Newsletter: what is it and what is it for?
Newsletter guide: everything you need to know about newsletters
One of the most effective digital marketing tools is undoubtedly the newsletter.
The vast majority of companies use it to keep in touch with their customers, get to know them better and inform them of the latest news.
On the other hand, web users often subscribe to different newsletters from their favorite websites, brands or blogs so that they don’t miss anything and are constantly updated.
It’s safe to say that this tool is essential for success in the digital world today.
But for it to be totally effective, you need to know how to use it very well and get the most out of it.
- 1 What are newsletters? Definition and meaning
- 2 What should you consider when creating a newsletter?
- 3 Why are newsletters so effective?
- 4 Newsletter advantages
- 5 What is newsletter software and what is it used for?
- 6 How to send a newsletter step by step
- 7 5 best programs and software for creating newsletters
- 8 What is the best free newsletter software?
Newsletters are also known as mass mailing, bulk email, etc.
A newsletter is a publication that is periodically sent by email to all the people who are interested in receiving it and who have therefore voluntarily subscribed to a mailing list.
We can therefore define a newsletter as a digital informative bulletin, i.e. a periodic publication (daily, weekly, monthly) that is sent by email to a database with a large number of subscribers.
The usual frequency is weekly or monthly.
However, depending on the type of content, daily and fortnightly newsletters are also common.
It is important that the newsletters are attractive and relevant to the target audience and that online privacy and data protection rules are respected.
To do this, it must include a series of elements that should never be missing, such as:
- The goal. It is essential that, before creating a newsletter, certain objectives or figures are defined (number of sales, actions to be promoted, number of new customers, etc.).
- Logo or corporate image.
Although it may seem logical, the logo should never be missing in order to maintain the coherence of the visual identity.
It is very important that the message you want to convey and the context in which you will do it are uniform in order to offer a very professional image. - Text. The information you send must be powerful and interesting in order to retain the reader, capture their attention and encourage them to visit your site.
For this reason, you need to take care of the style of the text and, above all, the content you want to offer. - Audiovisual content.
If, instead of words, you can convey your message through images, don’t hesitate to opt for this alternative.
They are more useful for capturing attention and retaining the reader.
It’s best to use images, infographics, videos or gifs. - Design. Remember that the newsletter is part of the brand and should therefore follow the same design as your website and respect the color ranges, fonts and style.
- Call To Action. This tool is widely used and provides information to check whether the objectives you set at the beginning are being achieved.
- Social media. They are currently the most important pillars for companies in the digital world.
That’s why they should always be included in newsletters.
It is also necessary to include the links for all the social media profiles on which the brand is registered, but special attention should be paid to the most basic ones, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In addition to social media, don’t forget to add a direct link to your website.
These are small details that can often go unnoticed. - Other elements that should not be missing.
Contact details (email, phone, address), an option to unsubscribe and a link to view the web version of your newsletter.
We have already published several examples of newsletters at this link
Newsletters usually include articles of interest about the company that sends them and related topics that may be useful to subscribers.
Sometimes they can include sales incentives, but the main purpose of a newsletter is not to sell (although it helps to do so).
It is the foundation on which an email marketing strategy is built and is a resource used successfully by all types of companies, from small local businesses to publicly traded multinationals.
So what are the reasons why newsletters are so effective?
There are several reasons.
To begin with, newsletters are a customizable medium and can be created based on the profile of the person who will receive them.
Not only are they segmented so that some contacts receive some messages and others don’t, but the content can also be created to follow the preferences of the person in question.
This advantage is increased because newsletters are private, so that what you send remains between you and the contact who receives the newsletters.
Private communications always have a more “face-to-face” feel, less mediated by the masses.
Finally, although when sending newsletters you have to take care of the delivery rate, whether or not contacts see the message doesn’t depend on algorithms.
And, of course, make sure that the message you’re sending doesn’t disappear among hundreds of other people’s messages.
Your contacts are much more likely to see your newsletters, the message won’t disappear and they’ll be able to read it when they can or want to.
