Disclaimer: Please note that the original version of this post was published on October 10, 2019, on my previous website, arradesignstudio.com. The current version is from August 2023. Additionally, the Flodesk link is an affiliate link which means I get a commission if you purchase through me, but you’ll get 50% off the first year of your Flodesk subscription too.
Are you new to Flodesk, the emerging email marketing platform that many small business owners and creatives are subscribing to? If so, you may find the following FAQs and quick tips helpful.
Note that as new features are released frequently, this mini FAQ reflects a few common questions and answers as relevant in August 2023. For the latest information, join the Flodesk Insiders Facebook group and regularly consult the Flodesk Help Center articles, too.
#1. When I try to upload my logo in the brand preferences, and I click on the “upload logo”, nothing happens.
If you seem having difficulties uploading your logo or, in general, an image into an image block, log out of Flodesk, clear your browser cache and try it again. Sometimes browser extensions can block the file upload pop-up, so check them too.
Also, as Flodesk is a web app, make sure to regularly update your browser to the latest available version to avoid any hiccups.
#2. Can I set up a double opt-in with Flodesk?
Yes, you can use a double opt-in with your Flodesk forms. One thing to note is that the double opt-in is an account-level feature in Flodesk, so it will be the same experience across all your forms where you enable it. You can’t set unique double opt-ins for individual forms.
#3. How can I resend my campaign emails to subscribers who didn’t open them the first time?
You can resend your emails to unopens after 24 hours of the original email send and if there are any subscribers who haven’t opened it yet. Just hover over the email’s card, click the three dots (…) in the upper right corner, and select ‘Resend to unopens’.
Important: this resend feature will not send the email to any new subscribers who joined your list—and recipient segment—after the original email send.
#4. What are the dimensions of the full-page form image in Flodesk?
Flodesk has various full-page opt-in form templates, and all it comes down to is which one you want to customize.
When selecting images for your forms in general, take into account that some clipping could occur while the image is being uploaded to accommodate the space. Also, depending on the amount of text copy you add to the form, the form image placeholder will dynamically resize itself.
So first, add all the form text copy. Then measure the image placeholder area via a screenshot-grabbing app.
#5. I’m at creating a workflow for an email sequence for an existing segment. For the workflow trigger, it only allows me to choose “when a new subscriber is added…”. Is there a way to run a workflow on an existing segment?
Yes, there is! If you want to send an existing segment of subscribers to your workflow, do the following:
- Create a new segment for the workflow that has no subscribers in it.
- Use this segment as the workflow’s trigger.
- Build the workflow with all the steps you need and publish it.
- Once the workflow is published, bulk-select your existing subscribers and add them to the workflow’s trigger segment. And they will start receiving those emails.
#6. I designed the first email in the workflow and want the rest of the emails to have a similar layout. How can I duplicate that email in the workflow?
Save it as a favourite and then reuse it in your remaining workflow emails.
When you design an email, there’s a heart symbol in the top left corner. When you finish editing your email, click that heart icon to save it to your favorites.
Your favorite emails are stored among all the available email templates. It’s the second option on that list called “My favorites”.
#7. I created a new email in a workflow sequence, but that email doesn’t show up in my main “Emails” tab in Flodesk. How can I get it to show up with my other emails?
Emails created directly in a workflow are not automatically added to the Emails dashboard. But you can add them if you want.
Go to the workflow in edit mode, and select the email to edit it. When the email builder opens, click the heart icon in the top left corner so that the email gets added to your favorites section in your email templates gallery. You can then use it as a template to create any other emails you’d like from your Emails dashboard.
#8. I signed up for my own Flodesk workflow to test it, and I’m not getting the workflow emails. I tried it several times, and no emails are coming at all. What could’ve gone wrong?
A subscriber can’t go through a Flodesk workflow more than once. So, if you’ve tested your workflow with your email address already, it remembers it and won’t resend you those emails. What you have to do is
- remove your email address from the segment, AND
- remove your email address from the workflow.
This resets your record.
Another handy trick you can use is the following: If you add a “+” sign in front of the “@” in your email, you can sign up again. So, for example, if your email is hello@thisismydomain.com. When you want to test a workflow again, use hello+@thisismydomain.com. If you need to test it again, use hello+test@thisismydomain.com. You can add anything after the “+” sign.
