Email Copy QA Checklist: Kill the AI Slop Before You Hit Send

Kill the AI slop before you hit send: a one‑page Email QA checklist and human‑review workflow

Hook: You can crank out dozens of emails with AI in minutes — and still watch open rates and conversions slip because the copy sounds generic, off‑brand, or worse: like a bot. In 2026 the problem isn’t speed, it’s structure. This guide gives you a one‑page Email QA checklist and a tight human‑review workflow so your team catches AI slop, protects inbox performance, and scales with confidence.

Why this matters now (the 2026 context)

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw two clear trends that make email QA non‑negotiable:

• Industry backlash against "slop": Merriam‑Webster named slop (low‑quality AI content) its 2025 Word of the Year — a cultural signal that audiences notice generic AI output.
• Inbox signals and regulation: ESPs and mailbox providers are prioritizing authentic engagement. At the same time, regulators and industry groups increased emphasis on AI transparency and human oversight, making documented QA workflows a competitive and compliance advantage.

The result: teams that rely on raw AI output without structure risk lower opens, higher unsubscribes, deliverability issues, and weakened brand trust.

Top‑level prescription (inverted pyramid)

If you do only three things today, do these:

1. Ship a one‑page Email QA checklist to every sender and require a completed sign‑off before scheduling.
2. Standardize a short human‑review workflow with assigned roles (Writer, Editor, Deliverability, Legal, Final Approver).
3. Improve briefs and prompts so AI outputs start closer to final copy — less rework, fewer surprises in the inbox.

The one‑page Email QA checklist (printable, copyable, use as a pre‑send gate)

This checklist fits on a single A4/letter page. Keep a copy in your ESP template, a shared Google Doc, or your project management card. The reviewer checks each box and adds notes for any failures.

Header: Basic info

• Campaign: ____________________________
• Audience / Segment: ___________________
• Send date / Time: _____________________
• Reviewer: ____________________________

Pre‑send checklist (check = pass / flag = action)

1. Deliverability & Technical
   • [ ] From name + reply‑to are verified and match brand policy
   • [ ] SPF, DKIM, DMARC checks passed for sending domain
   • [ ] All links point to approved domains; tracking parameters present
   • [ ] No broken images or missing alt text (alt text present for every image)
2. Subject / Preview / Preheader
   • [ ] Subject is unique vs last 10 sends to same segment
   • [ ] Preview text complements subject (not duplicate)
   • [ ] No spammy trigger words in subject or preheader
3. Brand & Tone
   • [ ] Voice matches brand anchors (examples below)
   • [ ] Avoids generic, templated AI phrasing (see red flag list)
   • [ ] Uses brand‑approved words and avoids forbidden terms
4. Personalization & Data
   • [ ] Personalization tokens resolved in test sends
   • [ ] No awkward grammar from missing tokens (e.g., "Hi ,")
   • [ ] Segmentation aligns with offer and privacy rules
5. Offer & CTA
   • [ ] Offer stated clearly in first 2–3 sentences
   • [ ] Single primary CTA; secondary CTAs are non‑competing
   • [ ] CTA link tracked and points to correct landing page
6. Factual Accuracy & Compliance
   • [ ] Dates, pricing, and legal terms checked
   • [ ] No unverifiable claims or misleading statements
   • [ ] Required disclosures present (privacy, unsub info)
7. Originality & Human Touch
   • [ ] Contains at least one specific detail, example, or anecdote
   • [ ] Removes AI filler phrases (see red flag list)
   • [ ] Read‑aloud test: sounds like a human when read aloud
8. Accessibility & Mobile
   • [ ] Short lines, readable font sizes, and clear contrast
   • [ ] Images have descriptive alt text
   • [ ] Buttons are finger‑friendly on mobile
9. Performance Safeguards
   • [ ] Campaign includes measurement hooks (UTM, event tags)
   • [ ] Backup plain‑text version available
   • [ ] Rollout plan: seed list + ramp vs immediate blast

Red flag list (quick scan — immediate rewrite if any appear)

• "As an AI language model" or apologetic self‑references
• Overused phrases: "cutting‑edge", "game‑changer", "in today's fast‑paced world"
• Vague timelines ("soon", "shortly") without specific dates
• Bulkiness: paragraphs longer than 3 lines in mobile preview
• Generic CTA anchors: "Learn more" when offer is specific

Quick pass/fail rule: If an email could be copy‑pasted into five other campaigns with minimal edits, it fails the originality check.