Newsletter advantages
Sending newsletters has a number of advantages for anyone who takes the trouble to do so:
- It doesn’t require a large financial investment, any company or blog can do it (even at zero cost).
- It is not a direct sales tool, but it can influence subscribers’ purchasing intentions and generate sales indirectly.
- It helps to build customer loyalty with little effort and to be remembered as a reference in our sector.
- It generates a huge amount of web traffic and improves SEO; the more subscribers, the more these aspects are improved.
- It is a direct communication channel with people who have a real interest in the content you send, since they have voluntarily decided to receive it in their emails.
- It is an essential tool for informing people about the latest news and announcing promotions using a convenient channel.
- It is one of the best channels for selling; if you have a good strategy, you can get more conversions than on other channels.
- It keep lists of interested contacts fully up-to-date, as they should be able to unsubscribe whenever they want.
- It provides data on subscribers’ behavior and interests, through the statistics available from services such as Mailrelay.
Newsletter software is a fundamental tool for any digital marketing strategy.
Its main purpose is to create and maintain a close relationship with customers, promoting brand loyalty and encouraging recurring sales.
The most important thing is that each email adds value to the recipient and contributes to advancing the customer journey.
These strategies allow companies to create meaningful relationships with their customers, personalize their marketing messages and segment their audience effectively.
In addition, newsletters have an exceptionally high return on investment (ROI) compared to other digital marketing strategies.
According to the Direct Marketing Association, for every US$1 invested in email marketing, companies can expect an average return of US$42.
Sending a newsletter isn’t difficult, but to do it properly, here are the main steps you need to follow:
→ Set a goal before anything else
Before you start thinking about the newsletter, you need to stop and think about what you want to achieve with this type of action.
It should always bring you some kind of advantage. Subscribe to your competitors’ newsletters to see first-hand what kind of content they send and to define your goal.
→ Create a contact list
It may sound obvious, but… if you want to send a newsletter, you need to have people interested in receiving it.
At this stage, you need to define how to get them. The most common is to use a subscription form or landing pages where, in exchange for a lead magnet, you ask potential customers for their email addresses to form your contact list.
→ Defining the strategy
This is the part that most influences the success of your newsletter, so give it the importance it deserves.
At this point, you should define the type of content you will offer, the sending frequency and define a design so that the newsletters are easily recognizable by your audience.
Once the previous stage has been completed, send your newsletter to your current subscribers, who will increase over time.
→ Check the results
Analyze the behavior of your subscribers and use this information to improve your newsletter.
The metrics provided by your email marketing tool are vital for this, such as: open rate, click rate, unsubscribes, etc.
Don’t forget to check
Before sending a newsletter, check the following essential points:
- Attractive subject line: a catchy title is essential for increasing the open rate.
- Relevant content: whether educational, informative or promotional, the content must be relevant to the reader.
- Responsive design: as most users access their emails from a mobile device, the design must be adaptable.
- Clear calls to action (CTA): guide the reader to the action you want them to take, whether it’s reading an article, buying a product or signing up for an event.
A few years ago, sending email marketing for free was unthinkable.
And it doesn’t matter the size of your list… with a free email marketing program you can send the same email to thousands of people at once.
That offers many advantages:
● Reduce costs. These email marketing platforms are not expensive, not to mention those programs to send mass emails for free in different languages. In addition, you should bear in mind that the time that a person dedicates to this type of task is not free, it has a cost. Therefore, the faster the learning curve, the more money you can save.
● Save time. Can you imagine having to send emails to your list of subscribers one by one? It would certainly be a very tiring job. Any email marketing tool allows you to send newsletters in a short time and, in addition, thanks to its automated actions, it allows complex tasks to be finished in a couple of clicks.
● You can reach more people. Another advantage of using software to send email marketing is that you can reach thousands of people. As many as there are subscribers on your list!
All this, added to the content and power of a newsletter, translates into a fantastic impact on sales, as well as a more positive reputation and trust towards the brand.
