{"Status":true,"Message":"","Response":{"post":{"postuid":"8b6b5fbc-775d-4b1d-a5aa-15113b710f3d","tenantuid":"d8b744fc-2e70-4089-bb80-dd1d08f6c7b2","projectuid":"239698c5-f7eb-4574-8cc8-c6568f08b3a0","title":"How to Test with Seed Segments","slug":"article/how-to-test-with-seed-segments","html":"\u003Cp\u003EA seed segment is a small, trusted group of contacts \u2014 typically members of your marketing team or internal stakeholders \u2014 used to preview and validate scheduled emails and text messages before they reach your full audience. By sending to a seed segment first, your team can review content, check personalization, verify links, and catch errors before a message goes live.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022what_is_a_seed_segment\u0022\u003EWhat is a seed segment?\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA seed segment is a \u003Ca href=\u0022/article/l0k4jxv6fj-create-or-edit-a-segment\u0022\u003Estatic segment\u003C/a\u003E containing a handful of known, internal contacts. These are people on your team who can review the message as it will appear to real recipients \u2014 including subject lines, personalization merge tags, images, and call-to-action links.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESeed segments serve two purposes:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EPre-send review:\u003C/b\u003E Schedule the message to your seed segment first. Team members receive the actual message in their inbox or on their phone and can flag any issues before you send to the full audience.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EOngoing monitoring:\u003C/b\u003E Include the seed segment on every send so your team always has a copy of what went out. This is useful for compliance, record-keeping, or simply keeping stakeholders informed.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ol\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ERecommended\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe recommend creating a dedicated seed segment rather than reusing an existing one. Name it something clear, such as \u0022Internal Review Team\u0022 or \u0022Seed - Marketing Team,\u0022 so it is easy to identify when scheduling.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022step_1_create_a_seed_segment\u0022\u003EStep 1: Create a seed segment\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo create your seed segment, navigate to \u003Ccode\u003EContacts \u0026gt; Create Segment\u003C/code\u003E or use the \u003Ccode\u003E\u002B Create\u003C/code\u003E button on the Segments page.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGive your segment a descriptive name, such as \u0022Seed - Marketing Team.\u0022\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOptionally add a description so other team members understand its purpose.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EClick \u003Ccode\u003ESave\u003C/code\u003E to create the static segment.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENext, \u003Ca href=\u0022/article/yinids3dm8-add-contacts-to-a-static-segment\u0022\u003Eadd your team members as contacts\u003C/a\u003E to this segment. These should be real contacts in DailyStory with valid email addresses and/or mobile numbers, depending on the channels you plan to test.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022warning\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003EWarning\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EContacts in a seed segment must be opted in to receive messages. If a contact is opted out, they will not receive the test send even if they are in the segment.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022step_2_add_the_seed_segment_to_your_campaign\u0022\u003EStep 2: Add the seed segment to your campaign\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBefore you can schedule a message to your seed segment, the segment must be assigned to the \u003Ca href=\u0022/article/tivfba1hb5-campaigns\u0022\u003Ecampaign\u003C/a\u003E containing the message you want to test.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENavigate to your campaign and add the seed segment to the campaign\u0027s segment list. This makes the seed segment available in the scheduler\u0027s segment dropdown when you go to schedule a send.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ERecommended\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf you use the same seed segment across multiple campaigns, you will need to add it to each campaign individually.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022step_3_schedule_a_test_send_to_the_seed_segment\u0022\u003EStep 3: Schedule a test send to the seed segment\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWith your seed segment assigned to the campaign, you are ready to send a test. Open the email or text message you want to test and click \u003Ccode\u003ESchedule\u003C/code\u003E to open the message scheduler.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIn the \u003Cb\u003ESegment\u003C/b\u003E dropdown, select only your seed segment.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESet the date and time. For an immediate test, choose a time a few minutes from now.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EVerify the approximate recipient count matches the number of contacts in your seed segment.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EClick \u003Ccode\u003ESchedule\u003C/code\u003E.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EYour seed segment contacts will receive the message exactly as your full audience would \u2014 with all personalization, merge tags, and formatting applied. For details on scheduling, see \u003Ca href=\u0022/article/b6crj8sfja-scheduling-an-email\u0022\u003EScheduling an Email\u003C/a\u003E or \u003Ca href=\u0022/article/e3stpju18w-sending-a-text-message\u0022\u003ESending and Scheduling Text Messages\u003C/a\u003E.