Looking for the Best Email Newsletter Service in 2024
An email newsletter service allows you to create and send newsletters with valuable content, updates, or promotions to subscribers.
You worked hard to grow and engage your subscriber list with unique content. Now, you’re wondering if it’s possible to handle a massive email list without your emails slipping into the spam folder.
There must be a better approach than doing everything manually, right?
Investing in a newsletter service platform can help you stay connected to your audiences, increase brand awareness, and organize tasks from a single place. More importantly, your emails will land in the subscribers’ primary inboxes instead of the spam folder or promotions tab.
Let’s explore the benefits and challenges of using newsletter software, how to use it, and the best platforms you can choose in 2024.
What are Email Newsletters?
Email newsletters are like curated gifts from loved ones — they contain engaging and helpful information designed to add value and provide entertainment.
Newsletters are usually sent in bulk and at scheduled intervals. They contain promotions, announcements, or brand stories, making them an excellent tool for speaking to a larger audience group in a single go.
But how do you ensure your newsletters reach the right people at the right time? This is where an email newsletter service can help.
Everything to Know About Newsletter Email Service
Using newsletter software allows you to efficiently manage your email campaigns. You can create and schedule newsletters, aligning your email marketing efforts with the overall brand goals.
Among the common features email newsletter services offer, you can find:
- Templates: Most free email newsletter services offer campaign templates to get you started on design and writing.
- Subscriber management: Tools to add, remove, and segment your subscribers.
- Analytics: Insights into email campaign metrics, including conversions and ROI.
- Automation: This lets you automate emails based on triggers or subscriber actions.
- Personalization: Ways to personalize email campaigns with custom fields.
- Integration: Allows integration with other marketing tools such as CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, and social media.
Successful marketers use three key things to differentiate their content: produce better quality, cover stories that their competitors don’t, and promote their content.
If you want an organized way to tell your stories, it might be time to try out newsletter email services, especially for these added benefits.
Benefits of Using Newsletter Software
From simplified design to automated workflows and list cleaning, newsletter software can improve the efficiency, effectiveness, and overall impact of your email marketing efforts.
5 reasons to use an email newsletter service today:
- Targeted and personalized communication: The tool helps you segment audiences based on the buyer’s journey and demographics.
- Collaborative features: Many newsletter platforms allow teams to share and edit the newsletters, streamlining the content creation process.
- Relationship building: Track how many subscribers responded to your content and found it engaging.
- Maintains professionalism: Shows your subscribers that you’re serious about what you do.
- Legal compliance: The tools help you avoid legal issues by guiding you through the CAN-SPAM and GDPR laws.
- Ease of use: You can send professional newsletters without technical skills.
- Simplifies campaign management: Helps you segment and automate flows with pre-designed email templates.
While newsletter software helps you segment and send newsletters, it also comes with a set of challenges, such as below.
Disadvantages of an Email Newsletter Service
While a few basic features might be free, many newsletter services require paid subscriptions to access advanced features.
The other downsides include:
- Deliverability issues: Despite best efforts, emails sent through newsletter services can get flagged as spam or get blocked by email filters.
- Subscriber engagement: Content can become irrelevant and response rates can drop if subscribers aren’t managed properly.
- Email list cleaning: Few services may not offer automatic email list cleaning, leading to a collection of invalid and harmful email addresses. For example, Campaign Refinery offers an automatic email list cleaning feature that removes inactive email addresses every 30 – 180 days.
- Template limitations: A few services may have customization and design limitations, which could restrict your ability to create unique email newsletters.
- Limited control over technical aspects: You may have little control over server configuration or IP reputation, which could affect your email deliverability rates.
- Learning curve: Email newsletter services could have a steep learning curve, particularly if you don’t have a technical background.
Despite these challenges, many businesses benefit from using email newsletter companies. With so many choices, it can become overwhelming to select the right platform. That’s why we have outlined critical factors to consider when choosing one.
Choosing the Right Email Newsletter Service
When picking software to send email newsletters, you want to check for ease of use, integration capabilities, and deliverability rates.
Consider the key factors in the table below.
| Criteria | Why it’s Important |
|---|---|
| Highest email deliverability | Ensures your emails get delivered to subscriber inboxes instead of going to the spam folders. |
| Customization | Allows you to personalize email campaigns according to subscriber behavior. |
| Automation | Helps you send relevant newsletters at the right time to the right people. |
| Advanced segmentation | Lets you send targeted messages to increase conversions. |
| Modern integration | Allows you to integrate seamlessly with other marketing tools for a well-rounded approach. |
| Intuitive email editor | Helps you set up campaigns with ease, even without technical expertise. |
| Robust analytics and reporting | Lets you understand your email campaign performance. |
Pro Tip: The success of your newsletters depends on their ability to reach your subscribers’ inboxes. Look for services that have spam protection and offer double opt-in processes.
