Our Squarespace Email Campaigns Course scores 8.9 on Coursemarks

Our email marketing course, "Learn How to Design in Squarespace Email Campaigns," has just been awarded one of the highest honours we could wish for: an 8.9 out of 10 review on Coursemarks, putting it firmly in the top 20% of all courses listed on Udemy.

Amidst the crowded field of digital training, where anyone can record a tutorial and upload it, real recognition stands out. Coursemarks is one of the largest independent course review platforms, home to 94,000+ digital training courses and tens of thousands of verified student reviews every year. Only a small slice of that competition ever makes it above the 8.5 mark, fewer still break into the top fifth. So when Dr. Michael Curtis of Coursemarks wrote, “Your course has just been rated 8.9/10. Your course is in the TOP 20% of 94,680 courses! We are truly impressed,” it felt like the training equivalent of receiving a gold star from the teacher, complete with a shiny sticker.

But enough trumpet blowing. Why does this matter for you, and what can you actually do with this information? If you’ve ever found yourself stuck spending hours tweaking a half-broken email template or accidentally sending an old test message to your entire client list, this is for you.

Now, let's look at why so many people struggle with Squarespace Email Campaigns and how to escape the misery with a precise, step-by-step approach that actually works.

Why This Matters

This is the situation. Email marketing is still the most cost-effective way for small businesses, freelancers, and side hustlers to keep an audience engaged and, crucially, bring in sales. You want something polished, professional, and on-brand landing in inboxes, not an accidental tribute to 1998’s finest HTML newsletters.

The trouble starts the moment you try to move from “quick announcement” to “actual marketing.” Suddenly, you're wrestling with half-baked design formats, mismatched colours, dodgy fonts, and mailing lists that read like a spreadsheet haunted by old ghosts. You know the drill: hours spent resizing headers, frantic Googling about where to insert a logo, and growing suspicion there must be a simpler way.

Every minute lost to technical faff or ugly formatting is wasted time and lowers your credibility. Badly formatted emails, unreadable on mobile, delivered from a ratty test address, or copied over from yesterday’s draft, make your brand look worse than doing nothing at all.

Most people who attempt Squarespace Email Campaigns without a plan waste untold hours and lose engagement before their message is even read. That self-sabotage undermines your marketing efforts.

Common Pitfalls

Let’s clear the air: most of the chaos doesn’t come from gigantic blunders. It’s a parade of small, repeated missteps that slowly drive your open rates and sanity into the ground.

1. “It’s Just Like Mailchimp, Isn’t It?”
   Many arrive in Squarespace expecting it to behave exactly like Mailchimp or Constant Contact. It doesn’t. The workflow is more streamlined but less forgiving if you expect the same buttons and behaviours.

2. Ignoring the Basics of Design
   The bulk of rookie emails fail on design, not content. Too many fonts. Inconsistent colours. Spacing that makes your message look like a ransom note. Most people jump straight to writing and never set up a branded template.

3. Mailing List Nightmares
   Few things put a lump in your throat like sending a campaign and finding it went to an outdated list, the wrong audience segment, or a pile of duplicate entries. Bulk imports are risky: when they work, you get great results; when they don’t, chaos ensues.

4. “It Looked Fine When I Sent It…”
   Previewing on desktop and assuming it’ll look the same on your subscriber’s mobile. The reality is, it probably won’t.

5. Testing on the Wrong List
   Sending test emails to yourself, clicking send, and realising one of your best clients was already on the “test” group. Unsubscribe. Ouch.

Each of these mistakes chips away at your confidence and drains your time. Fortunately, the right setup can prevent all of them.

Step-by-Step Fix

Here is a practical, targeted sequence for building, designing, managing, and launching successful Squarespace Email Campaigns. You don’t need to be a graphic designer or seasoned email marketer. Just follow the process.

Step 1: Set Up Your Workspace

Get your bearings first.

Start by opening Squarespace, then jump to the Email Campaigns dashboard. Familiarity here saves hours later. What looks like a simple menu holds the keys to everything: templates, lists, and campaign history.

• Take a moment to scan what tools are available (Campaigns, Mailing Lists, Reports).
• Click through the starter templates. This isn’t wasted time. It’s reconnaissance.
• Decide whether you're starting fresh or bringing contacts from another system.

Step 2: Build a Branded Template

Don’t just use the default.

The easiest upgrade for your campaigns is to set up a branded template before you write a single email. Templates carry your colour palette, logo, and preferred fonts through every message, so your comms look professional by default.

