Mailchimp Tutorial: How to Create Your First Email Campaign

Learn how to create a newsletter promoting your blog or digital business from scratch, with Emma Jane Palin

Emma Jane Palin (@emmajanepalin is a British blogger who specializes in digital marketing for fashion and interior design brands. Her clients include Apple, IKEA, LEGO and other prestigious companies.

Emma explains how to design a newsletter using Mailchimp to promote your brand and give value to your audience. Don’t miss her tutorial!

1. Open a Mailchimp account

The first thing you need to do to launch your email or newsletter campaign is: create a Mailchimp account. This platform provides numerous online marketing services.

Mailchimp offers a range of subscriptions, including a substantial free version, which might be the right fit when you’re starting to create a blog or online business.

2. Create an email template

Now you have your Mailchimp account, go to the Campaigns section and create your first email template. Click on Create Template to start designing your first newsletter.

Mailchimp offers a range of template designs for you to choose from, including more advanced templates available to paying subscribers. Select the best design for your content. Emma has chosen the Create an ad design.

3. Customize your template

Now you have chosen your preferred template, tailor your newsletter by editing the various design elements, including: the font, size, font color, background shade... Emma recommends adjusting the style of the newsletter to fit your brand design and visual style.

You can also add photos that represent your brand to give your newsletter more visual appeal and familiarize your audience with audience your business identity and aesthetic. Use the Blocks section to drag the Image icon and position it on your template. You can then upload your preferred photo.

The Mailchimp editor allows you to adjust uploaded photos. For example, you can round the corners or add text below the image.

4. Add CTAs

It’s a good idea to add Call to Action (CTA) buttons at the end of your newsletter. These could invite readers to share your campaign on Facebook, Twitter, or by email. This allows your audience to interact with your content and share it with their followers.

Mailchimp also lets you add other kinds of content, like videos, your social media accounts, galleries and elements that give your newsletter its own identity.

5. Preview your newsletter

Preview your newsletter before publishing to check how it looks on a computer and on a mobile device. This will allow you to adjust any details for the device used to read your newsletter.

6. Save your newsletter and broadcast your campaign

Once you’ve completed your newsletter design, create a campaign to share it with all your customers by email. Define the campaign title and recipients, then simply add the newsletter template you just created.

That’s it! Your contacts will now regularly receive your newsletters, which allows you to send your audience valuable content.

Tip: How often should I send my newsletter?

Emma recommends sending your newsletter at least once a month to promote your blog consistently and establish a relationship with your customers. Ultimately, it depends on the amount of time you have to create new newsletters. The important thing is to be in your audience’s mind, but not to overload them with information. You need to achieve a balance.

Love this tutorial? If you’d like to learn about branding, content and promotion to create an appealing blog from scratch, don’t miss Emma Jane Palin’s online course: Blogging 101: Tone, Branding and Strategy.

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