Use the Inbox Formula Guide to help you refine your email marketing approach and reach more recipients without worrying about spam filters. The guide helps you navigate through the technical aspects of email marketing and reveals a secret formula to get higher opens and clicks on your emails.
Best Email Newsletter Platforms
There are many free and paid tools you can choose from. Consider affordability, ease of use, and technical aspects before making a decision. You can always start with the free pricing tier and upgrade as your business grows.
Here are the newsletter software at a glance.
| Newsletter Platform | Pricing | Best For | Unique Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mailchimp | Starts at $13/month for 500 contacts | Small businesses, e-commerce brands | Ease of use |
| Beehiiv | Free for up to 2500 subscribers | Creators and bloggers | Custom newsletters |
| ConvertKit | $15/month for 300 subscribers | Creators and bloggers | Advanced automation |
| Substack | Free forever with a 10% commission on the subscription revenue | Seasoned writers, solopreneurs, and bloggers | Subscription newsletters |
| Campaign Refinery | Starts at $99/month for unlimited contacts | All types of business owners and marketers | Highest email deliverability, advanced automation, and intuitive interface |
Mailchimp: A Beginner-friendly Newsletter Tool
Mailchimp is one of the popular newsletter platforms with advanced automation and segmentation functionality. It started as an email newsletter platform, hence, offers basic to advanced features, including better email deliverability.
It also provides customizable templates, a customer journey builder, and an updated email builder. When needed, you can use the multichannel campaign report, website-building tools, and robust reports.
Overall, Mailchimp covers all aspects of email marketing at affordable pricing.
Pricing
Mailchimp offers a free plan with 1000 monthly email sends. Paid plans start at $13/month with access to email templates, an increased number of user accounts, and 24/7 customer support.
Mailchimp Pros
- User-friendly interface: Mailchimp has an intuitive user interface that makes creating email campaigns easier for beginners.
- Automation features: It offers advanced automation tools allowing you to set up automated flows based on subscriber actions and trigger rules.
- Support and resources: Mailchimp provides extensive support resources, including guides, tutorials, and a knowledge base to troubleshoot issues.
Mailchimp Cons
- Pricing structure: Mailchimp can be expensive for people with larger email lists.
- Learning curve for advanced features: Advanced segmentation and automation may take extra time and resources to understand.
- Frequent changes in pricing: The platform often updates its pricing structure which can lead to confusion for certain users.
| Mailchimp Pros | Mailchimp Cons |
|---|---|
| Easy to use | Lower pricing tiers offer fewer features |
| Full marketing hub | Relatively expensive as businesses scale |
| Convenient email templates | |
| Helpful analytics | |
| Improved AI recommendations |
Not a fan of Mailchimp? Read through our all-inclusive guide on Mailchimp alternatives.
Beehiiv: Modern Newsletter Platform With SEO Capabilities
Beehiiv is a dedicated newsletter creation platform that helps you monetize your content. It offers a user-friendly interface with various tools, including SEO optimization to create, send, and track newsletters.
You don’t require coding skills to use the software; it has pre-built templates and customization options. It also makes it easier to track performance through a 3D analytics dashboard.
Overall, Beehiiv is a beginner-friendly platform with many features and functionality.
Beehiiv Pros
- Focus on growth: Beehiiv emphasizes growing your subscriber base through referral programs, signup forms, and SEO-optimized content.
- Monetization options: It allows creators to offer paid subscriptions and access exclusive content, potentially increasing the revenue.
- Customization and design: Beehiiv offers a drag-and-drop editor with various personalization options.
Beehiiv Cons
- Limited integrations: Compared to competitors, Beehiiv offers fewer integrations to other marketing tools.
- No mobile app: Currently, the platform doesn’t offer a mobile app to access newsletters on the go.
- Limited free plan functionality: The free plan has restrictions on SEO and growth tools.
Beehiiv Pricing
Beehiiv’s launch plan is free for 2,500 subscribers. The pay-as-you-go model depends on the number of subscribers you have. The highest plan is the custom pricing plan with exclusive features such as a dedicated account manager, IP address, etc.
| Beehiiv Pros | Beehiiv Cons |
|---|---|
| Free plan | Limited integrations |
| User-friendly interface | No mobile app |
| Growth and monetization focus | Pricing for advanced features |
| Design flexibility | Limited automation features |
| Website hosting |
ConvertKit: Premium Email Newsletter Tool
ConvertKit focuses on helping content creators sell digital products and subscriptions, that are not otherwise found on many platforms.
It offers a landing page editor, forms, integration, and automation features. Some of its best features include paid recommendations, a creator network, and a sponsor network.
If you work with fellow creators, you can leverage the ‘Recommendations’ feature to reach a larger audience group. You can also set up a premium newsletter service for customers in a few simple steps. These features come with branded product pages to match your brand style and personality.
