How to Send out Mass Emails: A Step-by-Step Guide for Small Businesses

A growing email list shows you’re connecting with your target audience and expanding your customer base. However, it can also complicate your email marketing efforts. 

As your list grows from 10 subscribers to 100 to 1,000+, you need a way to simultaneously send emails to many contacts. The solution is to send mass emails through your email service provider or an email marketing platform. 

Let’s define mass emailing and discuss how to send out mass emails that support your marketing goals. 

Introduction to mass emailing

Mass email, or bulk email, is a message sent to many recipients simultaneously. It is one message that many people receive identical copies of — like an internal newsletter that goes out to everyone in your organization.

Large businesses commonly use mass emailing for company-wide announcements. For both small and large businesses, mass emailing is even more popular as part of email marketing to customers.

Suppose you’re launching a new product and want to announce it to your target audience. You could draft a product announcement and send it to all customers on your email list as a mass email. With one mass email, you spread the word to your subscribers. It’s efficient, cost-effective, and doable for any business.

Understanding the basics of sending mass emails in Gmail

If Gmail is your email service provider, you can send mass emails directly through the platform. Alternatively, you can use a Google Workspace extension that adds additional features to Gmail.  

There’s no additional charge to send mass emails if you already pay for a Google Workspace account, and you don’t have to leave your inbox homepage to send mass emails in Gmail. It’s a sleek, simple solution that may work well for small businesses just starting with email marketing. But if you have over 100 contacts on your email list, you’re probably better off with a different option. 

What is the best way to send mass emails?

The best way to send bulk emails depends on your business’s needs, goals, and preferences. There is no one-size-fits-all solution.

Businesses with large email lists and extensive email marketing campaigns generally need tools with more features and options. Smaller companies may prefer low-cost, accessible options like sending mass emails directly through Gmail.

Why Gmail might not be suitable for mass emailing

The tool that works for you when you have a small email list may no longer be the best option as your list grows. For example, you may want more email list segmentation options when you have more subscribers. 

Gmail lacks more advanced features, including personalization options, offered by other email marketing tools. For maximum control over your mass email campaigns, try specialized software.

Step-by-step guide on how to send out mass emails in Gmail

You may be wondering, “How do I send a mass email in Gmail?” If you’re interested in using Gmail for your campaigns, here’s how to send out mass emails for free:

Install the necessary extensions or tools

You can use Gmail alone or install additional extensions to help with your mass email campaigns. Mail merge extensions expand on Gmail’s built-in features to help you send effective mass emails. 

Install any extensions before starting the rest of your campaign. And it’s a good idea to try out the software beforehand to get a feel for how it works. 

Compose the email content and subject line

Your next step is to draft your mass email like you would any other message. Make sure the content is engaging and relevant to your audience, then draft a compelling subject line to go with it. 

Avoid spam trigger words and phrases in your email content and subject line. These words may get your emails caught in spam filters, damaging your campaign’s effectiveness. 

Spam trigger words include:

• Buy direct
• Make money
• Potential earnings
• Cash
• Cheap
• Incredible deal
• No fees
• Save big money
• Full refund
• No hidden cost

Beyond the text, keep your email content visually appealing. Use images when appropriate and include plenty of white space to not overwhelm readers. 

Prepare your subscriber list

Next, determine the recipients of your mass emails. If you plan to send mass emails to your entire email list, make sure it’s in good shape, removing obvious invalid email addresses or duplicates.

You also need a final count of your mass email’s recipients. If your recipient count exceeds 500 external recipients, you must use a tool other than Gmail alone. 

Set up the campaign using Gmail or third-party services

Now it’s time to actually set up your mass email campaign in Gmail.  

Follow these steps:

1. Open Gmail and click “Compose.”
2. Add your recipients to the “To” line. 
3. In the “To” line, click the Mail Merge icon and turn on Mail Merge.
4. Add a merge tag to your message’s content, such as “@firstname.” This tag automatically customizes the mass email message with the recipient’s details.  In this example, the recipient’s first name would appear. 
5. Press “Enter” to enter the merge tag. 
6. Review your message and hit “Send” to send it to all the recipients you entered. 

The steps will likely differ slightly if you use a third-party service to send your mass emails. Each tool has its own features and quirks you’ll have to learn. For example, if you want to know how to send out mass emails individually in Outlook, you must follow different steps. 

Execute the mass email send-off

The final piece of the puzzle is pressing send on your mass email. Alternatively, you can schedule it to go out at a later time. 

Preview your mass email and do one last check for typos or other issues. If everything looks good, go ahead and hit send. Your mass email will appear in your recipients’ inboxes right away, and you can start monitoring your campaign’s results. 