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022step_4_review_and_approve\u0022\u003EStep 4: Review and approve\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce your team receives the test message, review the following:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESubject line and preview text (email)\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPersonalization and merge tags \u2014 confirm they rendered correctly\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAll links \u2014 click each one and verify the destination\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EImages \u2014 confirm they load and display as expected\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EOverall formatting and readability on both desktop and mobile\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMessage content and copy accuracy\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf any issues are found, make the necessary edits to the message and schedule another test send to the seed segment before sending to your full audience.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022step_5_send_to_your_full_audience\u0022\u003EStep 5: Send to your full audience\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAfter your team has reviewed and approved the test, schedule the message to your full audience segments. Open the scheduler again and select the segment(s) for your intended recipients.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ERecommended\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EDailyStory\u0027s\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022/article/wiri8tg34r-email-sending-guardrails\u0022\u003Esending guardrails\u003C/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;ensure that if a contact exists in multiple selected segments, they will only receive the message once.\u0026nbsp; This applies to contacts in your seed segment too.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022including_a_seed_segment_on_every_send\u0022\u003EIncluding a seed segment on every send\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn some cases, you may want your seed segment to receive every scheduled message \u2014 not just test sends. This is common when stakeholders or compliance teams need a copy of every communication that goes out.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo do this, simply include the seed segment alongside your audience segments when scheduling. Select both your seed segment and your target audience segment(s) in the scheduler. Your internal team will receive the same message at the same time as your customers.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ccite class=\u0022recommended\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan class=\u0022title\u0022\u003ERecommended\u003C/span\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen including a seed segment on every send, keep the segment small \u2014 typically no more than five to ten contacts \u2014 to minimize the impact on your send volume and reporting metrics.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/cite\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022best_practices\u0022\u003EBest practices\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EUse real contact records:\u003C/b\u003E Seed contacts should be actual \u003Ca href=\u0022/article/v1v5lti4gf-segments\u0022\u003Econtacts in DailyStory\u003C/a\u003E with valid, working email addresses and phone numbers.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETest across devices:\u003C/b\u003E Have team members check the message on desktop, mobile, and different email clients when possible.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003ETest personalization:\u003C/b\u003E Ensure your seed contacts have realistic data in their contact profiles so merge tags render meaningful values instead of blanks or fallback text.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EKeep the segment maintained:\u003C/b\u003E Update your seed segment when team members join or leave. An outdated seed segment defeats the purpose of testing.\u003C/li\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cb\u003EName it clearly:\u003C/b\u003E A naming convention such as \u0022Seed - [Team Name]\u0022 makes it easy to identify in the scheduler dropdown across all campaigns.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Ch2 id=\u0022frequently_asked_questions\u0022\u003EFrequently Asked Questions\u003C/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBelow are some frequently asked questions about seed segments.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ECan I send a test email or SMS to a seed segment?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENo, the test email functionality only allows sending to a single recipient. If you want to send an email or SMS to a seed segment you\u0027ll need to schedule it as a send to that segment.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\u003Csection class=\u0022faq\u0022\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ECan I send a test email or SMS to more than one recipient?\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Carticle\u003E\u003Cp\u003ENo, currently you can only send a test email or SMS to a single recipient.\u003C/p\u003E\u003C/article\u003E\u003C/section\u003E\r\n\u003Cscript type=\u0022application/ld\u002Bjson\u0022\u003E\r\n{\r\n  \u0022@context\u0022: \u0022https://schema.org\u0022,\r\n  \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022FAQPage\u0022,\r\n  \u0022mainEntity\u0022: [\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Can I send a test email or SMS to a seed segment?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022No, the test email functionality only allows sending to a single recipient. If you want to send an email or SMS to a seed segment you\u0027ll need to schedule it as a send to that segment.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n},\r\n{\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Question\u0022,\r\n    \u0022name\u0022: \u0022Can I send a test email or SMS to more than one recipient?\u0022,\r\n    \u0022acceptedAnswer\u0022: {\r\n    \u0022@type\u0022: \u0022Answer\u0022,\r\n    \u0022text\u0022: \u0022No, currently you can only send a test email or SMS to a single recipient.\u0022\r\n    }\r\n}\r\n    ]\r\n}\r\n\u003C/script\u003E","publish_status":0,"post_type":"Article","featured_image_updating":false,"meta_description":"Preview and validate emails or texts before sending with a seed segment\u2014an internal group for testing content, links, and personalization in DailyStory.","display_toc":true,"has_workingcopy":false,"allow_indexing":true,"sort_order":11,"total_views":59,"date_published":"2026-03-17T22:22:42.747","date_updated":"2026-03-25T17:42:32.01","date_created":"2026-03-17T22:15:19.143"}}}