Those who send out newsletters regularly usually use paid tools that incur monthly costs. For those who earn money with their newsletters, there is no reason to switch to a cheaper or free solution, as these often have shortcomings.
However, for those who are just starting to send newsletters or build an email list, it is an attractive idea to start for free and grow slowly until you can invest money in more professional and powerful tools.
Can a newsletter be sent for free?
A newsletter can generally be sent at no cost. However, the success of the delivery depends heavily on the size of the mailing list and the software used to send the newsletter.
There are simple email programs that already include basic newsletter features, as well as specialized newsletter tools designed to make the process significantly easier.
Whether a locally installed email program is sufficient or a specialized newsletter software solution is required depends on both the size of the recipient list and the goal of the newsletter.
For example, a newsletter was successfully sent for free to a small group of recipients using the email program Thunderbird. Although the software is not designed for mass mailing, it is still possible to send a newsletter with Thunderbird.
From a technical standpoint, sending a newsletter to 50 to 100 recipients without special requirements is not a problem. The real challenge lies in tracking who has already received the newsletter and how recipients interact with it — such as whether it was opened or links were clicked.
To properly measure newsletter performance, using a professional email marketing solution is recommended. Such tools make it possible not only to send newsletters to hundreds or even thousands of recipients, but also to analyze performance in detail.
When a newsletter is sent using the free GetResponse service, all important statistics become available after the campaign has been sent.
Using specialized software makes it possible to send newsletters for free while also tracking the performance of each individual campaign.
How can a newsletter be sent for free?
Today, most newsletters are sent using dedicated newsletter software. Depending on the goal of the campaign, professional email marketing software may be required — especially when the intention is to make money with a newsletter.
If a newsletter is only intended for friends and acquaintances, a simple email program installed on a computer is often sufficient.
The following options are available for sending newsletters:
- Send newsletters for free with Thunderbird — the free software Thunderbird can be combined with the free Mail Merge extension to send newsletters to selected recipient lists. This guide explains the process step by step.
- Send newsletters for free with Outlook — Outlook is preinstalled on many computers. It can also be used to send newsletters to small lists by creating an email template and sending messages manually.
- Install newsletter software on a domain — if a website is available, newsletter software such as phpList or an alternative can be installed to handle newsletter delivery.
- Use professional newsletter software — many providers offer free plans for small recipient lists. This option is especially recommended for commercial newsletters.
If a newsletter is used for commercial purposes, professional newsletter software should be used from the beginning. GetResponse is a solid and free option for getting started quickly.
With GetResponse, you can try out the professional email service for free and move your existing email lists directly to GetResponse. You can then start sending marketing emails and creating email campaigns.
Potential issues with free newsletter delivery
Creating a newsletter is usually straightforward. The real challenge often lies in the delivery, as many newsletters never reach their intended destination.
Due to the enormous amount of spam emails, it is advisable to send newsletters to larger email lists exclusively via professional mailing services. These use special technical precautions for mass mailings, such as intelligent rotation of IP addresses to balance the mailing load.
Sending newsletters through a local mail server linked to a personal email address or website often results in very poor delivery rates.
A large portion of these emails never reach the recipients' inboxes.
It is not uncommon for 30 to 50 percent of such bulk emails to be blocked or end up in spam folders. When sending a newsletter to 100 recipients, only 50 to 70 emails may actually arrive in the inbox.
This is particularly problematic for commercial newsletters. To ensure the highest possible delivery rate, using a professional newsletter software or SMTP service is essential.
Legal requirements for newsletter delivery
Legal obligations should also be taken into account. When newsletters are sent privately to friends and acquaintances, there are generally no special legal requirements.
The situation is different for commercial newsletters. In this case, the following points must be observed:
- Explicit consent from recipients is required before sending newsletters. This consent must be properly documented.
- Each email must include a clearly visible unsubscribe link.
- A complete legal notice (imprint) of the sender must be included in every email.
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in costly legal warnings. Commercial newsletter delivery is subject to strict legal regulations — even when the service itself is free.
This is one of the advantages of using professional email delivery tools. They take care of the technical and legal aspects, so that users of the service only have to worry about their email marketing campaigns and email lists.
Conclusion
A newsletter can be sent for free. For small recipient lists, simple email programs such as Thunderbird or Outlook are often sufficient.
For commercial newsletters, however, using professional newsletter software is essential. There are many providers in this space, with GetResponse being a particularly recommended option that allows users to get started for free.
Legal obligations should always be considered as well. While private senders face very few requirements, commercial senders must strictly comply with applicable laws.