Creating your List

An email marketing list is an integral part of setting up your campaign. You’ll want to ensure that you create your list first and add subscribers to it. Don’t forget no one wants to receive emails they didn’t ask for, so make sure you upload subscribers that have agreed to receive emails from you. Let’s create your first list.

CREATE YOUR LISTS:

FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LISTS

On your DASHBOARD, you’ll want to select LISTS > LISTS as per below.

You will see that there are no lists created yet. Select CREATE LIST.

YOUR LIST DETAILS

Enter specific details regarding the list you want to create with the form provided.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ADDING GENERAL DATA TO YOUR LIST DETAILS:

NAME
When naming your list, make sure that it is easy to recognize.

DISPLAY NAME
This is optional as it will display the list name automatically.

DESCRIPTION
Enter a description that provides more information about the subscribers that belong to it. This is just for your reference.

OPT-IN
At Mail Blaze, our opt-in is set to double opt-in by default. You can choose between double and single opt-in.

What is double opt-in?
Double opt-in requires a subscriber that signs up manually (though a signup form for example) to click on a confirmation link in an automated email that is sent to them. If they do not click on the confirmation link, they are still added to the list, but their status will remain unconfirmed until they have clicked on the link.

Unconfirmed subscribers are omitted from being sent emails.

It is good practice to require subscribers to double opt-in because:

• it ensures that they are legitimate subscribers
• subscribers who double opt-in are more likely to engage with your email campaigns
• It leads to better data hygiene

What is single opt-in?
Single opt-in does not require a subscriber to click on a confirmation link in an automated email that is sent to them; they are added to the list immediately. While this may be simpler to do, if they enter an incorrect email address, there is no check for them to ensure that emails are sent to the correct address.

NOTE: When uploading subscribers in bulk, they are automatically confirmed, so they will not receive a confirmation email after your upload.

OPT-OUT
Like opt-in, you’re able to select whether or not a subscriber has to click a confirmation link in an email in order to stop receiving emails from you.

We recommend that you choose the single opt-out setting if you are unsure as it can lead to unnecessary frustration and negative brand perception if you make opting out hard.

WELCOME EMAIL
Making people feel welcomed and loved is never a bad idea. A welcome email is a great way to introduce your brand and create excitement around the type of content that you will be sending to your new subscribers. This email is sent as soon as a subscriber has been confirmed on your list.

Find out more about customizing your welcome email on the FORMS & EMAILS section below.

SUB. NOT FOUND REDIRECT
In the unlikely event that a user tries to unsubscribe, but does not actually exist on your list, they will see a default message saying that their email can’t be found. If you would prefer to send them to a customized page, please enter the URL to that page in this field.

SUB. EXISTS REDIRECT
You should set this if you want your subscriber to see a specific URL if they try and sign up again. If they have already been added to your list, by default they will see an error message.

Using this field enables you to show them a different screen.

SUB. REQUIRE APPROVAL
Your business may require you to manually approve all subscribers that you add to a list. If this describes you, you can set this field to Yes. Your subscribers will then only be confirmed once you’ve approved them.

ADVANCED LIST SETTINGS

SENDER DEFAULT INFORMATION
If you want to use the same send details for your campaigns, you may want to consider filling out the default Sender Information fields. This can save you time when setting up your campaigns.

NOTE: You can edit this information for every campaign you set up under CAMPAIGNS.

NOTIFICATIONS
Notifications can keep you informed every time somebody subscribes or unsubscribes to the list. You can also choose to send notifications of subscriptions to a different email than unsubscribes or add multiple emails to the notification list by using a comma to ensure a group of people are notified as needed.

SUBSCRIBER ACTIONS
Mail Blaze allows you to create actions when a subscriber is added or unsubscribes to a list. You can choose to customise actions when:

• users subscribe
• when users unsubscribe

Subscribe actions could include:

• Signing a user up to multiple lists when they sign up

Unsubscribe actions could include:

• Unsubscribing users from multiple lists when they unsubscribe

NOTE: You will only see these actions when you have multiple lists.

