Step Aside MailChimp, I've Found Sender

Article written by guest author Peter Brooker

I really just want to take a moment to talk about Newsletters. I've been using Mailchimp for the past couple of years, and was steadily building a community with my subscribers. I used the newsletter to leverage traffic to my blog, my podcast and my YouTube channel. To reward my followers I would always do a small giveaway on my newsletter, and it felt good to give something back. It also meant that people were incentivised to stay subscribed in the event they could win something every month. 

But hang on, is email marketing still effective? 

"Yes, email marketing can still be effective when done right. Personalised and targeted emails, valuable content, and thoughtful timing can yield positive results. However, it's important to adapt strategies to changing user behaviours and preferences." - anon. 

But disaster 

When I was encroaching the 1000 mark, Mailchimp dropped the bomb that they were capping the free subscription tier to 500 email users instead of 2000. All of a sudden I had to cut my audience in half? That really sucked. I guess Mailchimp haven't looked back. 

From March 10, free plan users (like me) with more than 500 contacts either had to upgrade to a paid plan or reduce the number of their contacts in their account. As the newsletter wasn't sponsored in anyway, and I only sent one letter a month, I was quite put off by the idea of having to pay anything. 

As I started to shop around for other email marketing platforms I couldn't believe that there was simply no decent free plans. Eventually I found Sender.Net and thought I'd give it a whirl. Even though it was a relative unknown and when you ask the computer which email marketing platform has the best free platform, it doesn't even make the list;

• Mailchimp,

• MailerLite

• SendinBlue

• Benchmark Email

• Zoho Campaigns

• HubSpot Email Marketing

• Moosend

While each of these platforms have free plans, they often come with limitations on the number of subscribers, emails sent per month, and advanced features. Sender was the one that had the most amount of free subscribers (2500). Wow I mean that's huge! 

Sender lets you create and send beautiful, branded emails. Choose from our library of professionally designed templates or build your own unique design in minutes with no coding required. 

Let me take you through the broad strokes one more time. 

• Up to 2 500 subscribers

• Up to 15 000 emails/month

• Email automation features

• Contains Sender branding

The templates were easy to use. I got some good customer service on the support desk and I sent my first Newsletter out last night and could already see the reports as people opened and clicked. Now I don't want this to sound like a puff piece for Sender. They're not sponsoring me to say good things, but I would recommend giving them a try if you're just starting out you blog or business. 

TIPS on growing your subscriber list

To encourage people to subscribe to your newsletters, consider these strategies:

1. Offer Value: Clearly communicate the benefits subscribers will receive, such as exclusive content, discounts, or useful information. I have my Mum do some bespoke art for the monthly prize draw. Basically all my contacts are exported into a spreadsheet, I then use Random.org to pick a winner. 

2. Visible Sign-Up Forms: Place sign-up forms prominently on your website, preferably on the homepage or high-traffic pages. I have it on my homepage. 

3. Compelling CTA: Use a clear and persuasive call-to-action (CTA) that explains what subscribers will get and why they should sign up. Make sure you give the audience what they want. Nothing is more frustrating than convoluted or diary format newsletters. 

4. Social Proof: Display the number of existing subscribers or feature testimonials from satisfied subscribers to build trust. I actually make a joke of that in my newsletter by pretending its going out to 1000s of readers, then checking myself and saying, "well actually 922 of you."

Remember, transparency, value, and respect for your audience's preferences are key to building a strong subscriber base.

Cover Photo by Maxim Ilyahov on Unsplash