#9. Looking at my data from an email sent this week, it shows several people clicked on a link but didn’t open the email. How is that possible?
It sounds like your emails may be clipped in Gmail! People are opening your email, but Gmail isn’t tracking the opens because your emails are clipping.
A: Note that this can also happen in Outlook because, on a desktop, Outlook blocks images unless you right-click and select to download them. Until you download the image, it will register as NOT being opened. Even if you click a link in it.
Also, with the rise of mail privacy protection settings, your open rates may not be accurate anyway.
#10. I’d like to repeat my ribbon sign-up form on my website. I’ve added the embed code twice, but it only shows once on the page. Would I need to duplicate the ribbon vs using the same one/same code?
Flodesk allows you to add the same embedded form in multiple places on a single webpage, but you need to modify the code slightly when adding it the second (third) time. Read about the required steps in this help center article.
#11. If I add a new email to an existing workflow in Flodesk, will my subscribers that have already finished the workflow receive that new email?
No, they won’t. Subscribers who have completed the workflow won’t get any new additions.
If subscribers are still actively going through your workflow steps, consider removing the “Exit step” from the end of the workflow. By removing the Exit step, you prevent subscribers from finishing and completing it, and you can continue building the workflow at any time!
#12. Is it possible to post a video into a Flodesk email?
You can’t embed a video into your Flodesk email in a way that would play the content within the email itself. The best you’re going to get in any email platform is a GIF.
If you want to share a public YouTube or Vimeo video, use the “video block” feature in Flodesk.
Otherwise, take a screenshot of your video’s cover image with a play button on it, and add that image to your email into an “image block”. Then, link the image to your actual hosted video!
#13. Can I have two separate business accounts in my Flodesk account? I see there’s only one area to add brand details.
One Flodesk account was meant for one business/brand only. It only supports one set of the following features and elements:
- Logo
- Instagram feed account
- Social media account
- Set of brand colors
- Double opt-in confirmation email and Thank-you page
- Account per integration
- subscriber Preferences Page
#14. When I try to create a post on my Facebook page using the URL for my Flodesk landing page, the image that comes up is a generic Flodesk image. Is there a way around this?
You need to edit your full-page form’s metadata. To do that, hover over the existing form’s card, click the three dots (…) menu and select “Edit link preview”.
On the next screen, upload the meta image, and edit the meta title and description as needed. Save your changes. Note that it can take a short while to get your most recent changes synced across the web.
#15. Where can I find the ‘media library’ in Flodesk? I haven’t seen a way to store images on my account.
Flodesk doesn’t have a media library, and it was a very intentional decision on their side. They designed the system this way to keep things clean and simple. And also to encourage members to use up-to-date content in their creations instead of using the same images over and over. Audiences love seeing fresh images all the time!
To speed up the process, create a folder on your computer and collect there all images you intend to use with your Flodesk email campaigns and newsletters. And upload them as you design your emails.
#16. I’m at making a template from scratch but can’t find the “handwriting” type fonts. Are they only available in preset templates?
The way the fonts are set up in Flodesk is very much by design! Certain fonts are only available in the so-called layout blocks and not in the text blocks, which include web-safe fonts. Check out the help article Why am I not seeing custom fonts in the email builder Text Block? for more details on it.
#17. I built my first opt-in form, but I can’t see the Java code to put on my website. How do I find this? I clicked on embed, and it gave me the link only.
You may have created a full-page form or a social form. They give you a shareable link at the end.
If you want to embed the opt-in form to your website, you need to use an inline, ribbon form or pop-up style form.
#18. I made my first newsletter and scheduled it for next week. How can I go back to edit it?
Under the “Emails” section, where you should see your email in sending mode, click the 3 dots (…) in the upper right-hand corner of the email’s card. At the bottom of the options is Unschedule. Select that, and then you can edit it again. Once you’re finished, reselect your preferred sending time.
#19. I have an automated email series in MailChimp. Is there a way to transfer that over to Flodesk, or do I have to start from scratch?
You can’t transfer automated workflows from one email marketing provider to the other. It’s not only applicable if you move to Flodesk but from any ESP to another.
They use different automation terminology, logic and features. You need to check each ESP (that’s what the trial periods are for) to understand how they manage workflows, and you need to re-create them.
If you need assistance with migrating your existing setup from a different platform to Flodesk, request a custom project.
