Creating an account in mailerlite

Creating an account in mailerlite

1. Go to Mailerlite.com and click the "Sign up" button present below.
   
2. In order to set up an account, you will need the necessary information. Fill in the data with:
   • name of the company or organization,
   • your name
   • the email address you will use when logging in,
   • password you will use to log in.
3. Confirm with the "Create my account" button
   
4. Congratulations, you have just created an account in the mailerlite, but you still need to confirm your e-mail address.
   
5. Go to your e-mail inbox —_ MailerLite has probably sent you an e-mail asking you to confirm your registration. Click "Verify email address_" and wait for the process of verifying your internet activity to be completed.
   
6. The next step is to complete quite a large amount of data.

1. In the next step, we are asked for information about the organization.
   
2. Then select which tools you will be interested in
   
3. Next, you have to choose whether you have subscribers or not and what content you want to publish on your pages.
   
4. If you already have subscribers, you have to select their number from the drop-down list, and choose how you usually acquire them
   
5. On the next page where you will be asked to complete information on e-marketing, digital products and website builders. If you select "yes", the system will ask you to select the platform you used.
   
6. Now you have to read the regulations, then select the option that you have read it and press the "confirm" button
   
7. If you managed to go through all the steps, the following text should appear at the top of the page:

You must now wait for the Mailerlite team to verify your account, this may take a few minutes. You will then receive an email "Your MailerLite account has been confirmed!", Open it and press the big green button "Go to my account".

From now on you can send e-mails, good luck!

Creating mailing list in MailerLite

Without a recipient list, an account in a mass mailing portal is useless. Creating a recipient list in MailerLite is not complicated. The only problem may be your English. But don't worry about anything. I'm here to explain to you how to set up a mailing list in MailerLite.

1. Select the "Subscribers" tab. It can be found in the panel on the left.
   
2. Click the green button in the top right corner of "Add subscribers".
   
3. Select how you would like to add users.

Adding recipients

In my opinion, the most important option from the novice level is the "Add single subscriber" tab hidden as the third tab, because it is the only one that does not require an existing list. Therefore, unlike the creators of the portal, I will start with it.

Add single subscriber

1. After selecting this option, two fields will appear: "Email" and "Name".
2. Below you can find the "show more fields" button - after clicking it, the next fields to be completed (Name, Company, Country, City, Phone, ZIP) should be visible.
3. Complete them with data.
4. (Optional) Assign the recipient to a group ("Add to a group" field), which in the future will allow you to send certain e-mails only to people from a given group (eg separate groups: "former customers" and "potential customers").
5. Confirm selection using the green button "Add subscriber".

Import from a CSV or TXT file

In this case, you need a file prepared in advance containg the list of your recipients.

The .csv extension stands for "Comma Separated Values". Such a file can be generatred in various programs (e.g. if you use a CRM system).

Regardless of whether you create such a file yourself, or with the help of the system, now I will show you how to add a list of recipients to the mailing list in MailerLite.

Select the "Import from a CSV or TXT file" tab. Drag the file towards the image, or press the green text "select it from your computer" and select the correct file. Confirm with the green button "Import subcribers"

Select which field each column belongs to. For example:

1. John belongs to the "Name"
2. Doe to "Last name"
3. john.doe@jakimailing.com to E-mail

Don't worry - no matter how many such lines (people) the file includes, you only need to do it once. Based on this selection, the other lines will be processed the same way as long as file structure is consistent. After selecting the item, approve using the green "Finish import" as confirmation of adding the subscriber, then you should see the following view:

Copy / paste from Excel

This option is quite similar to the previous one. In this case, however, instead of a text file, you need to have an Excel spreadsheet prepared in advance (google spreadsheet also works).

1. Copy the data from the sheet.
2. Select the "Copy / paste from Excel" tab and paste the data into the white field.
3. Confirm using the green button "Import subscribers"
   
4. Next - everything looks the same as in the
   previous option.

Import from Mailchimp

This option requires you to already have a mailing list on Mailchimp. If you already have one, you can easily do it without these instructions, but to be consistent:

1. Select the "Import from Mailchimp" tab.
2. Click the green button "Connect Mailchimp account".
3. Log in with your Mailchimp details.
4. Click "Allow".
5. Select the mailing you want to import from Mailchimp
6. Confirm using the green button "Import".
7. At this point, the message known from the previous import options should be displayed on your screen. Match the correct columns and confirm with the green "Finish importing subscribers". Match the corresponding columns and confirm with the green button "Finish importing subscribers".

The list of recipients is ready! You can start creating the content. I will now guide you through the process of creating and sending mailings in MailerLite step by step.