Overall, ConvertKit is a good choice if you want to sell digital products, run newsletter subscriptions, and need advanced targeting options.
ConvertKit Pros
- Flexible user-subscription management: The tagging system is simple and lets you add and remove as many users as needed.
- Good email deliverability: ConvertKit maintains an average 91.3% deliverability rate.
- Offers paid newsletters: They help you send paid newsletters with a ‘Tip Jar’ feature that lets your subscribers tip your content.
ConvertKit Cons
- Expensive pricing model: The platform can get expensive once you cross 1000 subscribers.
- Limited design options: ConvertKit has around 9 text-based templates which might not be a great option if you want design templates.
- Scanty reporting: They only provide basic reporting — open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes. They don’t offer geo-tracking, click maps, or bounce rates.
ConvertKit Pricing
ConvertKit offers a free plan for upto 300 subscribers. You can send unlimited emails but it does not come with automation and reporting features. Their paid plans start at $15 and can reach upto $79 for 5000 subscribers.
| ConvertKit Pros | ConvertKit Cons |
|---|---|
| Flexible user-subscription management | Can get pricey |
| Good email deliverability | Limited design options |
| Offers landing page editor | Limited reporting |
| Has paid newsletter feature | |
Substack: Value-added Subscription Based Newsletters
Substack is a newsletter and blogging platform that allows journalists, creators, and podcasters to build and monetize their newsletters. It offers a simple user interface with features to grow your business.
Although the platform offers a free forever plan, it takes a 10% commission on the subscription revenue. Substack could be a good fit for seasoned writers and people with a large email list.
Substack Pros
- Focus on email deliverability: Substack implements strict authentication protocols and monitors email infrastructure to maintain deliverability rate.
- Established voices: The platform has attracted well-known journalists and writers, contributing to its reputation as a high-quality newsletter service.
- Ease of use: Substack offers a straightforward user interface for creating and managing newsletters, even for people without technical expertise.
Substack Cons
- Fees: Substack takes a 10% cut on subscription revenue, on top of standard payment processing fee.
- Limited customization: It has limited design and personalization features, making it difficult to maintain brand identity.
- Basic analytics: Substack offers basic analytics to track subscriber growth.
Substack Pricing
Substack is free to use but creators have the option to charge for exclusive content with a 10% commission to the platform.
| Substack Pros | Substack Cons |
|---|---|
| Focus on email deliverability | Commission on subscription revenue |
| Monetization options | Limited customization |
| Ease of use | Basic analytics |
Campaign Refinery: Email Automation Platform With the Highest Email Deliverability
Campaign Refinery is an email marketing platform laser-focused on inbox placement. Alongside robust automation and segmentation functionality, Campaign Refinery provides engagement features for higher conversions.
The unique features include:
- Flexibility to add unique designs: Our campaign library is filled with pre-made templates for any kind of campaign you send.
- Engagement Gamification: Offer rewards to subscribers every time they open and engage with your emails.
- Integrated list-hygiene: Automatically weed out unwanted email addresses for a pristine email list every 30-180 days.
Once you become a client, you get access to powerful automation and analytics features that let you see your newsletter performance in a single place.
Campaign Refinery Pros
- Security protocols: We implement mandatory domain authentication for clients and require them to set up SPF, DKIM, and DMARC protocols.
- Credits system: At Campaign Refinery, you only pay for what you use. This means you get to scale your business without having to pay more.
- Premium features at no extra cost: Enjoy top engagement features for monthly pricing. No additional costs for bigger email lists, whatsoever.
Campaign Refinery Cons
- Strict vetting process: We don’t have a free trial because we only work with serious senders. We handpick clients based on their past and current sender practices to ensure safety.
Campaign Refinery Pricing
Campaign Refinery charges based on the number of emails and pricing tiers start from $99/month to custom pricing packages.
| Campaign Refinery Pros | Campaign Refinery Cons |
|---|---|
| Campaign library with pre-built campaign templates | Strict vetting process |
| Flexibility to add custom designs | No free trial |
| Top engagement features for higher conversions | |
| Credits system | |
| Security protocols |
With Campaign Refinery, you get access to premium tools and features for your email newsletters, growing your business to millions in revenue.
Join Campaign Refinery and Create Booming Newsletters
Campaign Refinery is more than an automation platform — we’re deliverability experts working hard to give you the highest deliverability rate on the market. Our clients notice a 600% increase in inbox placement as soon as they join us.
Along with the exceptional inbox placement, you also get access to premium tools and support to enhance your email marketing efforts. From top engagement features to flexible design options, Campaign Refinery helps you grow your email newsletters the right way — Download the Lead Magnet Multiplier Course to grow your audience and change the way subscribers interact with your brand.
Plan and execute your newsletters, and ultimately grow your revenue with sophisticated tools — Sign up to become a client now!
