How do I send emails to the entrants?

EntryThingy's email system lets you send personalized emails to artists based on their entry status and which call they submitted to. This guide walks you through the complete email workflow.

Getting Started

To send an email:

Log into your EntryThingy account
Click "Emails" in the main navigation
Click the "New Email" button (top right)

The email system uses a 4-step wizard to guide you through the process:

Select Recipients - Choose who should receive the email
Compose - Write your subject and message
Preview - Review how the email will look
Send - Confirm and send (or schedule for later)

Step 1: Select Recipients

On the first screen, you'll choose who should receive your email using a funnel interface:

Exhibition Selection

Select which call/exhibition to target:

All exhibitions: Send to all artists who have submitted to any of your calls
Specific exhibition: Select a specific call from the dropdown. The number next to each call shows how many unique artists have submitted to that call.

Entry Status Selection

Filter by entry status using the status chips:

All statuses: Send to all artists regardless of entry status
Specific status: Click a status chip to filter (e.g., "Accepted," "Not Accepted," "Submitted," "Waitlist"). Each chip shows how many artists match that status.

Tip: As you select filters, the recipient count updates automatically. You can see a preview of who will receive the email and download a CSV list of recipients.

Recipient Summary

At the bottom of the screen, you'll see:

Recipient count: How many artists will receive the email
Recipient preview: A sample of email addresses (first 5)
View All button: Opens a modal showing all recipients
Download CSV button: Download a list of all recipients

If no recipients match your filters, you'll see a warning and won't be able to proceed until you adjust your selections.

Once you've selected your recipients, click "Next: Compose" to continue.

Step 2: Compose

On the compose screen, you'll write your email:

Subject Line

Enter a clear, descriptive subject line. This is what artists will see in their inbox.

Message Body

Write your email message using the rich text editor. You can:

Format text (bold, italic, headings, lists)
Add links
Use merge tags to personalize the email

Merge Tags

You can personalize emails using merge tags that get replaced with each artist's information:

FIRSTNAME - Artist's first name
LASTNAME - Artist's last name

Example: If you write "Hi FIRSTNAME," it will appear as "Hi Sarah," for an artist named Sarah.

Reply-To Email

Set the email address where replies should be sent. This defaults to your account email, but you can change it if needed.

Saving Your Work

You have two options:

Save as Draft: Saves your email and returns you to the emails list. You can continue editing later.
Next: Preview: Saves your email and moves to the preview step.

Step 3: Preview

Before sending, preview how your email will look to recipients:

Preview as Different Recipients

Use the dropdown to select a recipient and see how the email will look with their personalized merge tags. This helps you verify that:

Merge tags are working correctly
The email looks good with real data
Personalization makes sense

Send Test Email

Send a test email to your own inbox to see how it looks in a real email client:

Enter your email address (defaults to your account email)
Click "Send Test Email"
Check your inbox to see how the email renders

This is especially useful for checking formatting, links, and overall appearance.

Review Email Details

The preview shows:

From: Your gallery/organization name
Reply-To: The reply-to email you set
To: The selected recipient's email
Subject: Your email subject line
Body: The rendered email with merge tags replaced

Once you're satisfied with the preview, click "Next: Send" to proceed.

Step 4: Send

The final step shows a summary and lets you confirm before sending:

Email Summary

Review all the details:

Subject: Your email subject
Recipients: Number of artists who will receive the email
Exhibition: Which call/exhibition (if filtered)
Status Filter: Which entry status (if filtered)
Reply-To: Where replies will be sent
Token Cost: How many tokens this email will cost
Your Balance: Your current token balance

Token Costs

Each email costs tokens based on the number of recipients:

1-100 recipients: 1 token
101-500 recipients: 2 tokens
501+ recipients: 3 tokens

If you don't have enough tokens, you'll see a warning and a link to purchase more tokens.

Send Immediately

To send right away:

Type "SEND" in the confirmation field (case-insensitive)
Click "Confirm & Send"

Important: Once you send, the email cannot be undone. Make sure you're ready before confirming.

Schedule for Later

Instead of sending immediately, you can schedule the email:

Enter a date and time in the "Schedule for Later" section
Click "Schedule Send"

Note: All times are in Pacific Time (PST/PDT). The email will be sent automatically at the scheduled time.

Managing Your Emails

After creating an email, you can manage it from the Emails page:

Email Status

Emails are organized by status:

Drafts: Emails you've started but haven't sent yet. Click "Continue →" to finish composing.
Scheduled: Emails scheduled to send at a future date/time. You can edit or delete scheduled emails.
Sending: Emails currently being delivered. You can view analytics but cannot edit.
Sent: Emails that have been delivered. Click "Analytics" to see open rates, click rates, and delivery status.

Email Actions

Depending on the email status, you can:

Edit: Modify draft or scheduled emails
Delete: Remove emails (drafts, scheduled, or sent)
View Analytics: See delivery statistics, open rates, and click rates for sent emails
Continue: Finish composing draft emails

Best Practices

Use clear subject lines: Make it easy for artists to understand what the email is about
Personalize when possible: Use merge tags like FIRSTNAME to make emails feel more personal
Test before sending: Always send a test email to yourself to check formatting and links
Preview with different recipients: Check how merge tags look with real data
Filter carefully: Make sure your recipient filters match your intended audience
Check token balance: Ensure you have enough tokens before sending
Schedule strategically: Use scheduled sends to send emails at optimal times

Common Use Cases

Notifying Accepted Artists

Select the specific exhibition
Select "Accepted" status
Compose a congratulatory message with delivery instructions
Preview and send

Reminding Artists About Deadlines

Select the exhibition
Select "Not Submitted" or "Submitted" status
Compose a reminder message
Schedule to send a few days before the deadline

Announcing Results

Select the exhibition
Select "All statuses" or specific statuses
Compose an announcement
Send immediately or schedule for a specific time

Need Help?

If you have questions about sending emails or need assistance with the email system, contact support. We're here to help you communicate effectively with your artists!