Did you know that email marketing via newsletter platforms provides a Return on Investment (ROI) of approximately 144%. Such high ROI is almost impossible to achieve through other marketing campaigns. Needless to say, this is something you need to urgently tap into to increase the reach of your business.
Based on my personal experience, email marketing does lead to substantial benefits. While I will never suggest you to only rely on this, it is a great supplement to your marketing campaign.
Before starting, I do strongly suggest you to spent time evaluating what email newsletter tool you should use to find one that works best for you. I have tested several platforms so you don’t have to. Here’s a list of some of the best.
What are newsletters?
If you are hosting an event or putting something up on sale, how are you going to tell everyone about it? Before the age of internet, you would ideally post an ad or publish a press release. While the idea of reaching your audience with updates remains the same, it is much easier to do now. Using newsletter platforms, you can reach your entire audience with one click of the mouse.
Newsletters are responsible for keeping your subscribers updated with relevant information. You can provide an update about your business, services or products to those on your email list. I often use my newsletter to create awareness about specific podcast episodes, blog posts, share some interesting news, offers or collaborations.
Having said that, newsletters are not only a way to keep in touch but it also motivates your potential customers to make a purchase or check out your newest blog post. Newsletters, therefore, can be easily said as the ‘life force’ of an email marketing campaign.
However, be careful: If you start sending out emails every day, you might lose your subscribers. It’s extremely important you keep the content relevant and interesting for the receiver.
Be consistent: It’s all about being consistent. If you start sending out newsletters you can’t just stop or take a break one week. You have to keep up your promise to your subscribers and users. On your newsletter sign up form, I would recommend writing how often a subscriber can expect to receive your newsletter. This way, your subscriber will know exactly what they are getting. It will also serve as a promise for yourself.
In this article, I have rounded up the best email newsletter platforms for you to pick the right tool for your email marketing.
Top 5 newsletter platforms
While you can send emails through Gmail or Outlook, these do not provide desired features for running a marketing campaign. These email providers are severely limited in terms of supported file types and editing capabilities. Due to this reason, you should you a newsletter platform.
Sendinblue
Sendinblue can be counted as one of the best newsletter platforms because of its versatile compatibility. You can enjoy its free plan with unlimited subscribers. This allows you to send 300 emails per day, which may not be the right choice for those who want to send emails in bulk.
If you want to increase the limit of email, they do offer multiple paid plans. The Lite plan, allows you to send unlimited emails to unlimited subscribers daily for $25 per month. Though the monthly email limits to 40,000. You can also get the Premium plan which provides marketing automation and Facebook ads.
Let’s take a deeper look at its features. It’s an easy-to-use drag and drop editor for emails. It’s robust editor offers you impressive automation and other side things like coupons and cart messages. The best part is that it also provides a chat feature that directly connects you with the users. Sendinblue also has a WordPress plugin which integrates with your website, and makes it possible to make sign up forms which are connected to your account.
Mailchimp
Mailchimp has always been a top choice for bloggers and small businesses. It is one of the best newsletter platforms out there with a completely free plan. Besides, Mailchimp also provides some outstanding features for e-commerce and email marketing tools. Its free plan includes 10,000 emails per month with 2,000 subscribers.
If you want access to unlimited emails, you can upgrade your plan at only $10-313 per month. Mailchimp provides a plan comparison tool so you can easily select a plan based on desired features.
The reason behind this being the top choice for bloggers is that it has tools for making Instagram and Facebook posts and ads. Moreover, it also connects integrates with websites like Shopify, Salesforce, and Eventbrite.
One of the features I like most about Mailchimp is their email editor. It’s very extensive and you can easily, without writing any code, create beautiful templates for your newsletter. You can easily use your own images, fonts and much more to really make the newsletter into your style of content. It’s very important as it comes from you.
While Mailchimp has a WordPress plugin, it’s a bit limited. I therefore recommend you check other platforms if you use WordPress.
