Email Block Builder and The Unique Single Event Block and Event List Block

Building an Email in ListSend: Email Builder Walkthrough

Overview

The ListSend email builder is the same regardless of how you access it. You'll use the same interface whether you're creating a one-time campaign, an automation, or a frequency-triggered automation. The key difference with automations is that certain blocks will pull in live event data at the time the email sends, rather than using a fixed selection.

Step 1: Create a New Campaign

From your dashboard, select New Campaign to open the email builder.

Step 2: Add a Subject Line

The first field at the top of the builder is the Subject Line. Enter the subject line your subscribers will see in their inbox. This field is required before sending.

Step 3: Understand the Block Panel

On the left side of the builder, you'll find the Blocks panel. These are the building blocks of your email. The available blocks are:

• Header -- Adds a heading or title
• Text -- Adds paragraph text
• Image -- Adds an image
• Button -- Adds a call-to-action button
• Divider -- Adds a horizontal line to separate sections
• Spacer -- Adds vertical spacing (adjustable height)
• Single Event Block -- Displays details for one specific event
• Event List Block -- Displays a list of events based on criteria you set

Step 4: Using the Single Event Block

The Single Event Block lets you feature one event with its details.

1. Add the block to your email.

2. In the right panel, use the event selector to choose the event you want to feature. Note: cancelled events will appear in red so you can still reference them if needed.

   Use the Display Options to toggle individual elements on or off:

   • Event image
   • Description
   • Location
   • Date
   • Time
   • Ticket button
3. Customize the Button Text to change what the ticket button says.

4. Use the Button Color setting to change the button's color.

   For recurring events, use the Recurrency Display setting to choose between:

   • First and last date only
   • Show all dates (note: this can get lengthy for events spanning many months)

In automations: When the Single Event Block is used in an automation, it will automatically pull in the event that triggered the automation rather than a manually selected one.

Step 5: Using the Event List Block

The Event List Block dynamically displays multiple events based on criteria you define.

1. Add the block to your email.

   Set your Sort Order:

   • Soonest first

   • Most recently added

     Set your Date Range. You can either:

   • Choose a rolling window (e.g., "next 25 weeks")
   • Select a specific date range (e.g., May 18 through May 24)
2. Set a Max Number of Events to cap how many display.
3. Add Filters to include only events matching certain keywords. (A separate help article covers filters in detail)

4. Choose whether to include or exclude cancelled events.

   Use the Display Options to toggle:

   • Event image
   • Event title
   • Description (off by default to keep the list compact)
   • Location
   • Ticket button

5. Customize the Ticket Button Text.

   Choose your Layout Style:

   • Compact List -- streamlined, minimal detail
   • Full Card -- more information per event
6. Configure how recurring events display within the list.
7. Optionally enable a View All Button and set its color.

Step 6: Preview Your Email

At any point, switch from the Edit tab to the Preview tab to see exactly how your email will appear in subscribers' inboxes.

This is especially useful for checking Event List blocks, since the preview will reflect your current date range settings and show live results (or indicate if no events fall within the selected range).