It is hard to believe that there are modern blogs that do not have an email newsletter. Worst yet, some bloggers do not even understand the importance of email marketing in digital marketing. To help these bloggers or small businesses, this week, April Pad will present a simple step-by-step guide for beginners.
In the first leg, the guide will explore how to set up an email newsletter for your blog, and then, a few days later, explore some successful newsletters.
A Brief History of Virtual Newsletters
Digital newsletters have been around since the early days of the internet. In the 1990s, businesses and bloggers started using email to share updates with their readers. The first email newsletters were simple: just text messages sent to a list of subscribers. Over time, newsletters became more popular and started to include photos, links, and cool designs.
In 1974, Bruce Parrello created the first online-only newspaper using the Plato system at the University of Illinois. The newsletter was called The (Plato) News Report and led the way for the news media era. It was followed shortly in 11980 by The Columbus Dispatch.
However, the most successful newsletter was not attributed to either of the two pioneers. In 1995, an online magazine called Salon rolled out to the web. Within a short time, it was already generating over 5.8 million users. Some reporters, like Swallowtail Print, believe that this was the trigger for an online newsletter gold rush.
Today, email newsletters are an important tool for bloggers, businesses, and organizations. They help you connect directly with your readers, share your latest posts, and even make money.
Why Is Email Marketing Effective?
Email marketing is effective because of the intimacy that it creates between you and your audience. Clients subscribe to your newsletter because they trust you. As your relationship grows, they will trust you even more and even follow your advice and tips.
What is Email Marketing? Considered to be the most essential digital marketing tool, it uses email to communicate with an audience, promoting products or services, building relationships, and driving sales. When correctly used, the process begins with a user giving permission (opt-in) to share information directly to their inbox.
As a blogger, you will need ways to keep in touch with your users. If they like your content, your visitors will share it or make comments. However, your most effective strategy is to create an email newsletter that will allow them to subscribe. You can then send them timely updates.
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to reach your audience. Here’s why:
- Direct Connection: You send messages straight to your readers’ inboxes; they don’t have to visit your site to hear from you. They can stay connected with you,
- High Engagement: People are more likely to open and click on emails than on social media posts.
- Cost-Effective: Most email newsletter tools are free or cheap for small blogs, so you don’t have to spend a lot of money.
- Builds Loyalty: Regular newsletters help keep your readers interested in your blog and coming back for more.
- Trackable: You can see who opens and clicks your emails, so you know what your audience likes.
Step-by-Step Guide to Setting Up an Email Newsletter
This guide will walk you through the process of setting up a newsletter for your blog. You do not need technical knowledge or coding experience, as most of these have built-in editors. If you have doubts ingrating it with your blog, get assistance from the app developers.
Step 1: Choose an Email Newsletter App or Platform
There are many easy-to-use digital newsletter tools. Here are a few popular ones:
- MailPoet: This is the number one choice for bloggers and small businesses, as this app was created especially for WordPress. It requires no coding at all and is easily integrated with most WordPress apps. It is free to use up to 1,000 users.
MailPoet describes itself as “An email marketing plugin for WordPress trusted by 600000+ websites. Send newsletters, post notifications, and automate your marketing for WooCommerce.”
- Mailchimp: Great for beginners and free up to 500 subscribers. It is a reliable and easy-to-use platform that’s especially appealing to new bloggers, thanks to its frequently free options. It offers simple drag-and-drop email creation, straightforward list management, and seamless integration with WordPress. Features like Squarespace can help automate audience growth. However, while Mailchimp is great for beginners, some users might find the platform less intuitive when it comes to advanced automation features or detailed list segmentation.
- Substack: Some writers and bloggers do not want to run websites or bother with managing apps. They turn to Substack whic is considered an ideal platform for running a newsletter. It is often described as “an excellent, free, and user-friendly platform for writers and creators looking to build a loyal audience through newsletters and blog-style posts.”
- ConvertKit: Made for creators; free plan available for up to 1,000 subscribers. According to Larry Ludwig, ConvertKit (now known as Kit) is widely considered an excellent, top-tier email marketing platform for bloggers and creators, designed specifically to build audiences through intuitive automation, landing pages, and, most importantly, high deliverability for text-based emails. It simplifies complex tagging and segmentation, allowing bloggers to send targeted, personal-style emails rather than cluttered, heavy designs.
- Mailerlite: Easy to use and free for the first 1,000 subscribers.
Pick one to try! For this guide, we’ll use Mailchimp as an example, but the steps are similar for all tools.
Step 2: Sign Up and Create an Account
All of these newsletter apps or platforms will ask you to either download or install their app and register an account. This is standard policy that helps verify you as a credible client who will be using their app for its intended purpose. You will also be invited to subscribe to their newsletter to receive tips and updates.
- Go to the website of your chosen newsletter app (for example, mailchimp.com). If you choose MailPoet, navigate to your dashboard and choose plugins. Search for MailPoet and click “install”.
- Click “Sign Up” or “Get Started.”
- Enter your email address and create a password.
- Check your email for a confirmation message and click the link to confirm your account.
Step 3: Set Up Your Audience (Subscribers) Lists
In step two, you will focus on the names or categories of your newsletter. Using a fashion blog as an example, you may title your newsletter Fashion Heat. It could have just one category, or maybe up to three. Men’s Fashion, Teen Outlook, and Women’s.
This will allow you to later send better information to your subscribers. It is an easy way to divide or segment your audience from the onset. Later, you can even perform A/ b tests and trials to establish metrics such as the best time to email your clients, etc. Mailchimp will walk you through the setup for creating your list.
In case you decide to use another app or email platform, you should bear these pointers in mind.
- Most apps will guide you through creating your first audience or contact list.
- This is where you’ll collect your subscribers’ email addresses.
- You can add people manually, or let your readers sign up for themselves (this is best!).
Step 4: Add a Signup Form to Your Blog
- In your newsletter app, find the “Signup Form” option.
- Customize your form by adding a title, description, and asking for the information you want (usually just an email address and maybe a name).
- Copy the code for the signup form.
- Paste the code into your blog. Most blogging platforms (like WordPress, Blogger, or Wix) make it easy to add forms to your sidebar or footer.
- You can also create a subscription page. This is especially effective for advertising.
Step 5: Create and Send Your First Email Newsletter
- In your newsletter app, click “Create” or “New Campaign.”
- Choose “Email” as your campaign type.
- Add a catchy subject line like “Check out my latest post!”
- Write your message. Introduce yourself, share what your newsletter will be about, and maybe link to your latest blog post.
- Add images, buttons, or links to make it look good, but keep it simple.
- Select the audience you want to send it to (everyone on your list).
- Send a test email to yourself to see how it looks.
- When you’re happy, hit “Send”!
Step 6: Keep Growing and Improving Your Email Newsletter
- Encourage readers to join your list by mentioning your newsletter at the end of your blog posts.
- Send newsletters regularly (once a week, once a month, whatever works for you).
- Check your stats in your newsletter app to see how many people open and read your emails.
- Try different subjects, designs, and content to see what your readers like best.
Conclusion
Setting up an email newsletter for your blog is a smart way to stay in touch with your readers and grow your audience. With free and easy tools available, you can get started today, even if you’ve never tried email marketing before. Remember to keep your messages friendly, helpful, and interesting, and soon you’ll have a loyal group of subscribers waiting to hear from you!
