How do I send a newsletter or email blast to my list?

How do I send my first newsletter?

1. Prepare your list

1. Put your contacts in a spreadsheet with a column named Email Address. Add First Name and Last Name if you have them.
2. Remove anyone who hasn’t agreed to hear from you.
3. Save it as a CSV file. Mailchimp’s import guide also accepts TXT.

2. Import it

1. In Mailchimp, go to Audience, open Add contacts, and choose Import contacts.
2. Choose Upload a file, pick your CSV, and continue.
3. Confirm the audience, and add tags if you want to group these contacts.
4. Match each column to a field. Columns you don’t match aren’t imported.
5. Set the email marketing status. Only choose Subscribed for people who gave permission.
6. Select Finalize import, check the summary, then Complete Import.

Expected result: Mailchimp emails you when the import is done, and the contacts appear in your audience. It skips addresses that already unsubscribed or bounced.

3. Authenticate your domain

Mailchimp’s domain authentication guide asks for two CNAME records for DKIM and a TXT record for DMARC in your domain’s DNS. You start it from your profile, Account & billing, then the Domains tab. Adding records is a DNS change, so do it only if you manage your DNS. Otherwise send the records to whoever does, and read our guide to adding DNS records.

4. Build, test, send

Create the email, send a test to yourself on a phone and a computer, check every link, then send or schedule it.

These steps use Mailchimp because it’s common. Other services work the same way with different labels.

The short version

• Use a newsletter service such as Mailchimp or Constant Contact, not Outlook or webmail.
• Import only people who agreed, include your postal address and an unsubscribe link, and test first.

Why not just use Outlook?

Mailing a big list from your normal mailbox causes three problems. Every recipient sees the others’ addresses unless you use BCC. Many providers limit how many messages one mailbox can send. And if people mark your blast as spam, your everyday email can start landing in spam or bouncing too. A newsletter service handles unsubscribes, bounces and sending limits for you.

What rules do I need to follow?

In the US, the FTC’s CAN-SPAM guide applies to commercial email, including business-to-business mail. In short:

• Don’t use a misleading From line or subject.
• Say clearly that the message is an ad, where it is one.
• Include a valid physical postal address.
• Give a clear way to opt out, and honor it within 10 business days.
• You stay responsible even if a service sends for you.

Mailchimp separately requires that you have permission to email anyone you import as subscribed. Gmail’s sender guidelines require large senders to offer one-click unsubscribe. This isn’t legal advice; other countries have stricter consent rules.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Sending from a free address. Mailchimp says Gmail and Yahoo addresses can’t be authenticated for your newsletter. Send from your business domain.
• Blank cells overwrite data. When updating existing contacts, Mailchimp’s import replaces fields with blanks. Fill every column or leave it out.
• One list, many tags. Keep one audience and use tags (like “wholesale” or “retail”) rather than lots of separate lists.
• Old lists. A list you haven’t mailed in years has many dead addresses. Expect bounces and unsubscribes on the first send.
• Business cards. Collecting a card isn’t clear permission. Ask before adding people.

What if this didn’t work?

• The import fails. Check the file is a single sheet saved as CSV, with an Email Address column and commas between values.
• Newsletters land in spam. Finish domain authentication, then see why good emails land in junk.
• Lots of bounces. Clean the list. Remove addresses that keep bouncing.

How does E-3 handle this?

Getting a list into the right shape matters most. That means one sheet, saved as CSV, with column headings that match the service’s fields, imported into the right audience with the right tags. If your domain needs authentication records for the newsletter service, E-3 saves the existing DNS records before changing them.

For newsletter help, call 814-399-4655 or email support@e3help.me, or use the Get support form. Never send your newsletter service password; add E-3 as a user instead.

Related questions

• How do I add DNS records for a new email or marketing service?
• Why can’t I send email, or why do my messages bounce?
• Our leads and HighLevel service