Your own newsletter is one of the most effective and cheapest ways to stay in touch with your target group. What options does WordPress offer for this? Which plugins should you have on your radar? And what are the legal requirements for your own newsletter? Our overview.
Unfortunately, the word newsletter is far too often associated with annoying e-mail spam. Sure, there is more than enough of that. But a well-designed newsletter is a real super talent in online marketing and conversion. We see this time and again with our Raidboxes newsletter.
Advantages of newsletters
Whether you want to send your target group your latest blog articles, inform them about discount promotions or show them the new features in your online store, creating a newsletter is one of the easiest ways to do just that.
A newsletter is also one of the cheapest channels in online marketing, as it works without spending huge sums on advertising (although you can of course speed up the process with paid ads). Finally, you convert visitors to newsletter subscribers who are already on your website, blog or store anyway. So you're already building your newsletter list passively, without too much effort.
Running the newsletter isn't rocket science either. You need a system or plugin for your newsletter, a list of subscribers and, of course, a good idea or a suitable topic that interests your target group. We'll show you which WordPress plugins you can use to create your own newsletter. And how to turn your visitors into subscribers with newsletter forms.
Newsletter systems for WordPress
First of all, the question arises as to which newsletter system you want to use. You have two options here: Set up your own or use an existing system. If you have little experience with newsletters, WordPress and email marketing, it is advisable to use an existing system. Well-known providers for this are Mailchimp, SendInBlue or CleverReach, for example.
The advantage of such providers is that the entire infrastructure is already in place. All you have to do is import a list of your subscribers or add the forms to rebuild the list on your site. You can then start sending your emails straight away. Most newsletter providers are initially free to use. With larger lists or functional requirements, however, you should plan a budget in the mid double-digit to low triple-digit range per month.
If you already have some experience with WordPress, you can also use plugins to build your own newsletter system. There are some well-known plugins for this, three of which we would like to introduce to you.
Sending newsletters with WordPress: pros and cons
Newsletter plugin
The Newsletter plugin by Stefano Lissa & The Newsletter Team is actively used by over 300,000 WordPress installations. With 4.5 out of five possible stars and almost 1,000 ratings, it is one of the most used and most popular plugins for email marketing in the WordPress and WooCommerce plugin directory.
With this plugin you can collect an unlimited number of subscribers and send newsletters, there is a built-in spam check and a drag-and-drop editor for creating individual newsletters. You can also expand the plugin further with many free and paid extensions. The creators claim it is GDPR- and SMTP-ready; a few more notes on data protection later.
MailPoet - Emails and newsletters in WordPress
The MailPoet 3 plugin is a classic. It is currently used by over 100,000 active WordPress installations and also has just under 1,000 ratings with 4.5 out of five possible stars.
MailPoet is visually somewhat better adapted to WordPress and therefore easier to use for beginners. However, the range of functions is similar. With MailPoet, you can create forms and newsletters, have an integration for WooCommerce, and get statistics and ready-made templates for free.
There is also the option of using the MailPoet Sending Service. This means you don't have to send your emails via your own host. The sending service is free for up to 1,000 subscribers, beyond that you have to upgrade for a fee (or use your own host).
Email Subscribers & Newsletters
The Email Subscribers & Newsletters plugin from Icegram can boast similarly impressive figures to MailPoet: Over 100,000 active installations, 4.5 out of five stars, almost 1,000 ratings.
This plugin also allows you to collect unlimited contacts, send newsletters, create email templates and various lists. It comes with an integrated spam check, automatic mailings for new blog articles and a range of pre-designed forms.
With the paid Pro version of the plugin, you can also activate additional functions. For example, autoresponder sequences that automatically send emails according to a pattern you define. This allows you to create entire mailing lists once and send them out to your new subscribers.
Of course, there are many other plugins for setting up a newsletter with WordPress. To find the right one, you can install a selection of them and test which one is best suited to your needs. Simply search for "Newsletter" in the WordPress plugin directory .
Pay attention to the active installations and the ratings of the individual plugins. You can find further information on selecting WordPress plugins in our tutorial on plugin selection.
Mailchimp, SendInBlue & Co.: Integrate newsletter forms
As mentioned above, you don't necessarily have to set up your newsletter system yourself. You can also choose email marketing providers such as Mailchimp, SendInBlue, CleverReach and others to do all this work for you.
In addition to writing and sending the newsletter, you only have to do one thing yourself: Collecting the email addresses of your visitors.
Integrate forms into WordPress
You can do this with so-called forms that you can integrate into your website. Examples of suitable placements are the sidebar, under each article, as a pop-up or on a separate newsletter page, which you can link to in the menu, header or footer.
Almost all major email marketing providers offer their own WordPress plugins for forms that you can integrate into your website. For example: If you decide to use Mailchimp, simply search for "Mailchimp form" in the plugin directory and choose one of the providers. Ideally one with many active installations, good ratings and a version that is as up-to-date as possible.
The Mailchimp WordPress integration
As there are countless different providers for email marketing and the plugins always work in a similar way at their core, we will only present the integration of these plugins using Mailchimp as an example. For this purpose, we have chosen the best-known plugin MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress with over two million active installations.
Once installed and activated, you must link the plugin to your newsletter provider. This is usually done via an API interface. However, the plugins will explain exactly how this works during the process and where you can find the necessary information from your provider.
Once this is done, you create a form. You can then place it either by code or - a little easier - by shortcode where you want it. Some form plugins also come with matching widgets that you can integrate into the various widget locations within your WordPress site.
If your visitors then want to subscribe, all they need to do is enter their details. The plugin transfers everything to your newsletter provider, who takes care of the rest.
Double opt-in and GDPR
Important: A newsletter is a sensitive topic when it comes to data protection. You must observe certain basic legal rules if you want to operate a newsletter in compliance with the law.
For example, it is important to use a so-called double opt-in system, i.e. to ask your users once again by email after they have entered their address whether they actually want to receive the newsletter. This prevents unauthorized third parties from registering other people for newsletters.
You must also ensure that you inform your users exactly what happens to their data, how it is stored and what you do with the data after they unsubscribe. This information belongs in your privacy policy - and this must be acknowledged when your users sign up.
The best way to ensure this is to make it mandatory for your visitors to check a box when they sign up to ensure that they have read the privacy policy. Other topics include the GDPR's so-called prohibition of tying for your email marketing, see our explanations on this. You should have all of the aforementioned points checked by a specialist law firm for online law so that you are on the safe side.
All of the plugins we have presented offer the option of setting up a GDPR-compliant newsletter. However, find out more about this yourself and, if in doubt, also consult a law firm or data protection expert who will set up your newsletter with you in a legally compliant manner.
Conclusion: Creating newsletters with WordPress
As with almost all challenges you may face with WordPress, there are many plugins available in the WordPress plugin directory for setting up a newsletter. They all simplify the setup considerably. All you need to do is decide whether you want to use your own system or a well-known newsletter provider. You can then set up a newsletter with just a few clicks or connect to other providers with forms.
A newsletter is not a big hurdle in terms of costs either: Most plugins offer free versions to get you started, and most providers also offer a free limit up to which you can run your newsletter free of charge. If your newsletter list then grows over time, you can continue with still small financial resources - but at best, your newsletter will already bring you a return in the form of recurring visits and ultimately customers. Ideally, you should measure which visitors come via the newsletter and then convert or buy from you.
As long as you pay attention to the GDPR, it is also advisable to collect email addresses even if you are not yet running a regular newsletter. A large email list can give your online marketing a real boost. With an existing list, you won't have to start from scratch with your future newsletter.
