# Prepare, send, and track a campaign

**Console: Marketing → Campaigns.** For the person preparing the restaurant's
email and the authorised sender. Editing permission can differ from permission
to test, schedule, or send.

## Prepare a saved draft

1. Select **New campaign**. Set **Campaign name**, subject, preheader, and
   sender. Blank sender fields inherit
   [Marketing settings](/marketing/settings).
2. Under **Audience**, choose **Send to** segments and **But not** exclusions.
   Inspect the resolved unique audience and eligible count; adding segment
   counts together ignores overlap, exclusions, and send-time gates.
3. Edit the content and review Desktop/Mobile previews, links, restaurant
   identity, personalisation, and the unsubscribe footer. If using **Test two
   versions**, check both subject lines, content, and the split.
4. Select **Save draft** or **Save changes** and verify the saved result.
5. Use **Send test** only with an intended test recipient and send permission.
   It sends a real email. Check the received content before guest dispatch.

If content could not load and the editor says it is showing a placeholder,
reload before editing or saving. Saving that placeholder would replace stored
content. A failed audience or usage check is not an audience of zero.

## Review dispatch

Check recipients, exclusion/consent reasons, sender, subject, content, usage,
and any projected overage. For a guest promise, review the required restaurant
promoter acknowledgement and [fulfilment workflow](/marketing/guest-promises).
Do not confirm terms or availability the restaurant cannot honour.

**Schedule send** uses the displayed restaurant time zone and permitted send
window. Review the scheduled time and confirmation. Audience and consent are
resolved again when it sends. **Send now** dispatches immediately and cannot
recall emails already sent. Confirm only the intended campaign.

## Distinguish campaign states

| State/action                   | Meaning                                                                  |
| ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Draft                          | Saved editable work; no dispatch yet                                     |
| Scheduled                      | Waiting for its send time                                                |
| Sending                        | Dispatch underway, possibly in batches                                   |
| Sent                           | Dispatch recorded; not proof every email reached an inbox                |
| Cancel schedule                | Cancels future dispatch and returns an eligible unsent campaign to draft |
| Stop sending / Mark as stopped | Closes a part-sent campaign; reached guests are not unsent               |

A stopped campaign cannot be edited or sent again. Reaching remaining guests
requires a reviewed new campaign excluding those already reached. If recipient
resolution stopped delivery or progress cannot be checked, follow the displayed
recovery instruction and contact support; do not bypass hidden sending controls.

After a timeout, inspect the same campaign, reached count, queue, and status
before another send. Do not duplicate the campaign just to retry. Use
[Results](/marketing/analytics) to review delivery and outcomes separately.