COMPANY DETAILS
Company details should appear in the footer of your emails to follow best practice guidelines. By default, we use the company details that you entered into the signup form on the Mail Blaze website here.

In this form, you will see there is a specific Address format field. A number of tags appear here. These tags can be used in your campaign templates to easily display corresponding information in your form.

An example to illustrate:
[COMPANY_NAME] would display “Mail Blaze” when the email is viewed by a subscriber.

NOTE: You don’t need to edit the Address format tags directly. These tags can be used in email templates to display the data in the Company Details form.

SAVE CHANGES
If you are happy with all the information you’ve entered you can select SAVE CHANGES to save all the changes you’ve made.

Please double-check your information before selecting SAVE CHANGES.

IMPORT YOUR SUBSCRIBERS:

Now that you have filled out all the information related to your list, you’ll be able to import your subscriber list.

You can import your subscribers by uploading your subscriber list using either one of the following 3 file formats:

1. Comma-separated values (CSV files)
2. Text (TXT files)
3. SQL Import

CSV FILES (files with a document extension .csv)

The most common format used to import your subscriber list is a CSV file. This file format is extremely popular as you can easily create these files in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheet or other spreadsheet applications you may already be familiar with.

CSV files allow you to create multiple columns, which could include Email addresses, names and other specified data.

An example of a CSV file format:

After all your data has been added, export the spreadsheet as a CSV file.

Now that you have your CSV file we'll guide you through how to upload it.

Select CSV as your import method from the options shown on the IMPORT TYPE SCREEN.

Drag your file into the section where you see, UPLOAD FILE or alternatively click on the section and choose your file from where it is located on your computer via FILE EXPLORER or FINDER (Mac OS).

Your file will now upload. Once your file is uploaded, select the CONTINUE button.

CSV IMPORT: MATCHING COLUMNS

We’ve got a great feature to help our system match up your column to your form fields - called list matching. During the CSV import, the system will read the column headings contained in your CSV file and automatically suggest fields. For example a column containing email addresses will automatically be suggested by the system as an Email field. Other fields such as First Name or Last Name will also be detected by the system.

We know most of our clients gather more form fields however which aren’t linked to the above field and therefore have created a super easy way for you to match column headers to form fields. If you have lots of custom fields in your list, this is a great way to tell the system exactly what you are using and create custom fields you can use when you personalise your campaigns down the line.

All you need to do is use the BELONGS TO dropdown on the right-hand side of your screen and select how the system will take action on the column you have in your CSV file.

ACTIONS:

You can now tell Mail Blaze exactly what action you want the platform to take on that field within your list. You can choose: Create a new field: This ensures that you are able to select a type of field, a label and tag for that field. Skip Column: Don’t include the column in your list upload. Automatic field creation: Basically take what’s there and the system will do the rest.

If you choose Create new field you will need to define its Type, Label and Tag.

Type: What kind of custom field are you matching?

Text: Selecting text tells the system to defines the column as a text field and the values for it shall be recognized by the system as type text. PLEASE NOTE: This is the generic class for all fields (even numbers such as ID number, or even phone numbers).

Date: Selecting date defines the field as a date field.

Textarea: Similar to text field. This allows for multiple lines of text, or longer text to be imported such as comments.

Label: If you perhaps have the option for subscribers to choose certain categories they want to belong to, you will use a label. This will be the descriptive name for the field. PLEASE NOTE: This field’s Label is visible to your subscriber when they are using your Subscribe form and also when they Update their profile on the Profile form.

Tag: The tag can be accessed in your campaign builder for personalization. You can use the INSERT function in the text editor to find the available Tags from the list you are sending the campaign to. See Custom Fields.

Skip column: This skips the column. All values following the column heading will also be ignored during the import process.

