Ding! Another email notification pops up. It’s safe to say that you’ve either sent or received an email in Gmail today, given its popularity with over 1.8 billion users worldwide. So, it’s only natural that you want to learn how to create an email newsletter in Gmail to reach your employees and customers effectively.
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll show you how to utilize Publicate’s newsletter templates to design stunning and professional emails that can be sent using Gmail.
Creating a Newsletter with Google Docs and Gmail
If you haven’t used a web-based email builder like Publicate for free newsletter templates, you might have turned to alternatives like Google Docs. In Google Docs, you can access the Template Gallery, where you’ll find three newsletter templates to choose from. After selecting a template, you can customize it with your own text.
If you want to send this document as a newsletter, you’ll need to install an add-on. Simply click on “Add-Ons” in the toolbar, then select “Get Add-Ons” and search for “mail merge.”
Although setting up your email newsletter using Google Docs seems straightforward, you’ll run into limitations when it comes to the appearance and distribution, as we’ll discuss later.
Sending a Newsletter with Gmail
Once you’ve created your newsletter, the next step is to figure out how to send it in Gmail. From Google Docs, you’ll need to copy and paste your message into a new email composition.
To do this, click on “Edit” > “Select All” > “Copy.” Then, go to Gmail and choose to “Compose” a new email. Paste your newsletter from the clipboard into the email body.
However, you may encounter formatting issues during this process, and you can’t be certain if the email will appear as intended in your recipients’ inboxes. Another option is to create the email newsletter directly in the Gmail composition, but keep in mind that it won’t have the same level of design since Gmail doesn’t support HTML emails. That’s why using Google Docs as an intermediary step is essential.
Limitations of Sending a Newsletter with Gmail
While Gmail is a widely-used email platform, it’s not specifically designed for creating newsletters. Although you can send email newsletters through Gmail, you’ll face certain limitations, as we’ll now explore:
1. Lack of HTML Support
HTML newsletters are preferred for several reasons. They maintain consistent formatting across different devices, providing an optimal user experience. Additionally, HTML allows you to include images and rich media elements. However, if you create your email newsletter directly in Gmail, you won’t be able to utilize HTML unless you use email design software like Publicate.
Plain text email newsletters are unlikely to generate the same level of engagement as visually appealing HTML newsletters.
2. Lack of Personalization
Personalization is crucial for newsletters. Your employees and customers don’t want to feel like just another statistic. That’s why it’s vital to address recipients by name. Unfortunately, creating an email in Gmail directly prevents you from personalizing it in this way.
3. Sender Reputation
Every email user has a reputation score associated with their domain and email address. Failing to adhere to newsletter best practices can harm your sender score, leading to higher bounce rates and lower delivery rates. Protecting your email sender score ensures that your mass emails reach subscribers’ inboxes.
Creating a Newsletter Using Third-Party Apps
The limitations of Gmail might be concerning, but fear not! Solutions like Publicate are specifically designed to overcome the challenges of using email providers for mass newsletters. Publicate simplifies the process of creating an email newsletter in Gmail.
Publicate is a web-based email builder that offers pre-built templates and seamless integration with Gmail, allowing you to export and send your creations without any hassle. With Publicate, anyone can create catchy and professional newsletters using the drag-and-drop functionality.
Features of Publicate
Publicate is loaded with useful features that enable you to create, send, and manage impactful newsletters. Here are a few highlights:
1. Curated Content
Publicate allows you to curate content from the web, saving articles and social posts for present or future use. It provides access to over 2 million royalty-free images, streamlining the process of incorporating visuals into your emails. Moreover, Publicate scrapes media and text automatically, saving you valuable time.
2. Design Control
Publicate empowers you to maintain complete design control effortlessly. With access to newsletter examples and templates, you’ll find inspiration to create your own newsletters quickly. The key design feature includes aligning and cropping images inline, ensuring perfect image alignment in your newsletters. You can preview your newsletter on desktop and mobile to ensure it looks great on all devices. Publicate also offers saved styles and a brand kit for a consistent brand representation.
3. Analytics
Publicate provides a range of analytics to track your email’s performance, even within Gmail and Outlook. These analytics offer actionable insights to optimize your email’s engagement based on your audience profile. You’ll gain access to heat maps, open rates, click rates, and more, making Publicate the first solution to provide powerful analytics for newsletters sent with Gmail and Outlook.
Benefits of Publicate
Using Publicate to create and send newsletters in Gmail comes with numerous benefits:
1. Ready-to-Use Templates
Choose from a wide selection of mobile-responsive email templates for Gmail, categorized according to industry, season, internal communications, and purpose.
2. Email Preview
Preview your email to see how it will look in Gmail before hitting send. Publicate constantly updates its tools to ensure that your email renders flawlessly across all devices.
3. Direct Integration
Access your HTML newsletters in Gmail seamlessly with Publicate’s integration. Your designs will be readily available in Gmail, eliminating the need for copying, pasting, and testing.
4. Detailed Analytics in Gmail
Publicate’s diverse engagement analytics provide insights into your email’s performance, empowering you to make informed decisions and enhance engagement levels.
5. Automated Process
Publicate’s content library, drag-and-drop functionality, and integration features automate the email creation process. The software scrapes media and text, saving you time on image uploads and title rewriting. With saved styles, your brand remains consistent across newsletters.
Overall, Publicate eliminates the need for a graphic designer and coding expertise, saving you time and money. The user-friendly interface ensures that anyone on your team can harness the power of this email builder.