• Choose a template that resembles your site or brand. Don’t pick at random—look for structure, not just a flashy hero image.
• Upload your logo at the exact size it appears on your website.
• Set your brand colours for headers, buttons, and backgrounds.
• Edit font choices to match your site’s style. Stick to a maximum of two different fonts.

Example:
If your website uses a clean, navy-and-white scheme with Arial headers, replicate those choices exactly in the template. This makes your emails look like an extension of your site, not an afterthought.

Step 3: Map Out Your Email Content

Plan the bones before the body.

Before writing, draw a quick plan for this campaign. Outline your objective—what do you want the reader to do? Set three simple building blocks:

• Headline (clear purpose: New product? Company update? Flash sale?)
• Main content (the actual message, tightly written)
• Call to action (button, link, or reply)

Structure keeps your campaign readable on any device, especially when clever design turns into a jumble on mobile screens.

Step 4: Manage and Import Your Mailing List

Handle contacts the right way from the start.

Sloppy list management is a guaranteed headache. Clean, segment, and import your contacts carefully.

• Gather contacts in one spreadsheet (preferably CSV format).
• Ensure columns are clearly labelled: First Name, Last Name, Email Address. No stray formatting, no odd text blocks.
• Use Squarespace’s batch import tool in the Email Campaigns dashboard. Check the list preview—multiple times if needed.
• Remove duplicates and anyone who has unsubscribed in the past.

Example:
You have three separate lists in Excel: “OldClients2019”, “Newsletter Only”, and “Event Signups.” Combine them into one master sheet, clear out incomplete emails or outdated contacts, deduplicate, and then import.

Step 5: Craft and Send Your Test Campaign

Don’t assume; test everything.

Never send your first draft. Use the built-in preview and “Send test email” tool for every campaign.

• Preview on both desktop and mobile. Scroll through and check that text spacing, images, and buttons work on all devices.
• Double-check links, especially call-to-action buttons. Broken links are more common than you might expect.
• If the email looks suspiciously plain or overcrowded, revisit your template edit step.
• Only send to your main list after sending and reviewing the test from at least two different email providers (e.g., Gmail and Outlook).

Step 6: Review Performance and Tidy Up

After sending, the job isn’t over.

Check the campaign report for open rates, clicks, and unsubscribes. Learn what worked and what underperformed.

• Archive the final email and template as a reference.
• Tag your mailing lists with notes for future segmenting (e.g., “Interested in workshops,” “Black Friday offer”).
• Remove bounced or inactive addresses monthly.

What Most People Miss

Most new users pour energy into content and overlook how much subtle design decisions influence the outcome. Consistent colours, generous white space, and strong buttons help you build legitimacy with your audience before they’ve read a word.

It's also crucial to segment your list before importing. Targeted messages to smaller, precise groups get double the clicks of untargeted blasts. Early hours spent sorting contacts pay dividends every time you hit send.

Also, never rely solely on desktop previews. Emails that look great on your laptop often fall apart on mobile. Always check both.

The Bigger Picture

By getting this process right, you avoid last-minute template disasters and painful mailout mistakes.

• Time saved: You’ll spend less time on the basics and more on content that actually brings in business.
• Brand trust: People know what to expect from you. A well-designed email beats an unintentional “reply-all” any day.
• Room to grow: As your list grows, you can segment with confidence, run targeted offers, and learn what works for your audience.
• Less firefighting: Instead of fixing problems on the fly, you’ll be able to plan ahead, with all your templates ready whenever you need them.

Plus, improving at Squarespace Email Campaigns gives you skills useful across every digital channel. Consistency, design sense, and solid list management pay off from newsletters to product launches.

Looking Ahead: More Courses & New Academy Campus

There’s a lot more to explore. Alongside our email marketing masterclass, we’re building a suite of hands-on courses covering regular Squarespace challenges: from pricing strategy, Photoshop basics, and copying over content from legacy sites, to future-proofing your site build.

Even better, the all-new Pixelhaze Academy Campus is launching soon. It's a central hub for creative pros ready to ditch the fluff and focus on results. Expect step-by-step training, weekly workshops, and direct support.

Stay tuned. You’ll find practical help in your inbox shortly.

Wrap-Up

You don’t need to dread your next email campaign or fumble around with messy templates. The difference between a forgettable email and one that wins you clients is all about process, not luck. Set up your workspace, design a reusable template, know your lists inside out, and check every email before you send it.

Small improvements add up. Every tweak to your design or list management now saves hours and spares you embarrassment later.

Want more step-by-step systems and shortcuts? Join Pixelhaze Academy for free at https://www.pixelhaze.academy/membership.

If you want to see why our course landed in the top 20% on Udemy, take a look. You'll be taking the pain out of digital marketing, one campaign at a time.