QA Checklist to Kill AI Slop in Your Email Copy

Hook: Stop AI Slop From Killing Your Campaigns — Fast

If your email opens and conversions have slipped since you started using AI to write copy, you’re not alone. In 2026 the problem isn’t speed; it’s structure, signals and sloppy AI defaults that create generic, noisy emails that subscribers tune out — or worse, mark as spam. This QA checklist and prompt-brief library is a battle-tested antidote: practical review steps, deliverability safeguards, and sample briefs to prevent AI slop from tanking your inbox performance.

Top-line: What to do first (inverted pyramid)

Before you tweak prompts or switch models, implement a lightweight QA layer that catches the biggest risks. These are the highest-impact actions you can take in the next 48 hours:

1. Add a human review gate for every AI-generated subject line and the first 200 words of any email.
2. Run deliverability checks on a seed list and validate SPF/DKIM/BIMI.
3. Use a three-step copy QA checklist: voice & value, factual accuracy, and noise reduction (AI hallmarks like filler, circular phrasing, and vague CTAs).

Why this matters in 2026

Late 2025 and early 2026 saw two key trends that make this checklist urgent:

• ESP adoption of AI features expanded, and so did detection of AI-like patterns. Audiences have become better at spotting 'AI voice' and penalize it with lower engagement.
• Regulators and industry groups increased pressure on consent and authenticity practices; inbox providers tightened engagement-signal weighting in their filtering algorithms.

Plus: Merriam-Webster named slop its 2025 Word of the Year — a cultural signal that low-quality, high-volume AI output is a real reputational risk for brands.

The Battle-Tested AI Copy QA Checklist (Use this every send)

This is the operating procedure we use at mighty.top when auditing AI-generated email sequences. Run it on every creative draft before you schedule.

1. Identity & Sender Trust (quick pass)
   • From name clearly reflects a person or trusted brand (avoid generic no-reply when possible).
   • Reply-to is monitored and a human will respond within 48 hours.
   • SPF, DKIM, and BIMI validated for the sending domain.
2. Subject Line & Preview Text Audit (5-minute rule)
   • Subject avoids overpromising, spammy words, and generic AI phrasing (e.g., “As an AI, I…”).
   • Preview text supports and clarifies the subject — treat it as a micro-CTA.
   • Test for display length across mobile/tablet/desktop.
3. Voice & Relevance Check (human read)
   • Does the opening sentence show human context for the recipient (behavioral hook, recent action, or specific pain)?
   • Replace generic phrases with concrete specifics: numbers, names, time frames, and unique value props.
   • Does the email feel like it came from a person who understands the recipient? If not, rewrite.
4. Accuracy & Claims Validation
   • All facts, dates, statistics, and product details confirmed against sources.
   • External links open to the correct URLs, include UTM parameters, and land on matching content.
5. Noise Reduction & Clarity
   • Remove filler and hedging language (e.g., “might,” “could,” “in many cases”).
   • Shorten sentences: aim for a 10–14 word average per sentence in marketing emails.
   • Eliminate repetitive phrases that are common in LLM outputs (e.g., layered synonyms that don’t add value).
6. CTA & Conversion Audit
   • Single primary CTA clearly visible and above the fold on major clients.
   • Secondary CTAs de-emphasized; ensure they don’t create choice paralysis.
   • CTA copy is action-specific and time-bound when applicable.
7. Deliverability Safety Check
   • Seed test across major inbox providers (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, Apple) for spam folder hits.
   • Check image-to-text ratio, alt text, and accessible links.
   • Ensure unsubscribe is obvious and functional; include preference center link if available.
8. Compliance & Privacy
   • Consent source is recorded and segment matches permission type.
   • For EU/UK recipients, confirm lawful basis; for Canadians, confirm CASL compliance where applicable.
9. A/B Test Plan & Metrics
   • Define metric hierarchy: deliverability (seed deliverability), opens, clicks, conversions, and downstream revenue.
   • Set a minimum sample size and statistical threshold before declaring a winner.
10. Final Read-Aloud & Sign-off
    • One editor reads the email aloud to catch flow issues and unnatural cadences common in AI copy.
    • Sign-off from campaign owner required — date and initials in the QA log.

Practical Review Steps: A 3‑Stage Workflow

Turn the checklist into a repeatable workflow that fits small teams or solo creators.

Stage 1 — Prompt & Draft (Creator)

1. Use a clear prompt brief (examples below) and request 3 variants with different emotional tones: direct, curious, and helpful.
2. Set an instruction to return a short “why this works” note with each draft (forces the model to rationalize choices).
3. Flag any factual placeholders for manual verification (e.g., [PRODUCT_FEATURE_X], [CUSTOMER_NAME]).

Stage 2 — Editor Triage (Editor)

1. Quick-scan against the QA checklist (5–10 minutes). Reject or pass to rewrite.
2. If AI output reads generically, apply the noise-reduction and voice-rewrite steps immediately.
3. Run deliverability seed test for high-risk sends (new domain, large list, monetized offers).

Stage 3 — Deliverability & Metrics (Ops)

1. Verify technical authentication and warmup state of any new IPs or domains.
2. Queue A/B tests and monitor send for the first 6–12 hours to catch deliverability red flags.
3. Auto-escalate poor performance: pause the second half of a scheduled batch if spam complaints spike.

Sample Prompt Briefs: Short and Extended (Copy & QA-ready)

Use these as templates to produce more structured inputs to LLMs and to reduce slop at the source.