OmniSend
Another famous email newsletter platform is OmniSend. This is mostly used by online store operators. It can quickly drag products from your online store and generate unique and interesting emails for your audience. You can create beautiful product templates for your email marketing with a few easy steps.
OmniSend provides different plans. Its free plan allows you to send 2000 emails per day to unlimited subscribers. If you want to have advanced features, you can always upgrade your plan for just $16 per month. However, it’s upgraded plan will limit your subscriber amount to 500, but in exchange you are receiving advanced features as well, which are relatively flexible and a steal for you at that price point compared to the competitors.
The platform has a pleasant appearance and is typically easy to use. It is quite simple to send emails. However, it does not allow for a lot of preserved personalisation options. The majority of items will need to be adjusted each time they are added. This can be inconvenient. Its best feature is that it can hold your mobile audience by offering mobile-friendly templates.
AWeber
AWeber serves as a long-established tool for newsletter platforms with numerous powerful features. Its free Smart Designer tool allows you to make an excellent-looking template in seconds.
Unlike other platforms, AWeber only has two plans. You can start using it for free and send emails to 500 subscribers. After this, you can get the premium plan for $16.15 a month.
AWeber can create emails from blog posts automatically and has a drag and drop editor with over 700 mobile email templates. It also has the option to apply tags to activate automated email campaigns. It also comprises mobile suite apps to use subscriber manager and segmenting and email tracking to evaluate performance and provide you analytics.
MailerLite
The best thing about this email newsletter tool is that the design can be as easy or as complex as you want. This is the most sought after newsletter platform. All you have to do is to choose from numerous previously designed content blocks for things like navigation menus, images, texts and logos.
MailerLite offers an initial free trial for up to 1000 subscribers and 12,000 emails per month but with limited features. It allows multiple upgrades which range from $10-50 per month.
In addition to making email newsletter building and sending for you, this platform can also perform advanced tasks like A/B splitting text, email automation, photo editing, contact list segmentation, etc. You can also schedule your newsletters.
If you need to run an e-commerce website, then this software can be a lifesaver for you. It enables you to import a product catalogue to add products to email. You can even build and send emails automatically using RSS-to-e-mail feature if you are using an email newsletter to promote your blog.
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Conclusion
Email marketing is one of the most commonly used form of marketing. Above discussed newsletter platforms are the best tools in the market at the moment. It is easy to get lost with hundreds of platforms out there. In this article, I listed five of the best newsletter platforms that can serve a wide range of business needs.
There is no such thing as a perfect newsletter platform. The newsletter platform you select depends on your needs. If you want to send newsletters to share updates about your online store, you should use OmniSend. However, if you want to send your blogposts through emails, AWeber or Mailerchimp are more suitable. Similarly, if you want complex designs without having to use technical skills, you should try out MailerLite.
While all the platforms discussed above provide great features, they are ultimately focused on providing services for specific customers. Therefore, it is extremely important that you compare different platforms and find one which is best for you.
If you are just starting out, you can find 5 easy newsletter tips on how to get more subscribers to your newsletter through your website.
FAQ
What is the purpose of newsletters?
A newsletter is a tool for communicating with your audience. It can used for sharing information, updates, etc. which directly reaches your audiences’ email box.
Is using newsletters worthy?
Yes! It’s difficult for your audience to keep track of new launches or promotions if you don’t tell them. Newsletters play a vital role in providing regular connection with your audience.
Are there other email marketing platforms that are not listed here?
Yes, there are hundreds of platforms out there. You can also check out MailPoet, Substack, Mailjet and Active Campaign.
What is the best free newsletter platform?
It depends on your needs. Almost every newsletter platform offers a free plan with different benefits. You need to find the one which is most suitable for your needs. Carefully compare the price vis-à-vis services before committing to a paid plan.
How do I make a monthly newsletter?
First, find a platform most suitable for you based on your needs. Next, create a mailing list with your audiences’ e-mails and set up your newsletter format.