How Do You Send Newsletters? Attachment or Directly in Email?

[kam]

How does everyone send Newsletters via email?

Do you send it as an attachment or do you paste it right into the email? I have created a pdf and was wondering how successful it would be as an attachment everyone had to open.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[chefann]

I used to send mine as a formatted email. I switched last month to Constant Contact. (Love it!)Many people won't open attachments. So if you can do a short newsletter in the body of the email and refer people to your website, that's better. (BeckyD does this.)

 

[cathyskitchen]

I send mine through my PC website using the Customer Connection emails. I pick the host special email for the upcoming month, then put my own blurbs in there about how they can host a catalog show, purchase items on my website, etc. Then, it links them right to my website. I send it out at the beginning of every month, and I always get several calls and emails afterwards asking me to place an order or book a show. I think it looks much more professional than a regular email, and if you start now, you can just keep adding your contacts in your website and won't have to add 1000 at a time down the road if you decide to finally do it later.

And, my feeling is, I already pay for the website - why should I have to pay extra for another service to do my newsletter, when PC gives us the feature already? I'm paying for it, I might as well use everything I get with the website, right?!

 

[kam]

ChefAnn:

I used to send mine as a formatted email.

Can you expand on "formatted email". I would like to send images too.

Here is a sample of my Oct Newsletter (yes, I borrowed from other newletters I have seen on here). Does Constant Contact allow me to have something like this?

Thanks!

 

[raebates]

I send mine as a text-only email. It's fairly short. I include a cooking tip, a bit of news, and the upcoming specials. I also announce the winner of my monthly drawing and my high show winner for the month before. As someone with very slow dial-up, which is typical in my area, I don't do anything fancy. I know that when I open those types of emails they take forever to open. I also don't do it as an attachment because I know that lots of people don't open them.I send about a dozen snail-mail newsletters each month. Those are all cute with graphics and such, but they hold essentially the same information.

 

[Leigh0725]

I send mine through my PC website using the Customer Connection emails. I pick the host special email for the upcoming month, then put my own blurbs in there about how they can host a catalog show, purchase items on my website, etc. Then, it links them right to my website. I send it out at the beginning of every month, and I always get several calls and emails afterwards asking me to place an order or book a show. I think it looks much more professional than a regular email, and if you start now, you can just keep adding your contacts in your website and won't have to add 1000 at a time down the road if you decide to finally do it later.

And, my feeling is, I already pay for the website - why should I have to pay extra for another service to do my newsletter, when PC gives us the feature already? I'm paying for it, I might as well use everything I get with the website, right?!

Okay, quick question. I just imported my contact list from Hotmail (cool feature by the way) and I'm getting "‎" at the end of each last name. Any idea why?

 

[PChefPEI]

I do the same as Kathy and use my PWS. I have the same phylosophy....I'm already paying for that service, why not use all the features instead of paying extra. I used to get a newsletter from an outside source, and it was really good, but I could never count on getting it the first of the month.

Rae: I like the idea of announcing your high show winner. Did you ever run into someone who didn't want their name posted? Do you ask permission first? Also, what do you do for a monthly drawing? That's interesting too!

Okay, I just had a "light bulb moment" (hey, there's an idea for another smilie).... what if you had a monthly trivia question and to find the answer people had to go search your website and then email you the answer by a certain date. Then, a prize could be drawn from all correct answers. You could even give away a "free" show!! Just me thinking out loud and totally high-jacking this thread......sorry :blushing: .....I'm done now.....

 

[Leigh0725]

oh, like the idea!

 

[chefann]

ChefAnn:

Can you expand on "formatted email". I would like to send images too.

I would format my newsletter in Word, including pics (usually only 2 small ones), then use mail merge to get it into my email outbox, with one recipient per message (so there were 200 individual items in my outbox). Then I'd send them in groups of 10.

I have sent newsletters through PWS, using the "I'm already paying for it" logic, but those were the ones I NEVER got any response from. I think most of them were filtered by recipients' internet providers.

 

[MelB]

Would be able to send me a copy in word or something I can't change the contact info to mine ro if you could replace mine with yours that would also be great too. [email protected]

Thank you
Melissa Bryant

 

[chefann]

I no longer use Word/standard email for mine. But I can send you an old one.

 

[FromMaria'sKitchen]

I'm feeling really stupid here! Am I missing something in the Customer Connection or is it just a list of my customers & email addresses? Is there a newsletter builder (?) or something in there or do I make my own and paste it in?
TIA

~Maria

 

[chefann]

There isn't a newsletter builder in there. You need to select the contacts you want to send a note to, then choose "send email" from the drop down, and edit the email you choose to add your news.

 

[stacywhitlow]

I also use Constant Contact. I love it!