Author Platform: Newsletter Providers

One of the essentials of an author platform is establishing a mailing list. The easiest way to do this is to sign up with one of the numerous newsletter providers.

I confess I resisted starting a newsletter list for a long time.

When I was an aspiring writer:

• I felt I had little to offer. Why would anyone want my newsletter?
• There were so many newsletter providers to choose from. How would I know which one to pick?
• I feared the entire process would be time consuming and nerve wracking.

I was wrong.

With so many great providers to choose from, there’s no reason not to start building an email list today–no matter how far along you are on your publishing path. Most newsletter services offer free, limited accounts. They also have easy-to-use templates, scheduling options, sign-up widgets for your website, ways to import or export subscriber lists, and segmenting capabilities.

I recommend looking ahead before signing up with a provider. Hopefully, at some point, you’ll have enough subscribers to move out of the free account. That’s why it’s important to research the costs involved when you’re just starting out.

Be aware that most providers fall into one of two camps.

1. They charge you based on your subscriber list and allow unlimited emails.
2. They charge you based on how many emails you send per month.

If you only send newsletters once or twice a year, you’re probably better off paying per email.

Check out Sendinblue or YMLP.

If you send newsletters out often, you’re probably better off paying based on the size of your list.

Check out MailChimp, MailerLite, or Constant Contact.

If you’re looking for a thorough list of possible providers, go to “Top 25 Free or Low-Cost Email Marketing Web Applications (linked).”

Full disclosure: I started out using Mailchimp, and I currently use Mailerlite because they offer a substantial discount if you pay annually. I’ve been very happy with both.

Do you have any questions about newsletter providers? I’ll do my best to answer!

Have a wonderful day!