Automatic field creation: The system will create the field for you. The column name will be used as the Label and Tag.

For existing fields: This will display the system default fields: Email, First name and Last name.

When you have matched all fields in your CSV export file, you can finally press CONTINUE to begin the import process of your file to the list.

NOTE: If blacklisted email addresses are included in the list upload, they will be recognized during the upload process. However, they will remain in the blacklist section to ensure that emails are not sent to these addresses.

SEND OPT-IN CONFIRMATION EMAIL

By selecting "Schedule opt-in campaign," a confirmation email will be sent to your subscribers, ensuring their willingness to remain on your list. This practice fosters engagement and keeps your community well-informed!

For a personalized touch in the confirmation message, simply click on "Customise Opt-In Campaign"

Once you selected "Schedule Opt-in Campaign", and your import is finished, a confirmation email will be sent to your subscribers.

TXT FILES (files with a document extension .txt)

If you have a simple list that only contains email addresses, using a TXT file to upload your subscriber list would be best. This file format does not need to have an email header column, but your email addresses should be on separate lines in the file.

An example of a TXT file format:

Select the TXT file containing your list and UPLOAD.

SQL IMPORTS
If you would like to import subscribers directly from a MySQL database that you have access to, then this is an option. Provide the connection details in the form provided to connect and import your subscriber data.

NOTE: During the upload process, you may see some emails that failed to upload. This may mean that the email address already exists on the list (there were duplicates), or because the email address itself is in an invalid format.

You’ve now successfully uploaded your subscriber list!

MANAGE YOUR SUBSCRIBERS:

Now that you have uploaded your subscribers, you may want to view your list of subscribers.

VIEW YOUR SUBSCRIBER LIST
You can view your subscribers under MANAGE SUBSCRIBERS > VIEW SUBSCRIBERS in the sidebar menu.

Under VIEW SUBSCRIBERS, you’ll find your subscribers details.

NOTE: If you have custom fields, or if you uploaded subscriber data in additional CSV columns, you’ll see that their information is included along with their email address.

FILTER THROUGH YOUR SUBSCRIBERS
You can filter subscribers in your current list by using SEARCH CRITERIA function for your subscriber. A form will drop down which allows you to filter by any data available in any of the fields. Select the filter criteria you want to use and select SUBMIT to filter.

LIST ACTIONS
When you are managing your lists there are certain actions you can perform namely export, copy and bulk actions.

EXPORT
You can export your list easily.

Select ACTION > EXPORT. A CSV file will automatically start downloading.

NOTE: Only confirmed subscribers will be exported.

COPY
You may need to copy confirmed subscribers from one list to another (or from one segment into another).

Select ACTION > COPY. You can then select your LIST or SEGMENT you wish to copy from.

NOTE: Only confirmed subscribers can be copied.

BULK ACTION
The bulk action functionality allows you to make changes to a batch of subscribers in bulk.

Select ACTION > BULK ACTION. Now upload a file that contains all the subscribers you would like to update, and then select an action that you would like to match against them. You can choose to subscribe, unsubscribe, disable or delete as a bulk action.

NOTE: This is not the list import ability, for list import go to ADD SUBSCRIBERS > IMPORT SUBSCRIBERS.

SEARCHING FOR SUBSCRIBERS ACROSS ALL YOUR LISTS
If you need to find a subscriber that belongs to multiple lists or you simply don’t know which list they belong to you can easily find them by following the steps below.

• Navigate to your main lists page. You will find this page on your dashboard Menu. Select LISTS > LISTS
• Now select ALL SUBSCRIBERS
• Use the SEARCH CRITERIA to filter by using the subscriber data you know and select SUBMIT. You can enter the email address in the field provided or use one of the other filtering options to find what you need.

You can also run an action on your filtered subscribers by selecting LIST ACTION and then selecting the respective action you would like to complete.

