Mail

Mail page showing Compose button, search box, and email history

• Send targeted emails to specific attendee groups
• Filter recipients by ticket type, event date, or member type
• AI-powered content validation for compliance
• Draft saving for later editing (including gallery images, layout, and focal points)
• Test email functionality
• Email preference management and unsubscribe handling
• Rich HTML formatting in the body
• Attach up to 5 photos as a gallery, rendered in the email and linked to a fullscreen browsing page

At a glance: Choose your recipients, compose your message, review compliance, and send.

Think of it this way:

• Recipients determine who sees your message
• Content validation ensures your message meets legal and platform requirements
• Preferences respect what attendees have opted in to receive

1. Navigate to your event's admin dashboard
2. Select "Mail" from the Tools menu group
3. Requires Event Mail permission

1. Navigate to your organisation's admin dashboard
2. Select "Mail" from the Tools menu group
3. Requires Organisation Mail permission

Empty compose form showing recipient dropdown, AI button, subject line, and rich text editor

1. Select Recipients - Choose who should receive this email
2. Write Your Message - Compose subject and body
3. Review & Send - Confirm details and send

AI assistance modal showing prompt input for event email composition

1. Click "Ask Seaty AI to help write a message"
2. Provide context or a prompt describing what you need
3. The AI will generate both subject line and message body
4. Edit the generated content as needed

• Headers (H1, H2)
• Text sizes (small, normal, large)
• Bold, italic, underline, strikethrough
• Text and background colours
• Ordered and bulleted lists
• Text alignment

• Web-hosted images (via URL)
• Hyperlinks
• Clean paste from other sources

Think of it this way:

• Body images (URLs pasted into the rich text editor) sit inline with your copy — good for small inline marks or banners you already host elsewhere
• Gallery images (uploaded to the dashed box above the subject) are a formal photo set — rendered as a branded collage, optimised for every email client, and clickable to a fullscreen page

Adding Images

1. Click the dashed box, or drag photos directly onto it, to open the file picker
2. Select one or more photos (JPEG or PNG)
3. Each tile shows a progress spinner while the image uploads
4. When upload completes, the tile shows a thumbnail

• Maximum 5 images per mailshot
• Each photo is automatically resized and optimised — upload the highest-quality version you have
• Once you've added 5, the "Add more" tile disappears

Why 5? It's the largest set that still renders cleanly across every email client (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, mobile webmail). More images would cause layout inconsistencies and slow email loading.

Reordering Images

• Drag and drop — hold any image tile and drag it into a new position
• Arrow buttons — click the left/right arrows on each tile to nudge it one step in that direction

Removing Images

Choosing a Layout

• Grid — a smart collage. The layout adapts to how many images you have (single full-width for 1, side-by-side for 2, even row for 3, 2×2 for 4, Facebook-style 2-on-top-3-on-bottom for 5). Best for mixed or landscape photos.
• Stacked — each image full-width, one above the other. Best for tall portrait photos, posters, or when each photo deserves full attention.
• Hero + thumbnails — first image large at the top, remaining images in a row beneath. Best when one image is clearly the headline and others are supporting shots.

Choosing a Position

• Top — gallery sits before your subject text, grabbing attention first
• Bottom — gallery sits after your body copy, letting the message lead

Adjusting Focal Points

1. Hover on any image tile and click the focus (crosshair) icon
2. The photo opens in a focus modal with a draggable crosshair
3. Drag the crosshair over the part of the image that must stay visible after cropping
4. Click "Save"

Why adjust focal points? A group portrait where heads are near the top will get chopped in half if the default centre crop is used. Setting the focal point on the faces ensures every layout preserves them.

What Recipients See

• All images browse in a smooth sliding carousel
• Click any image to expand to fullscreen
• In fullscreen, navigate by clicking the left or right side of the screen, pressing arrow keys, or using the overlay arrows
• Close fullscreen with the X button or by pressing Escape
• The page includes the event title, date, presenting organisation, and a "Book tickets" button that leads straight back to the event

Note: Each mailshot has its own unique gallery URL. The link is only ever embedded in the email — there's no public listing of past mailshots. Anyone with the link can view the gallery, so treat it like a Dropbox share link.

