Automating Post Notification Emails: A Guide for WordPress Users
As a blogger, manually sending out emails to subscribers every time you publish a post can be time-consuming and inefficient. Fortunately, there are multiple services available for WordPress users that can detect triggers such as new posts and automatically send notifications to subscribers. In this article, we will explore the benefits of automating post notification emails and provide a guide on how to do it using various plugins and email service providers.
Why Automate Post Notification Emails?
Automating post notification emails can save you time and engage your audience while providing valuable insights into your readers’ habits. Here are some reasons why automating post notification emails is a must for bloggers:
1. It Saves Time
Manually sending out welcome emails, post notifications, and other engagement sources such as comments and social media can be unsustainable in the long run, especially as your blog grows. Automating emails can save you hours of work while still retaining a personal touch.
2. It Engages Your Audience
With the oversaturation of online content, it’s easy for readers to forget about their favorite blogs. A weekly or monthly reminder in their inbox can bring back readers who might have let you drop off their radar. Post notification emails build loyalty and keep your readers engaged.
3. It Offers Insight
Knowing how your visitors engage with your content can give critical insight into their habits. With this knowledge, you can better tailor your content to them and draw in more loyal subscribers. Most email marketing tools and services come with detailed statistics such as open and clickthrough rates.
How to Automatically Email Posts with a Plugin
Automating new post emails is easy with plugins that make obtaining subscribers and emailing them your new content an entirely background process. Here are two options for automating post notification emails:
Option 1: MailOptin
MailOptin is an all-in-one email marketing plugin that helps you capture leads, craft beautiful interactive newsletters, and automate your email lists. The plugin offers popular email service integrations such as MailChimp, AWeber, and Constant Contact. Here’s how to set up new post notifications:
1. Connect to your email service provider in MailOptin > Integrations.
2. Go to MailOptin > Emails and click Add New.
3. Select Email Automation and choose New Post Notification from the Select Type dropdown.
4. Choose the template you want to use and customize it in the email customizer.
5. Click Settings on the left-hand panel, scroll down to Recipient, and choose your email service provider and subscriber segment.
To send a digest of posts on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis, follow the same steps but select Posts Email Digest from the Select Type dropdown.
Option 2: Email Subscribers & Newsletters Using SMTP
Email Subscribers & Newsletters is a plugin primarily intended for small sites with a self-hosted email solution. The plugin includes limited integrations with senders like SparkMail and PostMark. Here’s how to set up SMTP emailing:
1. Go to Email Subscribers > Settings > Email Sending.
2. Under Select a mailer to send mail, click on SMTP and enter your SMTP credentials.
3. Go to Email Subscribers > Campaigns and click Manage Templates.
4. Create a New Post Published template or edit an existing one.
5. Click Create Post Notification and configure the settings.
How to Share Blog Posts via Your Email Service Provider
If you don’t want to use a plugin, you can send newsletters through your email service provider using RSS-to-email. MailChimp is an email provider that supports RSS-to-email. Here’s how to set it up:
1. Go to the Campaigns page in your MailChimp dashboard and click on Automation under “View by Type.”
2. Click on the link to “Create an Automation” and select Share blog updates.
3. Enter your RSS feed URL and fill out the necessary info.
4. When you get to the email designer, drop in an RSS Items block to display your blog feed properly.
Wrapping Up
Automating post notification emails can take a huge load off your shoulders and provide valuable insights into your readers’ habits. While it’s possible to set up an RSS feed campaign with most email providers, using a plugin like MailOptin that integrates directly with your WordPress interface is more convenient and provides more control over how and when your newsletter is sent out. With lead generation, form builders, and customizable email automation built-in, MailOptin is an all-in-one package deal that can save you a lot of time in the long run.
