The potential of newsletters is huge. With this form of marketing we reach people who have already left us their contact details, so they’re interested in our offer. It’s therefore a chance for the marketer to create a loyal group of clients who will feel a bond with the brand and use its services regularly. However, contacts to interested web users and the content of the messages matched to their needs is only half of the success in e-mail marketing.
They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but in fact many of us do exactly that and a similar mechanism applies to newsletters. If they’re not visually appealing to the recipient, the chance of them taking the time to read the content is almost minimal. Besides, there’s also the question if the user will see our message at all. Nowadays e-mails have sophisticated anti-spam filters, which redirect the whole mass of messages to the “spam” or “offer” tab. So in order to reach your potential customers, you need to send messages from a source that they will read as trusted.
So in order to avoid sending newsletters in the void and bring measurable benefits, we should choose a tool for sending them, which has a high delivery rate and allows you to create visually attractive e-mails. Here’s an overview of the most popular software on the market that allows you to create and send such newsletters.
MailChimp
MailChimp is one of the most popular systems for creating and sending newsletters. Its huge advantage is the powerful free plan. It’s available without time limits and allows you to send as many as 10,000 messages per month. With this offer, you can build a database of 2,000 contacts.
Newsletters sent by MailChimp are easily tailored to different industries and current needs. The program provides access to over 100 email templates and an advanced text editor, so newsletters created with it can be graphically interesting and tailored to the visual identity of the brand. The tool also allows you to combine graphic and text elements on your own using a drag-and-drop editor. It means that without any programming knowledge you can place frames for texts, photos, buttons with CTA, headlines or other components.
Features and Packages
MailChimp also provides its customers with powerful reports and the ability to test different variations of messages to find the most effective version. It can be integrated with various platforms, including WooCommerce, Magento or Zapier. Most importantly for marketers – emails sent by this system have an acceptance rate of 96-99%, which means that almost always the messages end up in the recipient’s main inbox instead of in offers or spam.
This software tool has three paid packages, the cheapest of which costs $9.99 per month. They differ in the number of features available; for example, only the more expensive plans offer dynamic content, meaning content that is tailored to a specific recipient.
The most important information in a nutshell
- over 100 templates
- English language platform
- possibility to create newsletters in a mobile app
- 96-99% acceptance rate
- Free plan up to 2000 contacts
- MailChimp footer impossible to remove in free package
MailerLite
MailerLite is a system where there’s also a free version for an unlimited time. However, in this case, the number of subscribers is much smaller – it’s a maximum of 1000 contacts. The platform is intuitive to use and has a built-in drag-and-drop editor. You can integrate it with many tools (including Shopify, WooCommerce, Zapier, WordPress).
There are only two packages in this tool: free and paid. However, the latter does not have a fixed price – the subscription costs are constantly increasing as your contact list grows, so when choosing it, you have to expect a gradual increase in expenses. You can compare the functions of the packages during the 14-day trial period of the paid version.
Most interesting features
What interesting features does this tool have? It has a built-in photo editor with which you can crop and correct photos to be sent in messages directly in MailerLite. The platform also runs A/B tests to help determine the most effective version of your message and create pop ups to encourage newsletter subscriptions. Other useful options for marketers include automatic resending to people who didn’t open the email and delivering messages by time zone.
Highlights in a nutshell
- 14-day trial period for extended versions
- Free version up to 1000 subscribers
- English language platform
- Built-in image editing
- automatic resending to those who have not opened the message
- A/B tests
- delivery of messages according to time zones
- 24/7 chat support with paid package
GetResponse
GetResponse includes a drag-and-drop editor, but also a database of over 220 ready-made templates – this is a program that has one of the largest libraries of its kind. However, there’s no fixed free plan, you can take advantage of the 30-day trial period, but then you have to opt for one of the paid plans. However, it’s worth knowing that within one package, the price increases as the number of subscribers increases.
This tool is one of the best when it comes to message deliverability – it stands at 99%, which means that almost all emails land in the inboxes of the main recipients. The program also has a built-in photo editor and a free photo database that can be used to create newsletters. The tool also allows you to conduct quite detailed analysis and A/B testing, so you can constantly refine your mailings and increase their effectiveness.
Most interesting features
GetResponse allows you to adjust your mailings to local time and also offers a perfect timing tool. This means that the messages are sent when the recipients are most responsive, which is estimated by algorithms based on their previous behavior. An interesting option is the possibility to create dynamic content, i.e. content that changes depending on the recipient’s preferences. Each subscriber can, for example, receive in an e-mail a recommendation of products in which he was interested.
What distinguishes the tool from the previously mentioned programs is its multifunctionality. With GetResponse you can not only send newsletters, but also conduct webinars (in more expensive packages). So if you’re looking for a program that allows you to be more comprehensive, this is an option you should definitely consider.