Sending mails using MailerLite

1. First, select the "campaigns" button from the side panel.
   
2. Then press the button "Create new campaign"
   
3. Next view is about selecting the type of campaign – there are four options:

1. Regular campaign - the name may not say much, but it basically means that it is a standard email, with no additional options.
2. A / B split campaign - one of the most effective tools to find out what works and what doesn't. Effective in getting to know your audience and in improving your message. You can read more about these types of tests here
3. Auto resend - Not available in the free plan. In a nutshell - if someone does not open your e-mail, a reminder e-mail will be resent after a specified time.
4. RSS campaign - a very interesting option for web content creators. Thanks to it, you can send e.g. a collection of blog entries from the last month. Completely automatically and without your intervention.

For the purposes of this article, we will focus on the first option.

Basic information about mailing in MailerLite

1. Complete the data according to the diagram below:
   1. "Campaign name" - this name is used only to identify your mailing. It will not be used in any e-mail.
   2. Subject - I don't think it requires further explanation 😉
   3. "Who is it from?" (from whom?) - here we have two fields - the first is the signature used for the e-mail, the second is the address from which the e-mail is to be sent (this is a slight simplification, but for the purposes of this article, the definition is sufficient).
   4. "Tracking options" - tracking e-mails – actually it is collecting statistics regarding mailing, incl. number of e-mail openings (CTR).
   5. "Language" - the language that will be used, to, for example,  unsubscribing from your mailing.
      
2. Once complete, click the green button that says "Next: Content".

Designing e-mail in MailerLite

Now you are faced with the choice of mailing project. There are 3 main options:

1. Start for scratch - here you can choose:           
   •  "Drag & drop editor" - a simple editor provided by MailerLite, thanks to which you can create your mailing simply by moving items from the menu to the email.
   • "Rich-text editor" - in a nutshell - it is a text editor that allows formatting ... smiliar to MS Word or Google Docs.
   • Custom HTML editor" - option for people who are familiar with HTML. It allows you to send small mailing works of art, but is designed for more experienced users.
2. "Template gallery" - you can choose the pattern of your mailing from dozens of ready-to-use templates, and then freely edit it in the previously mentioned Drag & Drop editor.
3. "Recent emails" - a list of  recently sent e-mails - a good option when you use, for example, a newsletter and consistent look is important.

The ball is in your court, but I assume this is your first mailing and that you don't want to spend too much money and time. In this case, I recommend choosing "Drag & drop editor". To select, click the green button "Choose" next to "Drag & drop editor".

MailerLite editor

The MailerLite editor is quite intuitive. On the left there are a list of elements that can be added to the e-mail, in the middle the content of the e-mail, and on the right, the properties of the selected element. There are a lot of elements, so explaining all of them would be too time-consuming, but the list shows thumbnails of these elements. There should be no problem understanding which element is which.

To add an item to an email, move it from the list on the left to the desired position in the email body. To enter the edit mode (change the photo, change the text, adjust the font, etc.), click on the element in the email body. After editing, confirm with the green "Save" or cancel with the "Cancel" button. Attention! The item list cannot be seen in edit mode.

Take a moment to test, rearrange and set up your email elements, and when your email is ready, click the green "Done editing" button.

Planning and dispatching in MailerLite

In the next step, you have to choose which recipients ("Recipients") you want to send the mailing to. If your list is divided into segments and groups, you can choose which one should apply. When you decide that you are ready, click "Next: Review".

This step gathers all the most important information: "Subject and sender", "Content", "Tracking settings", "Recipients". Next to each of these sections there is an "Edit" button, which allows you to edit in case any part needs to be adjusted. When ready, click "Next: Schedule".

At this stage, you should decide when you want recipients to receive mailings to their inboxes. If you check "Send now", the e-mail will be sent immediately. Do you want to schedule e-mail dispatch for a specific date and time?

It is possible thanks to the "Send later" option. You can also select appropriate "Time zone". Automatic time zones ("Deliver based on time zones") is available for the paid plan. Everything is ready? Click "Send" if your choice is to send the mailing now or "Schedule" if it is to be sent later.

Congratulations! You've successfully sent your mailing. That's it for an introduction to MailerLite. Maybe you think you could use more instructions for more advanced options after all? Share it in the comment!

Other options

You do not have to decide on the mailing platform mentioned in the article. Check out the blog. There you will find entries about other email marketing tools.

Have you already read a million entries on various mailing platforms, but still can't decide? I have a solution for that! The comparison engine will help you choose the best option. You only need to determine the number of recipients of your content and how many mailings you intend to send per month.