An effective campaign in Canada is one that reaches the inbox, reads naturally in the subscriber’s language, arrives at a sensible local hour and stays within CASL. Use this checklist before every send.
Before you write
Confirm who may receive it
Filter your list to contacts with valid consent. Express consent does not expire; implied consent from a purchase lasts two years, and from an inquiry, six months. If you imported contacts from a point-of-sale system or trade show, check their consent source first. Our page on permission to email in Canada explains the rules.
Choose one goal
Book a table, register for a webinar, shop the Boxing Day sale. A single goal gives the email a single call to action, which makes it clearer and easier to measure.
While you write
- Subject line: specific and honest. The Competition Bureau can act on misleading subject lines or sender information, so avoid “Re:” tricks or fake urgency. Our tips on writing the ideal subject line help.
- French version: translate the whole message, including the subject line and button text, rather than adding a French paragraph at the bottom. Adapt idioms and prices (for example, 19,99 $ is the usual French-Canadian format).
- Personalization: use first names and relevant details with dynamic fields, but have fallbacks for missing data.
- Buttons over links: a clear button is easier to tap on a phone.
- CASL footer: business name, mailing address, a contact method and an unsubscribe link, in the reader’s language.
Before you send
- Preview on mobile and desktop. All Mailpro templates are responsive, but long French words can wrap differently from English.
- Send a test to colleagues in different provinces and check that links, prices and dates are correct.
- Split the list by time zone and schedule each segment for mid-morning local time.
- Check that your sending domain is authenticated with SPF and DKIM.
After you send
Look at the campaign report within 48 hours. Useful questions for Canadian senders:
- Did the French edition perform differently from the English one?
- Did one region click much more? That may reveal a shipping or pricing issue elsewhere.
- Did unsubscribes spike? Check frequency and relevance for that segment.
Feed the answers back into your segments for the next campaign.
Timing your campaigns around Canadian dates
Long weekends change reading habits. Emails sent on the Friday before Victoria Day, Canada Day or Thanksgiving compete with travel plans, so test sending on Wednesday or Thursday instead. Around Boxing Day, early-morning sends on December 26 catch shoppers before they head out. Return to the email campaigns overview for the tools behind each step.