Most web hosts impose restrictions on the sending of bulk emails from their servers, even dedicated servers where you might expect to do as you wish on ‘your’ box.
They do this for a good reason – no matter how careful you are, someone on the server or network will always upload an easily misused script capable of being used to send spam or, possibly worse, fail to operate a proper opt-in system.
For this reason it’s generally best to sign-up to a mailing list/newsletter service. These take care of the opt-in and opt-out side of things and generally provide a nice online tool for composing your emails.
Most providers offered affordable, tiered packages so you only pay for what you need and the really good news is that getting started doesn’t even have to cost you a penny.
Our favourite mailing service service is MailChimp which offers a free starter package ideal to get your newsletter up and running but there are many other options out there.
We use MailChimp on seenit.co.uk where it helps keep our readers abreast of the latest entertainment news.
make membership worthwhile
It’s a good idea to ensure your mailing list offers some benefits to subscribers – don’t use your newsletter just to send a list of articles they could’ve read on your site.
If possible try to include some exclusive news, a competition or, failing all else, some personal notes you maybe wouldn’t post on your main site or even a glimpse at what you’ll be covering in future weeks.
