Mailchimp’s Email Campaign Archive allows your subscribers to see your previous emails. It’s a fantastic tool if you’re actively using it and an “oops” if you aren’t aware of it. If your email contains the “View this in your browser” link, your contacts can see the last 20 emails that you sent. Yes, even the ones you didn’t send to them, even re-sends of the same campaign, all of them.
What does Mailchimp’s “View this in your browser” link do?
First, let’s talk about what this link is used for. The link itself allows contacts to open your email in a browser window. This will allow people to see images if they have them blocked in the email service. It will also allow them to print the email easier.
The Mailchimp “View this in your browser” link also includes:
2. Past Issues – Links to your Campaign Archive
3. Translate – Allows Google translate to translate all text into the language they choose
4. RSS – Shows the HTML code of the email
Campaign Archive Options
1. Only show emails from 1 folder
This is a great option if you send out a newsletter and want people to be able to see back issues. Create a folder in your Campaigns and store the emails there that you are interested in having available. All of the rest of your emails will be hidden.
To set this up: Audience -> Signup forms -> From builder -> Campaign Archive page (in the dropdown menu) -> Click “Only show campaigns in a specific folder”
Now just don’t forget to put the campaigns into this folder or your archive will be out of date.
2. Remove the top menu when the email is viewed in the browser
This will allow subscribers to still view your email online, but without access to your archive.
To set this up: Audience -> All contacts -> Settings -> Publicity Settings -> uncheck “Activate the Archive Bar for this audience”
3. Don’t include the “View this in your browser” link at all.
Definitely the simplest fix, but does eliminate the option for your subscribers
4. Hide specific content in your archived emails
This code can be added to make coupon codes and other merge tags hidden when viewed in the archive.
Place this code around the text you want to hide: *|IFNOT:ARCHIVE_PAGE|* your text goes here *|END:IF|*
Check our Mailchimp’s explanation of the Campaign Archive here.