That said, let’s see what options the market offers us. Here is a list with some of the best email marketing services you can use to send a newsletter for free.
Let’s start this list with an email marketing software I’ve used (and still use): Mailrelay.
It is software with a multitude of premium features at zero cost (it allows you to send up to 80,000 free emails per month, to a list of up to 20,000 contacts).
In other words, from its free version it allows you to take advantage of several advanced features.
Due to this and other advantages, it stands out from the rest of the tools on the market. Also, if you opt for its paid version, you will see that it is one of the cheapest.
Surely, one of the reasons why it has become a well-established service for sending newsletters in the market.
And the user experience is very satisfactory. It has no errors and is very reliable in its results. It meets the needs of its users and even exceeds their expectations!
To the above, it should be added that working with Mailrelay is a great option for the following reasons:
● Free account. It allows you to send up to 80,000 emails per month and has a limit of 20,000 contacts. Of all the email marketing services that exist, it is the most generous with its free version.
● Support at no additional cost. With the free account you can access support in all its formats (email, ticket, telephone, chat or WhatsApp). Most email marketing tools don’t offer support (and even less by phone) for their free accounts.
● No advertising in your emails. Despite being a free account, it doesn’t include any type of advertising in your emails, nor logos or links.
● Advanced statistics. With this tool you can access advanced statistics to analyze the performance of your campaigns. And, if you need it, you can export them.
● Autoresponders. From Mailrelay it is possible to create basic automations that save a lot of work and allow you to establish an initial communication with new subscribers.
● Opt-in forms. Mailrelay allows you to easily create subscription forms, which you can then embed on your website.
● Easy to use newsletter editor. Mailrelay has one of the simplest and most powerful newsletter editors on the market.
● Work as a team. It is possible to register as many users (within the same account) as you require to work in your company.
● Dedicated IPs. They can be purchased from a free account without any problem.
● Suitable for beginners and advanced users. Its ease of use makes it a tool suitable for any type of user.
● A/B Test. It allows you to run different tests, such as A/B testing of subjects and senders. After creating a test, you will know which version of your campaign got better results, so that you can send it to the remaining subscribers.
We have articles about this fantastic feature
In several aspects, Mailchimp is a service for creating a newsletter similar to the previous one. Its use and purpose is the same, what varies are the advantages (and limitations) that you will find in the free account.
It is a tool that is also consolidated in the market, since it has been supporting businesses and companies for many years. It is not difficult to use and is trusted by many people.
Those who choose this software to create a newsletter for free do so for aspects such as those detailed below:
● Integration with other tools. This makes it possible, for example, to easily embed forms in Elementor or analyze your email marketing statistics in Google Analytics. This is perhaps the main advantage of Mailchimp over other email marketing tools.
● Free account. This is a much less generous plan than the Mailrelay software. Mailchimp offers a free account that allows you to send 10,000 emails per month, with a limit of up to 2,000 per day. Advertising may be included in free campaigns.
● Automation. From this software to send newsletters it is possible to create automations to create email sequences that help us convert more in our business.
● Forms. If you want to attract subscribers to send mass emails, you’ll need a form where they can leave their details.
With Mailschimp you can easily create them.
● Marketing CRM. In order to have all the information about your audience organized, Mailchimp offers a CRM in its free version.
● Support for 30 days. The free Mailchimp account only offers support for 30 days.
● Email templates. Lastly, it’s important to mention that Mailchimp includes a vast library of templates that you can use to send a newsletter. ● Plantillas para emails. Por último, es importante mencionar que Mailchimp incluye una biblioteca amplia de plantillas que podrás usar para configurar tus newsletters.
3) Brevo (New Sendinblue)
Now let’s talk about another program for sending emails that hasn’t been on the market that long.
And it is that, despite the fact that it is already an option that many companies choose, if we compare it with Mailchimp or Mailrelay, it could be said that it is relatively new.
This tool emerged within a digital marketing agency, where they detected certain shortcomings in the platforms that existed at the time and decided to create their own.
