What should you do after accidentally sending an email with a mistake?

Key findings

• Context matters: The severity of the mistake (e.g., incorrect information versus a formatting glitch) should dictate your response.
• Promptness is key: If a correction is necessary, sending it quickly can mitigate negative impact.
• Potential for engagement: An authentic, well-handled apology or lighthearted correction can sometimes surprisingly increase engagement.
• Overreaction is possible: What seems like a huge error internally might go unnoticed by most recipients, especially if your open rates are low.

Key considerations

• Assess the impact: Determine how many recipients saw the mistake and its potential consequences, for instance, if it was an accidental large send.
• Review company policy: Understand any internal guidelines for handling such errors.
• Weigh the pros and cons of an apology: An apology email might draw more attention to a minor issue or could be seen as clutter.
• Protect sender reputation: Repeated mistakes or poorly handled corrections can impact your domain's trust with ISPs. Learning how to re-engage inactive subscribers can be a valuable lesson from such incidents.

Key opinions

• Leverage for engagement: Some marketers view an accidental send as an opportunity to boost engagement with a follow-up, sometimes humorous, correction.
• Apology for higher open rates: An apology email can sometimes achieve higher open rates than typical campaigns, as it piques curiosity.
• Ignore minor issues: If the mistake is small or likely unnoticed by the majority, many suggest ignoring it to avoid drawing further attention.
• Consumer trust is paramount: Any action taken should reinforce, not erode, the recipient's trust in your brand.

Key considerations

• Audience perception: Consider how your specific audience will react to a correction versus silence. A well-crafted apology can build goodwill.
• Frequency of errors: If mistakes are frequent, apologies can lose their impact and signal carelessness, potentially affecting your email deliverability.
• Content of the apology: If an apology is sent, it should be clear, concise, and ideally offer the corrected information or action.
• Learning from mistakes: Use the incident as an opportunity to review and improve your pre-send checklist to prevent future errors.

Key opinions

• Prioritize serious errors: Only significant mistakes (e.g., wrong pricing, broken links impacting conversions) truly warrant a follow-up.
• Deliverability impact is minimal for isolated incidents: A single formatting error typically won't impact your sender reputation or lead to blocklisting.
• Focus on prevention: Experts highlight the importance of thorough pre-send checks to minimize errors.
• Transparency can build trust: For major errors, a transparent and humble apology can reinforce customer loyalty.

Key considerations

• Avoid 'scummy' tactics: Intentionally sending an error to gain open rates is generally frowned upon as it erodes trust.
• Assess actual impact vs. perceived impact: What feels like a huge blunder to the sender may be barely noticed by recipients.
• Reputation is a long game: Continual, minor errors, even if ignored individually, can chip away at sender reputation over time, potentially leading to blocklisting.
• Monitoring tools: Use tools like DMARC and blocklist monitoring to track your sending health, especially after any unusual sending activity.

Key findings

• Recall features: Some email clients (e.g., Outlook, Gmail within a short window) offer 'recall' or 'undo send' features for individual emails, though this is generally not applicable to mass email campaigns.
• Follow-up for corrections: Most marketing platforms recommend sending a concise follow-up email if critical information was incorrect or missing.
• Apology for major issues: A formal apology is advised when the mistake impacts user trust, financial transactions, or legal compliance.
• Focus on the solution: Correction emails should clearly state the mistake and provide the correct information or link, minimizing further confusion.

Key considerations

• Platform capabilities: Understand your email service provider's features for error handling and suppression.
• Legal and compliance: If sensitive or incorrect legal/financial information was sent, specific legal or compliance actions may be required beyond a simple apology. This could involve understanding sender requirements for major ISPs.
• User experience: Prioritize clarity and avoid further confusion when sending corrections, similar to how Gmail's subscription management aims for simplicity.