Drafts and Persistence

Recipient type dropdown showing all available recipient groups

• Manually select individual email addresses
• Only includes attendees with active tickets
• Useful for targeted communications

Event date selection showing checkboxes for individual performance dates

• Select one or multiple event dates
• Only emails attendees with tickets for chosen dates
• Ideal for date-specific information (e.g., "Tomorrow's matinee performance")

• Choose one or multiple member types
• Target specific membership tiers or groups
• Examples: "Gold Members", "Student Members", "Staff"

Recipients selected showing email count and option to view email addresses

Expanded recipient list showing all email addresses that will receive the message

• Number of emails that will be sent
• Option to view the full list of email addresses
• These recipients have not unsubscribed

• Number of emails that have unsubscribed
• Option to view the list of unsubscribed addresses
• These recipients will NOT receive the email

Validation Requirements:

• Subject must be at least 4 characters
• Message must be at least 10 characters
• At least one active recipient must be selected
• For selection-based recipients, at least one attendee/date/member type must be chosen

Compliance terms, confirmation checkbox, and send options

• UK GDPR requirements
• Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR)
• Data Protection Act 2018

• Marketing or promotional content
• Promotion of future shows, events, or services
• Mentions of ticket sales, prices, or booking links
• Persuasive language designed to encourage attendance (e.g., "Don't miss out", "Secure your seats")

• Survey or feedback requests (unless sending to survey-specific lists)

• If sending to marketing-specific recipient lists, promotional content is permitted

• You'll receive a clear error message explaining why the email cannot be sent
• Edit your content to remove restricted elements
• Resubmit for validation

• Event Updates: Essential event information (cannot unsubscribe if they have tickets)
• Marketing: Promotional content and announcements
• Surveys: Feedback and survey requests

• They're automatically filtered from future mailings in that category
• They'll appear in the "Inactive Recipients" list
• Their preference is organisation-specific
• Event update emails are still sent to active ticket holders regardless of preferences

Compose form with compliance checkbox ticked and Send mail and Send test mail to self buttons enabled

1. Click "Send test mail to self"
2. The email will be sent only to your user account
3. Review formatting, links, and content
4. Make any necessary adjustments
5. Return to send the actual campaign

• First time using the Mail feature
• Complex formatting with images and links
• Important announcements where accuracy is critical
• Testing mobile vs desktop rendering

Email compose with subject, body content, and character count showing

1. Review recipient count and message content
2. Check the compliance checkbox
3. Click "Send mail"
4. Confirmation will appear when sending completes
5. The email is immediately queued for delivery

• Emails are sent through Seaty's email service
• Delivery typically completes within minutes
• Large recipient lists may take longer
• You'll receive a confirmation once sending begins

Email history showing a saved draft with Draft prefix and Not sent status

1. Compose your email (subject and body)
2. Click "Save as draft"
3. Draft appears in your mail history with "Draft:" prefix
4. Drafts are saved per event or organisation

• Subject must be at least 4 characters
• Message must be at least 10 characters

1. Find the draft in your mail history
2. Click the edit (pencil) icon
3. Make your changes
4. Either save as draft again or send the email

Note: Sending a draft will update the existing record rather than creating a duplicate.

Email history showing a sent email with sender, recipients, subject, and date

• By: Name and email address of sender
• To: Recipient type and number of emails sent
• Subject: Email subject line (drafts show "Draft:" prefix)
• Date Sent: Date and time of sending (drafts show "Not sent")

Read-only preview of a sent email showing subject and body content

• Click the view (document) icon
• Opens read-only preview of subject and body
• Useful for reference or copying content

• Click the edit (pencil) icon
• Opens draft in composer for editing
• Continue where you left off

• Subject line text
• Sender email address
• Recipient type
• Date sent (searches formatted dates like "Monday 5th January 2025")

Email Activity report showing delivery tracking with date, recipient, email type, and activity columns

1. Find the email in your mail history
2. Click the activity icon next to the view button
3. Opens the Email Activity report filtered to that specific mailshot

• Sent - Email was successfully delivered to the recipient's inbox
• Bounce - Email was rejected by the recipient's email server (invalid address, full inbox, etc.)
• Open - Recipient opened the email
• Click - Recipient clicked a link in the email

Note: Only bounces, opens, and clicks are recorded to keep the system focused on useful engagement information.