Today it is a considerable option thanks to aspects such as those detailed in the following paragraph.
Although you must remember that the free version inserts advertising, and has no available support.
Among the advantages or reasons why Sendinblue is gaining users we find:
● Prices. Although it has a limited free version, if we compare the prices of its paid plans, we can see that, in relation to other tools, it is (for very small volumes) one of the cheapest on the market. In fact, paid Mailchimp accounts cost from 45 euros and Brevo accounts from 19 euros.
● Automations. It allows you to create email sequences and automate their delivery based on user behavior or interaction. Thus, your business can generate income uninterruptedly.
● SMS marketing. Most email marketing software will not have this option. Brevo allows you to send SMS virtually anywhere in the world and use another channel to gain the trust of your audience.
Of course, it is not a free feature.
● Share newsletter on social media. If you wish, with just one click, you can share the content of your newsletter on your social networks. With that, you gain an extra point of visibility. This feature is also available for Mailrelay users.
● Transactional emails. For those who have an ecommerce, this is one of the most outstanding features: it allows you to send, track and measure emails associated with store transactions.
● Support in other languages like spanish (only available for paid accounts). But you can get support in other languages with other email marketing software.
Unlike the previous ones, SendPulse is a free multi-channel email marketing service. In other words, they offer more than one digital marketing channel for targeting and connecting with your audience. For example, with this system, we can send messages through notifications on the web, SMS or using a chatbot.
When it comes to sending newsletters, it is an option used by both entrepreneurs and large companies. Although the price increases rapidly for larger packages. Let’s see its advantages.
Those who choose to work with SendPulse do so for the following reasons:
● Free SMTP server. It is something that most email marketing services include, but it is worth mentioning it. Mailrelay for example has this option.
● Push notifications on the web. This is an additional advantage, if we compare it with the rest of the tools. It also allows you to send SMS.
●Visual editor. Although the platform’s interface makes its use somewhat complex, it has a visual email editor that allows you to create professional emails by dragging and dropping elements.
● Free plan. The free account of this email marketing software allows up to 500 subscribers and users can send 15,000 emails.
5) Mailjet
And what about Mailjet? If you work with the digital marketing sector, the name of this tool probably sounds familiar to you. It is a service that will allow you to create a newsletter, but it also offers the option of sending transactional emails.
Like the rest of the applications that I have included in this list, it offers a very interesting free option so you can start using it. Let’s see what advantages are worth mentioning.
MailJet has earned a spot on this list of email marketing tools for the following reasons:
● Free account. Its free plan allows you to send 200 emails per day and 6,000 emails per month. There is no limit to the number of users in your database.
● Collaborative tools. That means that, just like we do with Google documents, with this program that will allow you to design a newsletter, you can create, review and comment on an email between the whole team.
● Automation. In addition to sending newsletters, this tool includes the possibility of setting up automated email sequences that are sent when certain conditions are met.
In addition to sending newsletters, this tool includes the possibility of setting up automated email sequences that are sent when certain conditions are met.
Before we finish, I have to say that deciding which is the best free email marketing software you can use to create a newsletter is something that will depend on your needs and the functionalities that you are looking for in a tool with these features.
Even so, if we analyze all the advantages described in this article, for me, the podium would look like this:
● Bronze medal: Brevo. It’s a tool committed to innovation and which strives to be competitive and offer advantages to its users. However, sending limitations on the free account, lack of support, and inclusion of advertising, cloud the effectiveness of this free account.
● Silver medal: Mailchimp. It has very attractive features, especially at the level of integrations, but the free account is somewhat limited.
Gold medal: Mailrelay
It is the only email marketing software that offers premium features at zero cost. In other words, the only one that offers advanced features in its free plan. No ads, no limitations and with customer support. Not to mention the number of messages and users included (80 thousand emails and 20 thousand contacts).
I invite you to try Mailrelay, so you can see first-hand why it’s the best free newsletter software, sign up now here!