
• Audience and exclusions confirmed
• Previewed with a real profile (and a real event for flows)
• Test email checked in an actual inbox
• Live test sent to an internal list if send-time behavior matters
• Prices, discounts, product names and dates verified by a person
• Any required AI-use disclosure added

One more reminder

Composer's drafts are fully editable, and there is no "send as-is." Generated content can occasionally be wrong, so read every line for accuracy before you schedule or send.

Additional resources:

• How to preview and send test emails in Klaviyo
• How to audit with Composer
• How to create campaigns with Composer
• Getting started with Composer