• Email subject as the report title
• Expected recipient count (how many emails you sent)
• Actual tracked events count

• Search - Find specific recipient email addresses
• Sort - Click column headers to sort by date, recipient, or activity type
• Filter - Use the search box to filter by recipient name or email
• Column Selection - Show or hide specific columns

1. Click "Export to Excel" button
2. Downloads a spreadsheet with all email events
3. Includes recipient, date, activity type, and related order information
4. Useful for detailed analysis or record keeping

• Hard Bounce - Permanent delivery failure (invalid email address, domain doesn't exist)
• Soft Bounce - Temporary delivery failure (mailbox full, server temporarily unavailable)
• Action: Review hard bounces and update customer records if needed

• Recorded when recipient views the email in their email client
• Multiple opens by the same recipient may be tracked
• Note: Some email clients block tracking pixels, so actual opens may be higher

• Recorded when recipient clicks any link in your email
• Shows engagement with your content and calls to action
• Multiple clicks from same recipient are tracked separately

• If a recipient has no events, they may have:
  • Not opened the email yet
  • Blocked tracking pixels (privacy settings)
  • Email filtered to spam/junk folder
  • Deleted email without opening

• Low bounce rate (under 5%) indicates good email list quality
• Open rates vary by content and audience (10-30% is typical for event updates)
• Any click activity shows recipients are engaging with your content

• High bounce rates (over 10%) suggest outdated email addresses
• Zero opens may indicate spam folder issues or poor subject lines
• Consistent bounces from same domains may indicate technical issues

• Review which subject lines get higher open rates
• Check which content generates clicks
• Identify optimal sending times based on open patterns
• Learn what messaging resonates with your audience

• Remove consistently bouncing addresses
• Focus on engaged recipients for future targeted emails
• Update contact information for hard bounces

• Keep records of what was sent and to whom
• Track unsubscribe patterns to adjust sending frequency
• Document delivery issues for customer support

1. Navigate to your organisation's Mail section
2. Find sent emails in the history
3. Click the activity icon to view engagement metrics
4. Report includes an additional "Event" column showing which event each email relates to (if applicable)

• Keep concise and descriptive
• Include event name for multi-event organisations
• Use action-oriented language for urgent updates
• Example: "Important: Tomorrow's Performance Start Time Changed"

• Lead with the most important information
• Use clear, plain language
• Break up text with headings and lists
• Include relevant contact information
• Add links to helpful resources

• Send time-sensitive updates as soon as possible
• Avoid sending late at night (consider recipient time zones)
• For multi-date events, send date-specific emails 24-48 hours before
• Respect the 15-minute minimum between emails

• Use headings to structure content hierarchically
• Ensure sufficient colour contrast for text
• Don't rely solely on colour to convey meaning
• Keep paragraphs short and scannable

• Always include descriptive alt text (via image properties)
• Don't embed critical information only in images
• Ensure images are hosted reliably

• Use descriptive link text (not "click here")
• Example: "View the venue access guide" instead of "Click here"

• Focus on event logistics, updates, and essential information
• Save promotional content for marketing-specific recipient lists
• When in doubt, test with AI validation
• Keep records of what you've communicated

• Only email when you have something valuable to share
• Respect the 15-minute rate limit
• Monitor unsubscribe rates (high rates may indicate over-emailing)
• Respond promptly to replies (your email is the reply-to address)

• All recipients in your selected group have unsubscribed
• Choose a different recipient group
• Check if you've selected any attendees/dates/member types

• Wait the full 15 minutes before sending another email
• Rate limit applies per organisation, not per user
• Use test emails for testing without triggering the limit

• Current body exceeds 10,000 characters
• Embedded images dramatically increase size (use URL images instead)
• Reduce formatting or split into multiple communications
• Subject exceeds 100 characters

• Read the error message carefully
• Remove promotional language or calls to action
• Focus on essential event information
• Consider using marketing recipient lists if appropriate

• Check they haven't unsubscribed (view inactive recipients)
• Verify email addresses are correct in their orders
• Ask recipients to check spam/junk folders
• Confirm your test email arrived successfully

1. Try sending a test email to yourself first
2. Review the compliance guidelines carefully
3. Check your organisation's email sending history
4. Contact Seaty support with specific error messages

• Include your event or organisation's branding and colours
• Automatically include unsubscribe links as required by law
• Are delivered typically within minutes

• Attendees Section: View all attendees and their email addresses
• Feed Section: See order history including customer contact details
• Members Section: Manage organisation members who can receive emails
• User Account Preferences: Recipients manage their email preferences here