You will see the number of the selected subscribers displayed in the top left corner of the form.

NOTE: Please double-check that you have the correct filters in place before running any actions. The action is irreversible.

CREATE CUSTOM FIELDS:

Custom fields allow you to store more information about your subscribers. These fields need to be captured at the point where they sign up and can be extremely useful as they will allow you to create segments. Custom fields are also generated when you upload a CSV file that contains additional columns.

You will see the existing fields (Email, First Name & Last Name are available by default)

Segments are groups of subscribers based on a specific condition. You can separate out subscribers based on the information you have about them. There is more information about segments in the next section.

There are 2 ways to create custom fields:

1. Via CSV Upload
   Provide a column header with the values in the column and upload the .csv file

2. Create them manually:
   Click SETTINGS > CUSTOM FIELDS in the sidebar menu.

Click ADD NEW FIELD and select a field type. These field types will display in your signup form. You can hide them by clicking VISIBILITY > HIDDEN.

Enter the field label in the field provided.

Enter the tag value in the field provided. Tags can be used when creating segments, including them as an option in a sign-up form as well as be used in a template tag to display the value.

NOTE: The tag needs to be in capital letters without any spacing.

There are a few custom field options:

• Text field
• Drop-down field
• Multi-select field
• Date field
• Date & Time field
• Textarea field

Fields like dropdown and multi-select allow you to provide multiple options for a user to select when signing up to your list.

To make use of your new segment, add the field into your sign up form allowing subscribers to enter in their details. There is more information about how to add fields into your form in the FORMS & EMAILS section below.

SEGMENT SUBSCRIBERS:

Segmenting your subscribers allows you to separate them into groups based on one or more conditions.

An example:

You have a CITY column with the cities that your subscribers live in where they can select their city. Some live in “Cape Town”, some live in “London” and some live in “New York”.

Your CSV file would look like this:

This data can now be used to create 3 segments:

• Cape Town
• London
• New York

HOW TO CREATE A NEW SEGMENT:
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LISTS > MANAGE SUBSCRIBERS > SEGMENT SUBSCRIBERS > CREATE NEW

NAME FIELD
Now enter the name of the segment into the Name field. In our example, it would be the name of a city.

OPERATOR MATCH
The Operator match setting specifies whether the segment should contain subscribers that match any of the conditions (it includes all subscribers that match 1 or more conditions) or all conditions, meaning that subscribers are only included in the segment if all of their conditions are matched.

Any: subscribers that match 1 or more conditions All: only subscribers that have data that match all specified conditions

Choose ADD CONDITION when you have set your preferences. Then select the field that you want to use to group subscribers that match the condition in the current segment and SAVE CHANGES.

CUSTOMIZE YOUR FORMS AND EMAILS

Our Mail Blaze platform uses a drag-and-drop builder to create your forms, pages and emails. The builder works by dragging content elements into the preview window and using the editing panel to customize those elements. It’s easy to use and a great way to get the look you want, without complicated code.

PAGE & EMAIL BUILDER
The Page and Email builders have PAGE ELEMENTS available in the CONTENT tab that can be dropped into the preview window and then edited using the editing panel.

The sidebar panel contains 3 tabs:

CONTENT: Contains all content elements that can be dragged into the structure sections in the builder window

STRUCTURE: Provides a list of layout sections that act as containers for your content elements. There is a variety of 1, 2, 3 and 4 column layouts available to organize and display your content.

SETTINGS: Allows you to specify overall settings such as page and text styles. Setting your preferred styles here will make it easier to keep the design consistent across your template.

HOW TO USE CONTENT ELEMENTS

1. Select the CONTENT tab and drag a content element into the preview window.
2. Select the new element in the preview window to make any adjustments in the editing panel.
3. Use the editing panel to customize the content.

CONTENT ELEMENTS
Take a look at all the content elements we offer. Using the content elements gives you the freedom to create beautiful emails easily. Each content element has a number of options available to customize your campaign and to represent your unique message.