Short Brief — Newsletter Promo (quick use)

Goal: Drive paid sign-ups for the “Creator Accelerator” webinar.
Audience: Mid-funnel subscribers who clicked previous webinar emails in last 90 days.
Tone: Confident, human, slightly playful. Avoid corporate-speak.
Requirements: Use one specific testimonial line ("I grew revenue 2x") and include promo code ACCEL20. Keep subject ≤ 50 chars. Preview text must clarify urgency.
Avoid: Generic claims like “best webinar ever” and vague CTAs like "Learn more".

Extended Brief — High-Value Drip (for multi-email sequences)

Campaign goal: Convert trial users to yearly subscribers (3-email sequence).
Segment: Trial users who used feature X at least once but didn't convert after 7 days.
Key messages by email:

1. Email 1 — Reminder + social proof; highlight single feature benefit with a small how-to (350–450 words).
2. Email 2 — Objection handling (pricing & ROI) with testimonial and micro-case study (300–400 words).
3. Email 3 — Final reminder with limited-time discount and clear CTA (200–300 words).

Must include: Exact discount code, link to pricing page with UTM params, alt text for hero image, unsubscribe preferences link.
KPIs: Opens, clicks, trial-to-paid conversion, revenue per recipient.
Red flags: Phrases that claim guaranteed outcomes, AI-sounding metaphors, or copy that repeats the same sentence pattern.

Editor Checklist: Quick Buttons (copy-level)

• Humanize opening: add a personal detail tied to user behavior or date.
• Make the value tangible: swap generic adjectives for data or short examples.
• Trim fluff: remove one sentence for every three the AI produced.
• Replace AI-signature phrases: e.g., “As an AI language model,” or “In conclusion” with conversational alternatives.
• Link check: open every link and ensure UTM tagging is consistent.

Deliverability Safeguards (technical + behavioral)

Email copy and deliverability are two sides of the same coin. Use these safeguards to ensure your cleaned copy actually lands.

• Authenticate domains (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) and monitor DMARC reports weekly.
• Maintain a warm sending cadence for new IPs; avoid sudden volume spikes.
• Seed testing: include 50+ seed addresses across providers for important sends.
• Segment by engagement: low-engagement recipients should receive re-engagement-only content.
• Monitor spam complaints and unsubscribes hourly during the first 12 hours for big sends; auto-pause on thresholds.

Example: From AI Slop to Clean Copy (before/after)

Below is a realistic transformation that shows how a few targeted edits can change tone, clarity and performance potential.

AI-generated (sloppy)

Subject: Discover exciting ways to level up your creator journey!
Preview: You won’t want to miss these tips that could change everything.
Body (first sentences): There are many strategies that creators can use to increase their audience and improve monetization. In many cases, we’ve seen users reach new heights by following simple steps. Join our webinar to learn more.

Edited (humanized & specific)

Subject: 2 tactics creators used to double MRR in 90 days
Preview: Seats for Thursday’s webinar — 20% off with ACCEL20.
Body (first sentences): Last quarter, two creators used the same funnel tweaks to double monthly revenue in under 90 days — one by refining onboarding emails, the other by adding a mini-product. Join our 45-minute webinar Thursday to see the exact email sequences they used (we’ll share templates). Use code ACCEL20 for early access.

Notice the edits: specific timeframe, social proof, tangible promise, and a clear CTA. That’s the difference between slop and sanity.

Advanced Strategies (2026 & beyond)

For teams scaling volume or running programmatic campaigns, add these advanced controls:

• Human-in-the-loop prompts: Ask the model to produce a “humanizable draft” with placeholders for personalization tokens you’ll fill programmatically.
• AI-linting tools: Use automated checks that flag vague quantifiers, passive voice, and repetitive phrasing as part of your CI for content.
• Content fingerprinting: Seed unique, verifiable phrases in high-value emails to detect AI rewriting or vendor overuse across partners. Store fingerprints and backups alongside your QA logs (see trusted backup practices).
• Score-based gating: Assign a quality score to outputs (voice match, factual certainty, personalization rate) and only pass drafts above a threshold to the send queue.

Quick Wins You Can Deploy Today

1. Require an editor sign-off for subject lines and the first 200 words.
2. Use the short prompt brief template for every AI prompt — no exceptions.
3. Run a one-week seed test after rolling out AI-assisted copy to compare deliverability trends.
4. Replace two superlatives or vague claims in every AI draft with concrete evidence or a testimonial.

Real-World Example (Anonymized)

Anonymized client work at mighty.top: a B2C newsletter moved from purely AI-first drafts to a human-edited workflow with the checklist above. Within one month they saw higher click-to-open rates and a drop in spam complaints on high-volume sends. The principal change was replacing generic AI intros with behavior-driven openings and tightening CTA clarity — a low-effort, high-impact shift.

Common Objections & How to Handle Them

“We don’t have the bandwidth for human review.” Start with the first 200 characters and subject lines only. That tiny gate prevents most slop.

“AI costs are rising — we need throughput.” Use template-based prompts and require the model to include a one-sentence humanization hook; then batch human edits across multiple emails to save time.

Actionable Takeaways (Quick Checklist to Save Now)

• Implement a human review gate for subject + first 200 words.
• Use the short prompt brief for every generated draft.
• Run authentication and seed tests before any large send.
• Replace generic claims with specific evidence or testimonials.
• Keep a documented QA log and require sign-off from the campaign owner.

Final Thoughts: Treat AI as an Assistant, Not an Author

AI scales creativity, not trust. In 2026 the inbox landscape rewards signals of human attention: specificity, clarity and verifiable claims. If you bake a disciplined QA process into your workflow, you get the best of both worlds — speed and inbox performance.

Call to Action

Ready to stop AI slop from sabotaging your campaigns? Download our free, editable QA checklist and two prompt-brief templates to plug into your workflow. Implement the human review gate for one week and report back — if your engagement hasn’t improved, we’ll walk the first campaign audit with you.

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