In this story
Where: Growth → Reach readers → Newsletters
Before you start
- Newsletters is an add-on. See your plan on keynate.com (Choose a plan).
- Choose how your newsletters are sent in Settings → Readers & money → Connections → Email & SMS. Either verify your own domain on the Keynate Email card (if your Newsletters page says your newsletters are sent with Keynate Email), or add Gmail, Google Workspace, Zoho Mail, Brevo or another service. The sender name and address are set there once.
- If your page says your newsletters are sent with Keynate Email: (1) connect your own domain to your site, (2) on the card find Send from your own domain and add the listed records at the company where you manage your domain, (3) press Check my domain. When it says Verified, you're set. If it says "Keynate Email for newsletters is coming", use your own email service. See Keynate Email.
- Have a real postal address ready. Many countries require it at the bottom of marketing email.
Steps
Set up once
- Open Settings → Site & brand → Add features, find Newsletters. If it shows Buy, buy it first. Wait until it shows On (not Being set up).
- Open Growth → Reach readers → Newsletters. If the page says "Connect your email service to start sending", do that first.
- Go to the Newsletters tab and tap New newsletter. Give it a name and a short description.
- Choose How often: "You send each edition yourself", Every day or Every week. For a digest, set the Send time and tick Fill and send the digest automatically.
- Choose Which stories first (newest or most read) and Most stories in one digest.
- Keep Offer this newsletter on sign-up forms ticked so readers can join. Turn on Add new readers to this newsletter if you want new readers who make an account to join it. See "How readers join" below.
- Open the Settings tab. Enter your Postal address and check the Time zone.
Every day
- Open Editions and tap New edition. Choose the newsletter.
- Write the Subject (short and clear) and an Intro.
- Use Find a story to add to add published stories. Move them up or down.
- Check the Preview on Phone and Desktop.
- Tap Send a test and read it in your own inbox. The subject starts with [TEST].
- Tap Send now, or Schedule to pick a time. You see about how many people will get it first.
- Afterwards open the edition to read How it went: sent, delivered, opened, clicked.
- Use Subscribers to search a person, unsubscribe them when they ask, or erase them for a privacy request.
How readers join
- When a reader makes an account. The sign-up box shows Also send me the newsletter. It is ticked at the start for most readers. For readers in the EU and the UK it starts unticked, because the law there asks for a clear choice. The reader can change it.
- Add new readers to this newsletter. This switch is on each newsletter, under Who gets it. Readers who make an account and keep the box ticked join that newsletter at once. Choose which newsletter new readers join. Every email has a one-click unsubscribe link, and readers can change their choice any time under Choose your newsletters.
- Signed-in readers subscribe with one tap. No confirmation email is needed, because they already proved their email when they signed in.
- Visitors who are not signed in get a confirmation email and join when they press the link.
- Contacts you import or add by hand are not added this way. Import only people who agreed.
Good to know
- A big edition goes out in steps over a few hours on purpose. This keeps your mail out of spam. See Sending newsletters in steps.
- Opens and clicks are counted only for readers who agreed. The real numbers are higher than you see.
- Designs lets you build a look from blocks. Audiences sends one edition to a saved group. Import adds people who already agreed to hear from you.
- For a new sending address, keep Use warm-up (recommended) on in Settings.
Common problems
- "Waiting: set up your email first." Connect your email service. The edition then goes out.
- "Waiting: this period's emails are used up." Add emails or wait for the next period.
- An edition cannot be changed. Once it is sending or sent it is locked. You can still tap Stop sending.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I send newsletters today?
Yes. If your Newsletters page says your newsletters are sent with Keynate Email, you're set. Make sure your site's sending domain shows Verified (Settings → Readers & money → Connections → Email & SMS). If it says "Keynate Email for newsletters is coming", connect your own email service for newsletters (Gmail / Google Workspace, Zoho, Brevo; 3 short steps). Sign-in codes and receipts still use Keynate Email. You can always use your own email service. Contacts you imported or added by hand can only be sent to through your own email service.
Can I import a list I bought?
No. Import only people who agreed to get email from you. You confirm where and when they agreed.
Can I take an edition back?
Before it is sent, tap Cancel edition. While sending, tap Stop sending. People who already got it keep it.
Why are my open numbers low?
Only readers who allowed tracking are counted. That is normal and respects their choice.
How do I verify my domain for newsletters?
If your Newsletters page says your newsletters are sent with Keynate Email: (1) connect your own domain to your site, (2) on the Keynate Email card find Send from your own domain and add the listed records at the company where you manage your domain, (3) press Check my domain. When it says Verified, you're set. If the page says "Keynate Email for newsletters is coming", use your own email service instead (Gmail / Google Workspace, Zoho, Brevo).