This guide walks through a first newsletter for American readers from start to finish. It assumes you already have contacts who agreed to hear from you; if not, start with a subscription form first.
Step 1: Decide what the newsletter is for
Write one sentence describing what readers get and how often: “Monthly recipes and in-store events for our Denver customers” or “A quarterly product update for our US resellers.” That sentence shapes your content, your sign-up promise and your sending rhythm.
Step 2: Plan an editorial calendar
Map the next three months against US dates that matter to your readers. A garden center might plan around the last spring frost, Memorial Day and July 4 barbecues; an accountant around the April tax deadline; a retailer around back-to-school, Labor Day and the Thanksgiving weekend. Give each edition one lead story and two or three smaller items.
Step 3: Pick a starting point
Log in to Mailpro, create a new campaign and choose either a template from the library of more than 600 designs, the drag-and-drop builder, or your own HTML via HTML import. Templates are the quickest way to a professional result; you can change colors, fonts and logo to match your brand.
Step 4: Write for a phone screen
- Lead with the most useful information; many readers scan only the top.
- Keep paragraphs to two or three sentences.
- Use a single primary button per section, made with the button builder.
- Add alt text to images so the message still makes sense when images are blocked and is easier to read with a screen reader.
Step 5: Add the legally required footer
Every commercial email to US recipients must include your valid physical postal address and a clear way to opt out, which you must honor within 10 business days. Mailpro adds the unsubscribe link and processes opt-outs automatically; add your address in the footer block and save it with your template. If the newsletter is mainly promotional, make that clear too. Our page on CAN-SPAM requirements lists them all.
Step 6: Write the subject line and preheader
Keep the subject line short, specific and truthful; deceptive subject lines break CAN-SPAM and generate complaints. Use the preheader to add a second reason to open. Your sender name should be one readers recognize, ideally your brand.
Step 7: Test before you send
Send test copies to Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail addresses and check them on a phone. Click every link. Check that your domain’s SPF and DKIM records are in place so Gmail and Yahoo can verify you as a sender.
Step 8: Schedule by time zone
If your list spans the country, segment it by time zone and schedule each segment for the same local hour. A newsletter sent at 7 a.m. Eastern arrives at 4 a.m. in California, where it will be buried by the time people wake up.
Think about the calendar too. Avoid sending in the middle of a holiday weekend such as Memorial Day or Labor Day unless your content is about the holiday, and bring promotional editions forward before Thanksgiving, when inboxes fill quickly. Our FAQ on the best time to send a newsletter has more guidance.
Step 9: Review the results
After 48 hours, look at clicks per link, unsubscribes and bounces. Keep what worked for the next edition, and move non-openers into a re-engagement segment rather than mailing them indefinitely.
For more on design choices, see HTML newsletters, or go back to the overview of creating newsletters for US readers. Your data is hosted in Switzerland, outside US jurisdiction.