The Newsletter Plugin: WordPress Tutorial

Watch all 8 lessons free

All 8 lessons, with captions and chapters. Pick a lesson to play it at the top of the page, or open the playlist on YouTube →

1. 1Why Build an Email List for Your WordPress Site2 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll learn why a website still wants its own email list, and what the Newsletter plugin does for you inside WordPress. Three reasons an email list beats a social following. No algorithm decides who sees your message. If someone subscribed, your email reaches their inbox. People already check their inbox every day, so you meet them where they are.” Watch the full lesson →

2. 2Install the Newsletter Plugin and Run the Setup Wizard5 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll find the Newsletter plugin in the WordPress directory and walk through its setup wizard. First, how to find and install it from the plugin directory, like any other plugin. Then the wizard: it sets who your emails come from, what the sign-up form asks, and creates the page subscribers land on.” Watch the full lesson →

3. 3Newsletter General Settings: Sender, Reply-To and Sending Speed4 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll go through the General Settings, tab by tab, and save a sensible setup. The Settings tab: who the emails come from, where bounces and replies go, and the public page. The Sending tab: how many emails per hour your site sends. And Advanced: who may manage the plugin, tracking, and how visitor addresses are stored.” Watch the full lesson →

4. 4Set Up Double Opt-In and a Newsletter Sign-Up Form5 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll set how people join, shape the sign-up form, and subscribe as a visitor to see it all work. Single opt-in: fill the form and you're in. Fast, but typos and pranks get in too. Double opt-in: fill the form, then confirm by clicking a link in an email. The list stays clean, and you can prove consent. This version of the plugin starts on single.” Watch the full lesson →

5. 5Create Email Lists and Manage Subscribers in WordPress4 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll organise subscribers into lists and learn the Subscribers screen. A list is a label on a subscriber, not a separate copy. One person can be on several. A public list appears on the sign-up form, so people pick it themselves. A private list is your own grouping, like customers, that only you assign. Here's the plan. Let's see it on the screen.” Watch the full lesson →

6. 6Write and Preview Your First Email Newsletter in WordPress4 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll build a newsletter in the composer and send yourself a real test. A newsletter is a stack of blocks: a heading, some text, your latest posts, a button, a footer. Presets give you a finished layout to start from. And a test send to yourself is how you check it, always, before it goes to the list. Here's the plan. Let's see it on the screen.” Watch the full lesson →

7. 7Send a Newsletter to Your List and Track the Sending Queue4 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll send the draft from the last lesson to a list and watch it leave. First, target: choose who receives it. Then Send now, or Schedule for later. Then the queue goes out, a batch at a time, driven by your site's scheduler. One thing to know about delivery. By default WordPress hands every email to your web server, which is built for pages, not mail.” Watch the full lesson →

8. 8Newsletter Statistics, Privacy Settings and Unsubscribe Links4 min
   From the lesson

   “In this lesson you'll read the statistics, review the privacy settings, and see where the free plugin ends. An open is counted when a tiny invisible image in the email loads. Mail apps that block images hide some opens, so the number is always a bit low. A click is counted because each link passes through your site first, then on to the page.” Watch the full lesson →

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