Think about it – if you have 1,000 subscribers and you send them emails a few times per month, chances are at least a few of them will convert. In other others, you’re leaving easy money on the table by not doing email marketing. Plus, you can automate some of your outreach these days (which has its pros and cons) which can save you time.
For those of you on a tight budget, I’ll introduce three services you can use to email posts to subscribers for free. Let’s get started!
Why You Need an Email List as a Blogger
Most blogs – and websites in general – ask visitors for their emails so they can reach out to them at later dates. Each is maintaining a email subscribers list. The reason why these lists are so popular is that they’re incredibly effective, and here’s why:
- Anyone can set one up for their website in minutes.
- They exist independently of your website or social media accounts.
- You can reach people directly through their inboxes anytime you want.
- They’re one of the best marketing methods available online.
Let’s illustrate why that last point is true. Imagine, for example, you spend $100 on paid clicks to your website. That might get you hundreds of views, but maybe only a couple of those will convert. On the other hand, if you have a subscribers list a few hundred strong and each email you send converts a couple of them, that’s a superior investment. After all, sending an email costs nearly nothing. Your biggest investment will be in the time you spend growing that list and the platform you use to manage your campaigns.
As to how you should go about collecting email addresses, that varies from site to site. For example, we have a signup form on the Leaving Work Behind homepage, which has proven to be highly efficient. Other sites use widgets on their sidebars, or even popups (which we’re not fond of). Most email marketing platforms provide you with the tools you need to collect emails, segment them, send campaigns, and even monitor their performance. The best part is, some of them enable you to do it for free.
3 Free Solutions for Emailing Posts to Subscribers for Better Outreach
There are dozens of services you can use to manage email lists and send campaigns. However, these three are my favorite budget options in no particular order.
1. MailChimp
Full disclosure – MailChimp is the service I currently use to handle my campaigns, and I don’t see myself switching anytime soon. It can handle all the basic stuff you need such as creating email lists, sending and scheduling campaigns, and more. However, the reason I like it so much is because of its analytics component.
As far as I’m concerned, if you’re not paying attention to your blog and your campaign’s analytics, you’re not doing things right. You can always trust your gut, of course, but analytics give you hard data you can use to make smarter decisions. Aside from that, MailChimp enables you to send up to 12,000 emails per month to a maximum of 2,000 subscribers for its free plan. Plus, that same free plan also supports automation, which is something you usually only see in premium services.
With that in mind, I feel comfortable recommending MailChimp to basically anyone. It’s easy to use, has excellent documentation, and a terrific interface. However, it’s not the only game in town, so keep reading!
2. Leadsius
Just like MailChimp, Leadsius enables you to create and manage email campaigns. However, the services aren’t exactly identical. In this case, the free plan only supports up to 250 subscribers. However, it does enable you to send unlimited amounts of email.
As you can imagine, 250 isn’t exactly a high limit. However, Leadsius offsets this downside by enabling you to use all its premium features as part of its free plan. That includes advanced analytics, demographic information, and a landing page builder.
That last feature, in particular, makes Leadsius an excellent tool for those of you that also dabble in affiliate marketing. With a single service, you’ll be able to handle your blog’s mailing lists and create landing pages for your offers. Leadsius even handles hosting and custom domains, so it’s really an all-in-one package. On the other hand, if you’re only looking for a simple email marketing tool, then you’re better off using a different service.
3. Benchmark Email
To be blunt, Benchmark Email is mostly identical to MailChimp in terms of features. Just the former, it also supports up to 2,000 subscribers for its free plan. However, with this service, you can send up to 14,000 emails per month.
From a practical standpoint, that difference doesn’t really matter. After all, if you have a list of email subscribers that’s almost two-thousand members strong, chances are you’ll be able to afford a premium service.
Having said that, I think Benchmark Email offers an excellent service. I tested it for a while myself, and I have no complaints with its interface or ease of use. If, for any reason, you don’t want to use MailChimp, here’s an alternative that ticks all the same boxes without any significant downsides.
Conclusion
These days, every blog should email posts to subscribers and look into other ways to engage them using that same medium. In fact, email outreach is one of the things we teach new bloggers in the Blogging Mentorship Program, among other ways to market their sites. After all, each email you send to your users is an opportunity to get them to come back to your website or convert to one of your offers.
More importantly, you don’t need to break the bank to do email marketing right. Here are three of my top picks for free services you can use and why they stand out:
- MailChimp: This is the email marketing service I use, and it’s great for all types of people.
- Leadsius: With this service, you can manage both your email marketing and landing page needs.
- Benchmark Email: My favorite alternative to MailChimp, which means it makes a good fit for nearly anyone.
How often do you think you should email your blog’s subscribers? Let’s talk about your experiences in the comments section below!
Image credit: Pixabay.