Skip to main content
Before sending emails or SMS messages to your contacts, you should always send a test to verify formatting, content, and delivery. This guide shows you how to send test messages from different areas of the HoopAI platform and how to troubleshoot common test failures.

​
Send a test email

​
From the email builder

1

Open your email template

Go to Marketing > Emails and open the template you want to test, or create a new one.
2

Click the test button

In the email builder toolbar, click Send Test Email.
3

Enter a recipient address

Type the email address where you want to receive the test. You can enter multiple addresses separated by commas.
4

Review and send

Click Send. The test email is sent immediately using your configured email provider (default Hoop email or custom SMTP).
Send test emails to multiple email providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo) to check how your formatting renders across different email clients.

​
From a workflow

1

Open the workflow

Go to Automation > Workflows and open the workflow containing an email action.
2

Select the email action

Click on the Send Email action step in the workflow builder.
3

Use the test option

Click Test Action in the action settings panel. Select a test contact from your contact list — this contact’s data will populate any merge fields in the email.
4

Send the test

Click Send Test. The email is sent to the selected contact’s email address. To send it to yourself instead, temporarily update the test contact’s email to your own.

​
Send a test SMS

​
From conversations

1

Open a test conversation

Navigate to Conversations and open a conversation with a test contact. If you do not have a test contact, create one with your own mobile number.
2

Type your message

Enter the SMS message you want to test in the message input field.
3

Send the message

Click Send. The SMS is delivered to the contact’s phone number through your configured phone number in Hoop.

​
From a workflow

1

Open the workflow

Go to Automation > Workflows and open the workflow containing an SMS action.
2

Select the SMS action

Click on the Send SMS action step.
3

Test the action

Click Test Action, select a test contact, and click Send Test. The SMS is sent to the contact’s phone number on file.
Test SMS messages count against your regular SMS usage. If you are on a limited plan, be mindful of how many test messages you send.

​
Verifying delivery

After sending a test, verify that it was delivered successfully:
ChannelWhere to checkWhat to look for
EmailYour inbox (and spam/junk folder)Correct formatting, merge field values populated, links working, images loading
SMSYour phoneMessage received, content displays correctly, no truncation, links clickable
Workflow logsAutomation > Workflows > Execution HistoryStatus shows Completed without errors

​
Common test failures

Check your spam or junk folder first. If using custom SMTP, verify the connection under Settings > Email Services > SMTP. Send a test email from the SMTP settings page to isolate whether the issue is with the SMTP connection or the email template.
Confirm the test contact has a valid mobile phone number with the correct country code. Check Conversations for a delivery status on the sent message. If the status is Failed, review the error code — see the SMS delivery failures guide for details.
If your test email or SMS displays {{contact.name}} instead of the actual name, the test contact may be missing data for that field. Open the contact record and confirm the relevant fields are populated.
Different email clients render HTML differently. If formatting looks wrong in one client but fine in another, simplify your email design. Avoid complex CSS layouts and always include a plain-text fallback.
The Test Action button is only available when the workflow is in Draft or Active status. If the workflow is locked or disabled, re-enable it first. You must also have a contact selected for the test.
Last modified on March 5, 2026