The most important information in a nutshell
- 99% delivery rate
- 30-day trial period
- access to ready-made e-mail templates (220)
- built-in photo editor
- database of free photos
- Perfect timing tool – sending messages when recipients respond best
- Adjustment of the dispatch to the local time
- A/B tests
- in more expensive packages you can also do webinars
FreshMail
Freshmail doesn’t grant access to a free version, after the 14-day trial period you have to buy a subscription to one of the paid packages. However, the prices here are quite attractive – the cheapest version costs 12 EUR per month and allows you to build a list of up to 1000 recipients. This program also allows you to create newsletters by drag and drop and has a rich database of message templates – there are more than 150 of them. This program has one interesting option that you won’t find in most tools of this type. There is an option to buy a specific pool of messages to send, without deciding to subscribe. In this model, for example, we can buy 10 000 messages and just do a one-time mailing. This is a very cost-effective option for people who send newsletters less frequently than once a month.
What Else Does it Offer?
This mailing system gives a lot of possibilities when it comes to segmenting users. You can introduce a division by interests, gender or location and send mailing only to those people who are the target group in case of a particular message. Freshmail also has functions of optimizing time of sending newsletters and creating dynamic content. You can also use the platform to plan as many mailings as you want.
What else is interesting about Freshmail? You can use this feature to make sure that the message will not be read as junk by the filters before it’s sent. Apart from that, a lot of interesting options are included in the highest package. There, the price includes onboarding, which introduces the secrets and functions of the tool, contact with a dedicated account manager and the possibility of creating webinars.
The most important information in a nutshell
- 14-day trial period
- Over 150 ready-made templates
- Anti-spam tests before the dispatch
- Dispatch time optimizer
- scheduling of any number of shipments
- in higher packages onboarding, webinars, dedicated account manager
- option to buy a package of messages instead of subscription
ActiveCampaign
This program offers a 14-day trial period, after which you have to buy one of the paid packages, the cheapest of which costs $15 and allows you to create a database of 500 subscribers. In addition to the standard drag-and-drop editor, ActiveCampaign offers ready-made templates, whose base, however, is relatively small – it’s 25 versions at the moment. What is a plus of this tool, however, is free image hosting, thanks to which you can store in the cloud those photographs and graphics that you will want to use in the future. Another useful feature of ActiveCampaign is the change history – if at some point in the creation of the newsletter we find that an earlier version was better, we can easily go back to it.
With ActiveCampaign there’s no problem with integration with different platforms or importing contacts if we previously used another tool. There are also options for message personalization, deliverability control and lead scoring. What is the last of the mentioned functions? Well, you can automatically assign points to your contacts depending on their engagement, thanks to which you can create a list of your most loyal recipients. Active Campaign also allows you to do A/B tests, and in the highest package you also get basic CRM functions – for example assigning tasks to people from your company. What you should take into account is that the price of the package increases with the growing number of contacts. This is quite an extensive tool that is best suited for large companies that need something more than standard solutions.
The most important information in a nutshell
- e-mail templates (about 25)
- history of message changes
- Free image hosting
- 14-day trial period
- email personalization
- deliverability control
- add shuffle function
MailPoet
MailPoet, on the other hand, is not a standard program but a plugin for WordPress. It’s free up to 100 subscribers and there’s no distinction between packages – simply the price of the paid version increases proportionally to the number of subscribers. Its advantage is that it allows you to send unlimited emails no matter how wide your contact base is. Also, it works on a drag-and-drop basis and offers about 50 templates for free.
A useful feature not found in other programs is the automatic removal of unengaged subscribers, so we don’t have to spend money sending newsletters to people who don’t respond to them. The time after which a person is considered unengaged can be freely set in the panel according to the current needs. The plugin has a high message delivery rate and is easy to use, so it’s a good choice for WordPress users.
Highlights in a nutshell
- English language platform
- free templates (about 50)
- up to 100 subscribers for free
- unlimited number of emails
- there’s no division into packages – the price increases with the number of subscribers
- automatic deletion of uncommitted subscribers
- high deliverability rate
EmailLabs
EmailLabs is a platform which has a very high deliverability rate. We can even opt for a dedicated IP, so that only we have an impact on address reputation and message deliverability. There are 4 packages available within the tool, including one that is completely free and allows us to send 24,000 messages per month. EmailLabs also provides us with ready-made templates that make creating mailings simple and fast.
This tool puts emphasis on providing the customer with security when sending messages and encrypting communications. In higher packages, we also have access to full onboarding, training for employees and the support of a dedicated specialist who helps, among other things, to perform the necessary integrations. The reporting options are also extended, covering not only basic data, but also open tracking, link tracking or deliverability alerts sent via e-mail.
The most important information in a nutshell
- very high deliverability
- 24 000 messages per month for free
- Dedicated IP in higher packages
- Extensive security options
- free plan forever
