[Janet Michelson]

I'm looking at a company called Aweber, and they offer the first month for $1, with the regular monthly fee of $19.

What companies have people used, and how do you like the services provided?

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

I put out my newsletter through mailchimp. Doesn't cost me a thing.

 

[TexasGirl]

I have one list on MailChimp, which is free.

And I have one list on Constant Contact, which is $16 a month.

 

[Janet Michelson]

Do all the companies offer the same services? How about an automatic response when people sign up?

 

[MsTee]

If you're using WordPress, there's a really great (and free!) newsletter plugin called Wysija (What You Send Is Just Awesome). It also has a customisable template, and what's great is that they allow you up to 2000 people before they start charging for usage. And the charge isn't even that high: $99/year, which works out to $8.25/month! It also comes with all the bells and whistles that you might like.

*Not a developer of Wysija or anything. Just think that they're offering a great service for a great price.

 

[Tabitha Levin]

I use Aweber and TinyLetter (depending on my needs).

You need to evaluate your own needs to decide which mailing list provider is best for you.

I chose Aweber over Mailchimp for a few reasons: Aweber has better list segmentation and reporting, it's got excellent deliverability (some argue it's better than Mailchimp in this respect although I have seen no conclusive evidence to this - but there is no way I'm risking my business ending up in the spam folder), I like their autoresponders, its easier to use (Mailchimp confuses me), and price - above 2,000 subscribers price is about the same as Mailchimp.

As mentioned I also use tinyletter (free - up to 2,000 subscribers) for some smaller pen names who I haven't established yet.

Now, tinyletter is fine (and very easy to use), but you are limited to one list only and up to 2,000 subscribers. But it does look great and it's super simple.

Aweber is for serious marketers which is why many big name retailers use them. I use this for my main author name.

I've always believed that you should start how you want to finish, and I would *love* one day to have a huge list of super loyal fans that will buy all my new releases. (dream, dream). That's the reason in the end I went with Aweber where you are paying from day one.

Many people use Mailchimp because they are seduced by the free up to 2,000 subscribers (which I agree is a huge incentive), but I just personally don't like them as much.

But it really does come down to what your needs are.

Hope this helped,
Tracey

 

[Carol (was Dara)]

Do all the companies offer the same services? How about an automatic response when people sign up?

Mailchimp sends me an auto-response every time I get a new subscriber. I can manage multiple lists at once and there's no cost until I reach 2,000 subscribers. They allow me to see how many of my emails were actually opened and the number of clicked links, and I can customize my letter templates and signup forms. Those are the only features I've explored so far.

 

[daphne dangerlove]

I also chose Aweber because I was looking for a long term, professional solution.

With Aweber I can set up my messages to be sent whenever I want...for example if I want people to get it at 8am on Monday, it will take into account the subscriber's time zone. You can also set up auto responders which means that you can set up a specific email to be sent when a user does something...like sending them a free story when they sign up for your list or wishing them happy birthday. You can also set up a sequence of emails that go automatically. I use that for an eCourse on my Fan Fiction site as well as to distribute the Author Toolkit on my Self Pub site. That way people can access materials immediately upon signing up.

Aweber will also evaluate your message before you send it to make sure you don't have any content that would trigger a spam filter. They are also a trusted sender and have an excellent no spam reputation so your emails go into inboxes not spam boxes.

I've been using them for two years and I have been very happy.

 

[Janet Michelson]

Ladies, thank you very much for the information. I think a free service would fit my needs well at this time. If I ever get more than 2000 peeps on a mailing list (yeah, right), I will have to make the switch to something better.

Many authors are realizing that social media and free runs are not going to provide the results we need, and a fan base is the best option at this time. I will be doing a number of book readings/signings this year and will have an opportunity to gather email addresses at those events.

Thanks again for all your help. WC authors are priceless! MMMWWWAAA!

 

[daphne dangerlove]

I just saw your reply and wanted to clarify something...once you choose a provider, make sure you want to stick with them. If you decide at a later point you don't like them, you'll have to get your entire list to re-opt in. You can't take your list with you to a new provider.

 

[Janet Michelson]

I just saw your reply and wanted to clarify something...once you choose a provider, make sure you want to stick with them. If you decide at a later point you don't like them, you'll have to get your entire list to re-opt in. You can't take your list with you to a new provider.

Well, that sheds new light on the situation. I wonder what the chances are I would need more than 2000 listings.

Thanks for pointing that out, Daphne.