How to launch a campaign with View Time Optimization (VTO)

Prerequisites

You must have DKIM implemented to use VTO. Learn how to set up DKIM and what a DKIM signature header looks like.

Setting up a campaign

The VTO platform does not take the place of your ESP or other sending platform. You still set up and deploy campaigns as you normally would; VTO gives Yahoo the information necessary to identify your campaign. Make sure you complete VTO campaign setup before deploying your campaign from your ESP or other sending platform.

In VTO, select the New VTO Campaign button at the top right of your screen.

Part 1: Campaign Setup

Once you begin campaign setup, VTO creates a draft of your campaign. If you exit before finishing campaign creation, you can return to your draft at any time to complete the process.

Most terms here are familiar, but please note one slight difference. The parameters for campaign start date and start time, as well as campaign end date and end time, tell Yahoo when to look for your campaign and serve it to your subscribers.

Campaign start date and start time will typically be the same as when you actually deploy your campaign, but end date and end time depend on the purpose of your campaign. For example, if your email is promoting a 72-hour sale, you can end that campaign in VTO at the end of the sale. You’ll decide what happens with any remaining email in the Preferences step.

To identify a campaign as unique, VTO uses DKIM domain and selector, plus a campaign identifier you specify. For most campaigns, we recommend you identify them by subject line.

1. Enter the subject line for your campaign.
2. Choose whether to match on the exact subject line or a partial subject line. If you use personalization in your subject line, a partial match is recommended.

In some cases, you may want to use a different campaign identifier from subject line. In these cases, select Show Advanced Options and follow these additional steps. If you do not need advanced options, skip ahead to step 5.

3. Select a method to identify your campaign. Learn more about campaign identifiers.
   
   Note: For any DKIM/campaign identifier pair, only one campaign can be active with the same DKIM details and campaign run times. You cannot have two campaigns running at the same time sharing the same DKIM details—with one using the X-header and another one using subject line, for example, or with both using the body tag. The exception is if your campaign identifier is the X-header and you use unique values for each key-value pair.
   
   Example: You want to run an A/B test with the same subject line for each version, running at the same time. To successfully use VTO for this test, either you can use X-header as the identifier, with unique values for each version of the campaign, or you can send the two versions from different sending domains. Either option means your DKIM values are different.
   
   
   • Generate a body tag for me: Add this tag anywhere in the body of your email. VTO will use the tag to automatically locate your campaign.
     
     
   • Generate an X-header for me: VTO will generate a key-value pair for your campaign. Work with your ESP to add the X-header to the message headers of your email in the format key: value.
     
     
   • I’ll add a custom X-header: Your ESP may already have an X-header you can use. If so, just tell VTO the key-value pair you will use for your campaign.
     
     
4. Enter a description for your campaign.

From here, the steps are the same.

5. Enter the from address for your campaign in the format sender@domain.com.
6. Select your campaign start date. Then select the clock icon to set your start time.
   Note: Set up your VTO campaign to begin at least three hours after you finish these steps.
7. Select your campaign end date. Then select the clock icon to set your end time.
8. Select your time zone.
9. Select Next at the bottom of the page.

Part 2: Preferences

1. Select your ESP. You’ll also select the DKIM signature selector and signing domain for your campaign. This information helps Yahoo identify your campaign.
   
   If your ESP isn’t listed, you can enter your DKIM information manually. You may need to select this option if you're using a new sending domain
• Select Enter DKIM Information Manually, then enter the DKIM selector and the DKIM signing domain. Learn how to find these values.
2. Decide what happens with undelivered email after your campaign ends. You can choose to deliver to the inbox normally, called “draining,” or discard all undelivered email (for example, if the sale has ended).
   
   Note: Draining uses VTO credits, since the email is still getting delivered. If you discard all undelivered email, the discarded emails will not count against your credits.

Part 3: Finish

Review your campaign details. If VTO has generated an X-header or body tag for you, copy it now. Make sure to insert the X-header into your message headers, or the body tag into your email, before deployment so VTO can identify your campaign.

If any campaign details are incorrect, select Back to correct them. Otherwise, select Finish. This action moves your VTO campaign from Draft to Running.

Once your campaign is set up in VTO, go ahead with your usual deployment process. Every time one of your emails is served to a subscriber, one credit will be charged against your account.

Your subscriber will see the email as you sent it, with no indication that it is part of a VTO campaign. Once the VTO campaign is finished, remaining emails will either be drained into subscriber inboxes using normal delivery or discarded, depending on which option you chose.