Human‑review workflow: roles, timing, and sign‑offs

Structure beats chaos. Below is a compact workflow for teams that need speed without sacrificing quality. Turn it into a five‑step checklist in your project manager and require a completed sign‑off before scheduling.

1. Draft phase — AI operator / writer (T‑72 to T‑48 hours)

• Use the improved brief (template below) to generate initial copy via AI. Aim for a near‑final output: include audience cues, examples, brand anchors, CTA URL, and required legal lines.
• Run an internal pass for personalization tokens and link accuracy.

2. Editor pass — voice & factual check (T‑48 to T‑24 hours)

• Editor executes the one‑page checklist. Mark each item pass/fail and add inline comments.
• Replace any canned AI phrases with brand language and at least one original anecdote or stat.

3. Deliverability check — tech owner (T‑24 to T‑8 hours)

• Confirm authentication, seed tests, and spam filter previews. Consider ramped sends or seed lists for new creative.
• Flag anything that could trigger higher complaint rates (misleading subject, surprise charges).

4. Legal/comms / compliance (T‑24 to T‑8 hours, parallel)

• Quick scan for regulated claims, pricing errors, and required disclosures. Prioritize speed: a 15‑minute review window with checklist items is usually sufficient. For legal teams that treat documents as code, see Docs‑as‑Code for Legal Teams to tie reviews and audit trails to your CI/CD.

5. Final approver & sign‑off (T‑8 to T‑1 hours)

• Final approver confirms all checklist boxes, posts sign‑off in the campaign card, and schedules send. If any critical item fails, require a re‑run of the workflow.

Timing note: For high‑velocity teams, compress the workflow but keep the sign‑off step mandatory. Document every change so audits and deliverability troubleshooting are faster.

Better briefs and prompts: stop garbage in → garbage out

AI is a force multiplier when the input is disciplined. Swap your open‑ended prompts for a short, structured brief that becomes part of your campaign record.

One‑page brief template (copy into your template library)

• Campaign name & goal: (e.g., "Spring Sale — drive 3% revenue lift")
• Audience: (segment, behavioral triggers, excluded lists)
• Primary CTA / URL: (exact link and UTM)
• Funnel stage & tone: (Awareness: friendly, curious. Retention: direct, grateful.)
• Brand anchors (2–4 words): (e.g., "practical, witty, expert")
• Forbidden words & phrases: (list exact terms to avoid)
• Required facts / data points: (pricing, deadlines, guarantees)
• Deliverability constraints: (no URL shorteners, seed list required)
• KPIs: (open rate, CTR, revenue per send, complaint target)

Prompt examples: make AI outputs cleaner

Feed the brief into the prompt and include style examples. Here’s a short pattern:

"Write a 150–180 word marketing email for [Audience]. Tone: [Anchor words]. Start with a specific detail or customer example. Avoid the phrases [forbidden]. Include a single CTA with this URL. End with a warm sign‑off that matches our brand."

When the AI returns options, immediately run the one‑page checklist — don’t assume quality because the prose is smooth.

Sanitizing AI output: practical editing rules

Below are quick operations an editor should perform on every AI draft. These are low effort and high impact.

• Remove Canned Openers: Replace generic openings with a specific hook (customer name, data point, or product detail).
• Trim to a single idea: If an email contains more than one primary ask, split it into two campaigns.
• Inject a human detail: Add a one‑sentence anecdote, quote, or concrete example unique to the brand.
• Enforce readability: Shorten long sentences, use bullets for steps, and ensure paragraphs are scannable on mobile.
• Swap canned CTAs: Use specific CTAs ("Reserve my spot" vs "Learn more") that reflect intent.

AI detection, authenticity signals, and deliverability in 2026

In 2026, AI detection are better but imperfect. The safe play is to assume your audience can sense generic AI voice even if detectors can’t. To protect inbox performance:

• Use authentic, verifiable details: dates, names, product SKUs, or internal stats.
• A/B test humanized vs raw AI outputs on small seed lists before full rollout.
• Seed list A/B: 2% of list — humanized email vs AI raw output. Document human review steps to prove oversight in case of regulatory questions.