Common pitfalls and best practices

To make your mass email campaigns as impactful as possible, follow best practices, including:

• Avoid spam filters for optimal deliverability. If your email gets caught in spam filters, your campaign will suffer. Avoid spammy language and suspicious practices like sending attachments to ensure your emails reach recipients’ inboxes. 
• Design engaging email content. Your customers likely receive dozens of emails daily. Make your emails engaging and eye-catching so your messages stand out. 
• Use personalization techniques for better engagement. Personalize your mass emails with name tags or other customer details so recipients feel like more than just another number to your business. Learning how to send out personalized mass emails will lead to higher engagement. 

Advanced strategies for sending mass emails

Once you get the hang of the basics of how to send out mass emails without being flagged for spam, you can incorporate some advanced strategies, such as: 

Using email automation tools

Instead of doing all your email marketing manually, you can save time with email automation tools. Many available options can help you with every step of the process, from drafting emails to sending personalized messages when customers take specific actions. 

For example, you can create email sequences that automatically send welcome messages to new email list subscribers. After initially setting up the sequence, you don’t have to lift a finger — the automation tools take care of everything.

Tracking and monitoring email campaigns effectively

Tracking and analyzing your campaign’s results is essential. Use the data from your mass email campaign to determine what’s working well and where you can improve. For instance, if your mass emails have a low open rate, consider making your subject lines and preview text more compelling. 

Creating a follow-up strategy for unresponsive leads

If some of your email leads aren’t responding to or engaging with your mass emails, don’t despair. You may be able to reengage these unresponsive leads with an effective follow-up strategy. 

Decide how long you’ll wait before reaching out to these leads, then send a personalized email to help draw them back in. Many brands offer special deals or incentives in these emails to further entice recipients. 

Importance of complying with email laws and regulations

As a business sending promotional emails, you must comply with a variety of email laws and regulations. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union and the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States are two of the biggest.  

Generally, these regulations require you to get consent from individuals before sending them marketing messages. You must also provide a way for email subscribers to opt out of further communications. 

Violating email laws and regulations can damage your business’s reputation and lead to fees and penalties. Familiarize yourself with the email regulations that apply to your business and comply with them. It’s not worth breaking these rules in your campaigns. 

Recommendations for email marketing software

Using the right email marketing software can help your mass email campaigns immensely. 

Comparing different email tools

• Constant Contact: Constant Contact is a great bulk email tool for beginners. It includes many different templates, tracking features, and integrations to help you run your mass email campaigns. With just a few clicks, you’ll have a professional campaign ready to go. 
• Mailchimp: Mailchimp offers a variety of email templates for your bulk email campaign and prebuilt email sequences. It’s affordable and user-friendly. 
• HubSpot: HubSpot’s free email marketing tool lets you send 2,000 emails free every month. It can be a good option for small businesses just getting started with bulk emails.

Many email tools, including Constant Contact, offer free trials so you can see if the software is a good fit for your business. Start your free trial of Constant Contact today.  

Technical considerations and troubleshooting

You may occasionally encounter technical problems or concerns while sending mass emails. Keep these factors in mind:

What to do if mail merge stops working

If your mass emails aren’t working, review your email list. You may have a problem with the spreadsheet or other sources of email addresses that you’re adding as recipients.

Then, check the mail merge tags in your message. Use the preview feature to see if anything looks amiss. If you can’t solve the problem yourself, contact your email service provider for the next steps.

Limitations of Gmail’s mass emailing capabilities

You may be wondering how to send 5,000 emails at once or how to send 10,000 emails for free. In those cases, you cannot use Gmail. 

Gmail limits you to 2,000 recipients per message and only 500 external recipients (addresses outside your primary email domain). You need a different mass email solution to send a single message to more than 500 people outside of your organization. 

Frequently asked questions

How to send bulk emails without showing addresses

Using a mail merge tool — either through your email service provider or a third-party service — you can send mass emails that don’t show all the other recipients’ email addresses. Each recipient will only see their email address in the “to” section of the message details. 

How to send mass emails individually

With a mail merge tool, you can send mass emails without the recipient seeing the other recipients or even how many people also got the message.

Effective use of email extensions and integrations

Email extensions and integrations can help you develop more advanced mass email campaigns. These tools add extra functionality and features to your email software. 

Some examples of mail merge extensions you may want to use include:

• GMass
• Streak
• MailTrack
• Mergo
• Mailshake

How to send out mass emails to engage your target audience

Mass emails share your message with your target audience in just a few clicks. You only have to set up the email once to engage everyone on your email list. Rely on email marketing tools like Constant Contact to make the process even easier and more rewarding. Sending mass emails is vital to any email marketing approach. Learn more about getting started with email marketing to start reaping the benefits of this valuable marketing channel.

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