Issue #230 All About Email

Hi, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋

Welcome to Issue #230 of All About Email!

Last week was a bit of a rare self-indulgence, but I know you will find it valuable to see how I am growing my newsletter organically, with LinkedIn as a primary channel.

This week is all about Preflight, a new email preview tool, and so much more that I am very excited about!

Let’s go! 👇

Last week, I shared a custom dashboard of my subscriber data and engagement for LinkedIn, which is currently my biggest growth channel for this newsletter.

However, I made a rookie error and noticed Beehiiv was stripping some of my HTML code, so I quickly rebuilt the dashboard as a web page and then fixed some mobile issues (thanks, Pavel).

So if you missed it, make sure to check out last week’s newsletter for context.

🚨 PreFlight sponsors this issue of All About Email (thank you again, Mark), but the timing is coincidental, and the email content is NOT sponsored, and there are no affiliate links.

Confused, {{first_name|friend}}? 😂

Basically, these thoughts and opinions on Preflight are entirely my own, and Preflight has not paid me to write this (Mark agreed to sponsor this newsletter before launching the product).

Let’s go! 👇

If you build or send emails for a living, you’ll know the routine:

Suddenly you’re checking dark mode, accessibility, deliverability signals, device previews… and wondering if something obvious has slipped through the cracks. 🫠

That’s exactly the problem Preflight is trying to solve.

Preflight is a new email quality assurance tool created by Mark Connell. It’s an alternative to tools like Litmus, Email on Acid, or Inbox Monster.

💡 It’s aimed squarely at developers and marketing teams who want a faster, more structured way to test emails before hitting send.

And importantly, it’s evolving quickly; Mark is constantly making changes, so by the time you read this, there will most likely be something new. 🎉

At its core, Preflight brings several key testing layers into one workflow.

You can run accessibility checks, generate device screenshots, and run a delivery audit to flag potential issues before your email reaches the inbox.

The tool is currently available in English and Spanish, and the pricing structure is refreshingly simple ($49 per month).

One interesting part of the platform is the Dispatches section, which acts like a public development log where new features and updates are shared as they’re built.

🎉 One of the more notable additions is “Test Your Email in Forced Dark Mode.”

Email accessibility advocate Mark Robbins inspired that concept and focuses on achieving a strong accessibility baseline for your campaigns.

🚀 A standout detail is how Preflight handles previews. Instead of relying purely on simulations, Preflight uses real devices to generate email previews.

That approach tends to produce more accurate rendering results across different environments.

Anyone who has debugged email clients long enough will know that simulations can sometimes miss things.

If you prefer not to read the rest of this email, I made a video walkthrough and demo of the platform:

Signing in is simple. Preflight uses Magic Link authentication, so there’s no traditional password flow.

Once you’re inside, the dashboard shows your recently tested emails along with a default folder for audits.

💡 It’s a clean interface and, at the moment, might look a bit sparse and plain; however, the upside is that it’s easy to find what you need.

There are currently three ways to add an email for testing:

• Send an email directly to Preflight
• Upload an .EML file
• Paste the HTML manually

One limitation at the moment is that emails can’t yet be moved between folders, but given the pace of development, I suspect that will change.

Once your email is submitted, Preflight processes it on the server and generates results.

This includes rendering previews, accessibility checks, and delivery diagnostics.

🚨 At the moment (especially for longer emails), the last two checks can be slow, especially the final check:

When the analysis is complete, Preflight presents a breakdown of results.

You’ll see mobile previews, a list of detected issues, and a structured overview of the audit.

Many of the issues are clickable, which makes it easier to drill into the specific problem areas.

Preflight also looks at delivery signals.

This includes checking DKIM values, sender policies, and other indicators that might affect inbox placement.

While it’s not a full deliverability monitoring platform, it provides a useful snapshot of overall email health.

💡 DMARC checks are on the roadmap.

Once an audit is complete, you can generate shareable links.

✅ This makes it easy to share results with colleagues, designers, or clients without requiring them to log in to the platform.

For teams collaborating on campaigns, this could save a lot of back-and-forth.

Preflight also includes visual contrast checks and forced dark mode previews.

This helps identify common issues like:

• Logos disappearing in dark mode
• Poor text contrast
• Background colour conflicts

💪 Given how unpredictable dark mode rendering can be across clients, this is a particularly useful addition.

Preflight is still early in its lifecycle, but it’s moving fast.

The focus on speed, accessibility, and real device previews makes it a promising addition to the email testing ecosystem.

If you’re curious, Preflight is currently offering a 5-day free trial, which is a good way to explore the platform and see how it fits into your workflow.

❤️ It’ll be interesting to watch how it develops from here, and personally, I’m loving it so far! Based on my feedback, Mark has already implemented:

So if you do take Preflight for a spin, make sure you give Mark your feedback so he can improve it further.

That’s it for this week, {{first_name|friend}}. 👋

Every week, as I write this newsletter, I'll share the track of the moment to create an unbelievably eclectic playlist just for your inbox.

🚨 If you’re interested in sponsoring the “All About Email” newsletter, you can find all the details in this Google Doc.

This week's excellent and insightful email news & tips:

If you have any questions about this email or email marketing, please reply, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

I hope you have a great week! 👋