In this article, you can learn how Stripo's commenting feature enhances team collaboration in email production by streamlining feedback, ensuring clarity, and speeding up approvals for large marketing teams.
Imagine the approval process for a promotional email in a large team. It usually involves endless messaging and multiple steps from Google Docs to the email editor and back. As a result, deadlines are passing, with no guarantee that all responses will be understood correctly. There may be several such approval rounds if additional teams or external business stakeholders are involved.
This makes email approval time-consuming and inefficient, particularly for large teams. In this article, we tell you how teams can use the commenting features in the Stripo email editor to streamline the approval process and collaborate smoothly.
Why email approval requires so many steps
The size of email marketing teams varies based on company needs and resources. On average, brands have nearly eight full- or part-time employees dedicated to email marketing, with over 26% utilizing at least one freelancer. Furthermore, almost 34% of brands use an agency. Email marketing also typically involves an average of two to three other departments to ensure that their emails are reviewed and approved.
All participants in the process need to communicate with each other during email production.
There are several main reasons why approval can take a long time:
- fragmented feedback: Feedback arrives through various channels — e.g., email, Slack, messengers, and meetings with discussions — making it difficult to consolidate. Even if all the comments are then collected in a task manager, it can be difficult to track them and link them together;
- unclear instructions: Vague or noncontextual feedback causes confusion. For example, a team member can write "Fix the alignment" briefly without specifying where exactly. The performer spends time figuring out what this comment refers to and asking clarifying questions;
- too many stakeholders: Large teams often include numerous execution and approval levels, including copywriters, designers, QA, managers, and representatives from other departments within the company. Managing feedback from everyone delays progress;
- waiting time and losing concentration are typically forgotten factors, but they also affect the process. The more difficult it is to leave a comment about an email, the longer it takes. At this point, the performer loses focus and concentration, and needs additional time to get back into the process.
How can you move all comments to one place to speed up work with them and simplify communication? Let your colleagues leave comments in your emails so you know which part you need to work on without needing to go through several steps. Now let's see how it looks in the Stripo email editor.
What is commenting in an email builder?
Following real-time co-editing, we created a commenting function in the Stripo email editor that allows team members to leave comments directly within emails, like in Google Docs. Feedback is contextual and tied to specific email sections (e.g., text, images, calls to action), fostering efficient communication.
How to streamline email production with a commenting feature in Stripo
See how easy it is to work in the Stripo editor using commenting. Here are the steps you need to follow:
Step-by-step commenting function guide
- Open your email message in the Stripo editor and work with it.
- Click the Comments tab.
- Click anywhere in the email message or on any email element you want to discuss (e.g., header, image, or CTA) to leave a comment.
- Leave a comment describing the required change. Be specific, e.g., "Make the CTA button blue.”
- You’ll be able to see all comments in the editor sidebar. You can reply to comments, add emoji reactions, mark them as resolved, or edit them if you need to add something. All previous replies within a comment thread are hidden under a clickable link to keep the interface clean. Clicking it expands the full conversation for easy reference.
- Assign the comment to the relevant team member from your workspace using @.
- Resolve comments once changes are implemented to keep the workflow clean.
Now let's see how another team member views these comments. After a member is added to your workspace with a role assignment, this email will appear in their editor automatically.
When this team member pulls up this email message, they’ll see a notification about new comments.
Important note: To access the commenting feature, you must have a Medium, Pro, or Prime plan. By default, the commenting option is turned off. To enable it, go to "Settings"→ "Workspace"→ "Group"→ "Configuration Options" in the group settings. Once activated, the feature will be available for all your templates and emails.
Handy tips for commenting within the email editor
Use these tips to make commenting easier:
- tag your colleagues in comments so they can see which comment is intended for them immediately;
- use pins (markers) to highlight exactly which sections of the template need modifications;
- stay up to date with notifications about all updates and replies so you can immediately respond to a new comment;
- review completed comments and discussions, as they’re stored in one place.
Thanks to the simultaneous editing available in the Stripo editor, you now can work on one email message with your colleagues simultaneously, making edits and changing the email without long waits and correspondence in other channels.
How using comments in the Stripo editor improves communication and solves teamwork problems
Effective collaboration in email production requires clear communication, quick feedback cycles, and a shared understanding of goals. Stripo's commenting feature tackles these challenges head-on, making teamwork smoother and more efficient.
Email marketing teams improve collaboration and speed up the email approval process because commenting offers the following benefits:
1. Eliminates guesswork
Gone are the days of vague feedback, like “Fix the text” or “Change the color in the layout.” Stripo’s commenting tools allow you to leave precise notes attached directly to specific elements of the email — headline, image, CTA button, or any specific word or element of the email.
Example: A designer can focus on aligning the headline, knowing exactly what part the feedback applies to without rethinking general comments.
2. Speeds up feedback cycles
Feedback and approval often are delayed due to unclear communication or tool switching. With Stripo, feedback happens directly in the editor, saving time. Comments stay in one place, so you no longer need external tools, like emails or chats. Teams discuss changes in real time, so decision-making happens faster.
Example: A product launch email with 10 stakeholders can be approved much faster if everyone can work in one place simultaneously.
3. Supports real-time reactions
When feedback is shared instantly in the editor, your team can react to changes faster and adjust priorities as needed. This immediacy keeps the project moving forward without unnecessary delays.
Example: A copywriter notices a typo on a banner during a review, comments on it directly, and the designer immediately fixes it in the editor.
4. Improves communication flow
Say goodbye to juggling multiple tools or losing the flow of conversations. Stripo brings all discussions together, making communication smooth and efficient.
Example: Managers, designers, and copywriters discuss a specific email element simultaneously in the editor, eliminating email back-and-forth or disjointed chat threads.
5. Reduces errors and omissions
All comments are in one place, so no team member misses important notes. Every comment is visible, actionable, and assignable to the right person.
Example: A team member spots a design inconsistency, which is fixed immediately, preventing it from appearing in the final email.
Stripo’s commenting feature ensures that all team members — from managers to writers — are aligned. Everyone can see requested changes, understand their roles, and stay on track without switching between tools.
Wrapping up: Why commenting is a must-have for large teams
Email approval processes are unnecessarily slow and complex. For large teams working with complex email campaigns, Stripo's commenting feature is a must-have. It makes it easy to manage feedback, simplifies workflows, and saves time and effort by centralizing discussions and approvals. Assign comments to specific team members and track task completion to experience this feature’s full benefits.
With Stripo's commenting tools, collaboration becomes a well-oiled machine, eliminating friction in email production. In the next article, we'll explore how large teams can optimize their workflows with Stripo's advanced features. Stay tuned!