And to understand all the possibilities of a successful Mailchimp to Flodesk migration, read this case study: The Mom 100’s Successful Migration from Mailchimp to Flodesk
#20. How can I send myself a test email in Flodesk?
When you finish editing an email, click the paper plane icon in the top left corner, and you can send a test email to yourself.
#21. Can I add to a workflow anytime?
You can add to a workflow anytime, but it would only affect new subscribers and subscribers who are already in the workflow before they reach the point of what you would be adding.
If you want to keep adding email steps at the end of your workflow, remove the “Exit step”.
#22. Is there a way to remove templates from my favorites?
If you want to remove a template from your favorites, go to your favorite emails library, and hover over the email’s card that you want to remove. Click the three dots (…) quick access menu, and select Remove from favorites.
#23. In my workflow, I have a condition set for opened emails, yet everyone is being sent to “No”. Even though the open rate is almost 50%. Why is this happening?
Do you have a time delay between your email and your condition? Because you should have at least a 24-hour time delay between the two. The system needs to know how long to wait to check to see if the emails were opened!
The way it’s set up now, if you don’t add a suitable time delay, the system checks for an open immediately after the email is sent, which is always going to result in a “no” condition.
#24. Is it possible to resize the logo image block?
Absolutely!
- Click the image or logo block in your email to select it.
- Hover over the image or logo inside the block and notice the black triangle on the bottom right-hand side. Click and drag this corner to resize your image or logo.
#25. Can I edit a workflow after it’s published?
Of course. Hover over the workflow’s card and click the Edit button. It will ask you if you wish to pause the workflow. Click Yes, and then edit it as needed. Once finished, don’t forget to publish it again!
#26. Is there a way to name/rename my workflows in Flodesk? I have several opt-ins running on my website, and I want to be able to easily identify each linked workflow.
Yes, you can do that. Just click on the label name on the workflow’s card and overwrite it. And don’t worry, you can name the workflow any way you want. Your subscribers won’t see that. It’s an internal label only.
#27. How can I personalize the email with merge fields? I want to be able to include first names or personalized info inputted through CSV file.
When you write an email, select a text block and start typing the @-symbol. It will bring up the personalization tokens available in your account based on the data you collected from your subscribers.
#28. How can I remove the last name field from my inline form? I only want to have “name” and “email address” and NOT last name.
Go to your inline form in edit mode and click on the form fields. Then on the right sidebar, under the Fields tab, hover over the Last name field’s box, click the three dots (…) and select “Delete”.
With the exception of the email address field, you can remove all fields if needed. And if you need to collect more data beyond your subscribers’ names, you can also add up to six fields in total.
#29. I imported a CSV from my current email marketing provider with about 1000+ email addresses, and it says I have only 520 subscribers. What am I doing wrong?
Probably nothing. When you upload a CSV, Flodesk automatically removes any duplicate email addresses and runs your list through a complimentary list cleaning flow. Learn more about it here.
#30. Is there any easy way to move over every segment from my current ESP to Flodesk?
Download the segments one by one into a CSV file, and then load them individually into Flodesk. That way, you will have the same setup as in your current email marketing service provider.
#31. Would it be possible to make those who mark our emails spam auto-deleted from our lists?
If someone marks your email as spam, unsubscribes from your list or hard bounces, Flodesk will mark them with greyed-out records and no more emails will be sent to them via Flodesk. But they won’t be auto-deleted from your overall audience.
Knowing which email send generates a higher number of unsubscribes or marked as spam responses is valuable to improve your email marketing strategy and email content.
#32. If someone is marked unsubscribed in Flodesk and I add them back in via a CSV (e.g., I do a quick export of my clients from another system where I cannot exclude them from the CSV), will Flodesk keep them unsubscribed? I want to make sure I am not resending to someone who has unsubscribed.
If you are uploading a CSV and there is someone on it who is already in Flodesk with an unsubscribed record, they will remain unsubscribed. They can’t be added back as an active subscriber via a CSV upload.
Love what you’ve seen in this post, and want to check out Flodesk?
Here’s my affiliate link: https://flodesk.com/c/PETRAM
Or if you’ve already signed up for a free trial but want to get a discounted offer, use the code PETRAM to get 50% off your first year of subscription! Just add this code before you’d complete your membership purchase.
Should you have any questions about Flodesk, leave me a comment here under this blog post, and I’ll get back to you.
