Before every email hits your inbox, these 9 tools do the heavy lifting. From color checks to subject line tests, they’re part of my pre-send ritual—and honestly, I don’t send without them.
Whether you’re deep in email marketing or just a fan of a good workflow, at least one of these is bound to earn a permanent tab in your browser too.
This isn’t just a list—it’s a behind-the-scenes walkthrough. I’ll show you how every tool on this list played a role in creating this email.
1. AboutMy.email
The reality check: once I’ve wrapped up layout, content, and details, I send a test to a generated address and wait. It shows the email size (so I stay under 102KB to avoid clipping) and helps me catch things like that one UTM I forgot to update. Click here to see the outputs created with Tool #3.
2. Mail-Tester
Checking for spammy vibes is a must! I definitely don’t want my newsletter to end up in junk. I send a test, cross my fingers, and hope for a 10/10 score. This time I got a 9/10, which isn’t bad. It flagged two broken links I was able to fix before sending.
3. GoFullPage
A staple in my everyday workflow, this browser extension makes marking up edits, or getting the full email content and creative in one shot for use in the insights and reports I publish with each send.
4. WebAIM Contrast Checker
Headlines
Body Copy
I use this tool anytime I’m deciding on a text color or icon, it helps check accessibility. It’s a must to make sure emails are easy to see for everyone, not just a few.
5. Pilestone Simulator
Another tool to make sure your emails and graphics look great to everyone is the colorblind simulator. It lets you see how your design appears to people with different types of color vision deficiencies.
6. Ezgif.com
This animation was created using the Screen Recorder on my Mac, which generated a .mov file. I uploaded it to EZGIF’s MP4-to-GIF converter to crop it to size and optimized it to reduce the file size so I could include it in the email newsletter.
7. Convert Case
With just one click, I converted “9 FREE TOOLS SO GOOD, THEY’RE TAB-WORTHY” to “9 Free Tools So Good, They’re Tab-worthy” to test which headline formatting worked better without risking a typo.
8. Email Tool Tester
The inbox generator has been a go-to of mine for years. It gives me a clear idea of how the sender name, subject, and preview text will look on mobile. I also use it for social posts and adding graphics to email campaign presentations. It might look familiar to those who received Newsletter Issue #4.
9. SubjectLine.com
Subject Line A:
9 🆓 tools worth your clicks!
Subject Line B:
9️⃣ free tools worth your clicks!
The rating system’s a big win with this tool, it helps set a benchmark when I’m A/B testing subject lines. It’s less about picking a winner and more about validating why one potentially outperforms the other. Plus, I get a clear breakdown of the formatting points, which makes it easier to repeat what works.
Got a free fave tool you can’t function without?
I’m always collecting new ones like screenshots I never look at again.
(And if you have a tool for that, send it my way!)
Danielle Cambio
Marketing Technologist
Execute. Measure. Assess. Improve. Learn.
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