Teams under pressure skip the sample and jump to a rewrite. New first lines, new emoji policy, a workshop. The lock screen continues to receive the old stacking, because the calendar was never on the table.
How we sample
Seven consecutive days, or a named campaign week, printed or pasted in send order. First line only at first — that is what the shade shows. Time of day beside it. Language beside that. A mark if another alert from the same app landed inside two hours. You can do this with screenshots. You cannot do it from campaign names in a spreadsheet.
What the margin is for
Not taste, or not mainly. “This promise is the same as Tuesday’s.” “This is a receipt wearing a marketing hat.” “This Bahasa line is a different offer, not a translation.” Those notes are cheaper than a brand book and closer to the week the user had.
When a rewrite is actually warranted
When the sample shows one exhausted template doing three jobs: parcel, promo, and apology. When two teams own the same first line. When the only “personalisation” is a first name in a sale that is not a sale. Even then, change one job per week. Changing all three makes the next opt-out file unreadable.
If you want those margin notes from someone who does not have to live in your send panel, that is the cadence and copy review. Bring the seven days. Leave the mood board.