Remember Jay Schwedelson’s observation: AI‑sounding language correlates with lower engagement. That’s not a ghost story — it’s a measurable risk. Treat authenticity as a KPI.

Red flag patterns and automated scans

Automate low‑effort flagging inside your CMS or pre‑send QA tool. Here are patterns to detect and what to do when they appear.

Detectable patterns

• Repeating transition words (e.g., "furthermore", "moreover") — flag for rewrite.
• Phrases like "in today's fast‑paced world" or "cutting‑edge" — replace with concrete benefit.
• Excessive use of qualifiers: "may", "could", "might" — verify facts or reword.
• Missing personalization tokens — block send until resolved.

Automated actions

• Highlight token placeholders in red for manual fix.
• Flag and route messages with more than X generic phrases to the editor queue.
• Fail sends if authentication check returns errors.

Experimentation and measurement: keep improving

QA isn’t a single gate; it’s a learning loop. Use small, safe experiments to measure the real impact of humanization.

• Seed list A/B: 2% of list — humanized email vs AI raw output. Compare opens, CTR, conversion, and spam complaints.
• Ramp vs blast: For new creative, start with a 10% send and hold 90% until performance confirms no deliverability regression.
• Scoreboard: Track weekly metrics for emails that passed QA vs those that didn’t, and report trends to the team.

Use these experiments to refine your one‑page checklist: add new red flags and update the brief template as patterns emerge.

Case study (compact, experience‑driven example)

Example: a mid‑sized publisher tested a humanized subject and one specific anecdote vs raw AI copy on a 5% seed. Result: a 12% relative lift in CTR and 25% fewer unsubscribes over three sends. The team attributed the improvement to a tight brief (audience cues + forbidden list) and a mandatory editor sign‑off. They rolled the checklist into all campaigns and avoided two deliverability issues in the next quarter.

Quick templates & plug‑and‑play assets

Fail/pass examples (short)

• Fail subject: "Don’t miss out on our latest updates!" — Generic, low signal. Pass subject: "Save 20% on your favorite [product name] — today only" — Specific, timebound.
• Fail opener: "In today’s fast‑paced world, customers need solutions." — Generic. Pass opener: "Last week, 130 creators used our new template and cut content time in half." — Concrete social proof.

Sign‑off micro‑template (brandable)

"Cheers, [First name] — [role] P.S. [one‑line benefit, link]"

Operational tips (keep this in your SOP)

• Keep the one‑page checklist under 2 minutes to complete.
• Make the checklist mandatory for every campaign; automate a gating rule in your scheduler.
• Keep a short audit log: who reviewed what and when (use comments in the ESP or a single Google Sheet).
• Rotate editors monthly to avoid groupthink and stale phrasing.

Common objections and quick rebuttals

• "We don’t have time for review." — A two‑minute checklist avoids hours of troubleshooting and protects revenue. Start with high‑risk campaigns and scale.
• "AI is already optimizing for engagement." — AI optimizes for the dataset it was trained on, not your brand voice or latest promotion. Human context matters.
• "We tested AI vs human; results vary." — Test with seed lists, measure long‑term engagement and complaint rates, and focus on authenticity as a KPI.

Actionable takeaways

• Adopt the one‑page Email QA checklist as a pre‑send gate today.
• Implement a short, documented human‑review workflow with assigned roles and timing.
• Improve briefs and prompts: specificity prevents AI slop before it starts.
• Run small A/B seed experiments to validate that humanized copy protects inbox performance.

Next steps & call to action

If you want the ready‑to‑use assets: download our free one‑page Email QA checklist, brief template, and a prebuilt sign‑off workflow that integrates with major ESPs. Put the templates into practice this week: pick your next scheduled send, run the checklist, and compare metrics on a small seed list.

Protect your inbox performance before you hit send. Download the checklist, train one reviewer, and make QA non‑negotiable.

Ready to get the templates and a 15‑minute onboarding call to implement this in your stack? Click through to grab the pack and schedule a slot with our workflow team.

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