Email Programs for Your Online NewsletterBy: Robert F. Abbott Should I create my newsletter in a word processor or email program? Which email programs should I use? Those two questions came from a visitor to the Manager's Guide to Newsletters website. She planned to start an email newsletter that would go to parents of students at her school and she wanted to know about the software that would be required. In response, I offered the following advice on these two important questions for email newsletter publishers. Word processor or email program? This can be one of the simpler issues, at least if your mailing list is not too large at start-up. You can write your newsletter in any email program, or any word processor that allows you to save your work as plain text (ASCII). Most writers prefer to use a word processing program for at least the first draft, since it provides more text manipulation features and saving options. Once you've written, rewritten, spellchecked, and proofread your newsletter in the word processor, save it as a simple text file. Then, copy and paste it into the body of your email program. Of course, you'll need an email program of some kind to send out your newsletter, regardless of where you wrote it. Among email programs, check both stand-alone programs and those integrated with browsers. The most common program is Outlook Express, which comes bundled with Internet Explorer, and that in turn comes bundled with Windows. However, it's limited in many ways and will frustrate you if you try to very much with it. Do an online search for email programs, using any search engine, and look through the features of each one. Try out those that look most promising (most will give you a free trial). I've used many different email programs at one time or another, and each has advantages and disadvantages. In considering them, review the strengths and weaknesses of their address books as well as their message composition capabilities. Once your mailing list grows beyond a certain point (depending on your personal inclinations), you'll need to move it out of the email program and into something more flexible. In my case, once the list got to something like a hundred subscribers, I found the management of it frustrating. For example, adding and deleting email addresses from an email program takes more time and trouble than doing it in a word processing program or, on a more sophisticated level again, a database program.
Another growth issue: As your subscriber list grows, you may want to move away from your email program and use an independent mailing service. In that case, you go to a provider company and upload your list one time. After that, you simply paste your newsletter into a form they provide, and click the Send button. Then, the service sends out your email using its servers. But, to get started you need only a simple email program, and you have many free and worthwhile options. Try each one out for an issue or two of your newsletter, to find what suits you. Next, go to the Internet communication page, or visit our home page Communication Skills . Contact informationRobert F. Abbott Email programs, Copyright Robert F. Abbott 2009 |