TEXT
Text elements provide a text editor that appears in the editing panel, allowing you to write and style your headings, paragraphs and links according to your needs.

NOTE: To make things easier, specify your text styles in your SETTINGS tab first so that you don’t need to repeat your styles for every new text element.

Select the type of text, such as headings or paragraphs, using the FORMAT option.

Style your text your way. You can make your text bold, underline it or change the size or apply other options as you need.

To add a link to a certain part of your text, highlight the text that you’d like to link and click on the LINK icon. A popup window will appear where you can select the link type, protocol and URL in the fields provided.

Click the SOURCE button to view the generated HTML for the block of text. You can even edit the HTML directly if you want to.

Click the INSERT button to add dynamic tags such as First Name (FNAME), email (EMAIL) or other available options from the dropdown menu. If your list has custom fields, then the corresponding tag will also be available to include in your template.

If you have already added your text, and would like to style it using the above options, simply highlight the text and use the available options.

IMAGES
Images are a great way to include some visual branding and content in your templates. Drag an image element into the preview window and click on the placeholder image to bring up the file manager. Upload or browse for the image that you’d like to add.

Link the image by adding the URL into the Image Link field. This is a great way to ensure your users can get to your website.

Should an image not display for some reason when the page opens, it’s good practice to add alternative text (alternative text should describe the image you are adding), this way a subscriber would know what the image would have visualised.

Use the other options to customize the style of your image.

GIF
Want to have some fun? You can add a GIF to your page or email by dragging the GIF element into the preview window, use the default animation and search for a GIF in the SEARCH GIF field in the editing panel.

SPACER
Need to create some spacing between page elements? Simply drag the SPACER widget into that part of your form. You can adjust the size of the spacer by clicking on the spacing area in the preview window and dragging the spacer height slider in the editing panel to your desired height.

BUTTONS
Buttons are a way to show your subscriber what you want them to do next. Although you could use a link, it’s a powerful way to draw the attention to an action you want to emphasise.

Adding a button is simple, drag the button widget into the preview window, click on it to bring up the editing panel and customise the button to suit your desired style. You can change the button text and add a URL in the link field. You can also customize the colour, text size and alignment of a button to make it compliment your email or form.

DIVIDERS
Separating two form elements using a divider draws a distinct line between them. Dividers are useful to use when you want to keep your elements organised.

HTML
Are you a code wizard? Adding an HTML element allows you to add custom code to a section of your form/email. It’s important to be comfortable using code when choosing to apply this element as it can have unintended results if not tested properly. Our form builder generates responsive HTML and has all the options you need to customize your forms.

SOCIAL
Get social and add your social media links to your forms by dragging the SOCIAL widget into the preview window and click on the icons to bring up the editing panel. Select the icons style that best fits with your form design. Customize them further by specifying the alignment, size and margin.

Don’t forget to add the links to your social media pages by clicking the edit icon on the right hand side. You can change the order of the icons by moving the icon to the position you want it to display.

You don’t have to add all the icons provided if you don’t use all the platforms. Simply click the icon you don’t want and delete it.

VIDEO
A video widget creates an image of a video’s thumbnail frame. Both Youtube and Vimeo are supported.

Simply drag the VIDEO element into the preview window and click on it. Paste the video link into the field provided and style the image using the options available.

STRUCTURE ELEMENTS
There are multiple layout options available in the STRUCTURE tab. Structures will contain your content elements and help you to create a grid of your choice.

There’s a variety of 1, 2, 3 and 4 column layouts to choose from. Single column layouts are great for large images and paragraphs, while multi-column layouts can be great for product listings and images that have complimentary text alongside it.

There are many ways to use these layouts to create beautiful emails. Our template gallery showcases many types and styles of layouts, so feel free to use them for your own templates or to browse through them for inspiration.

SETTINGS
Customizing your settings section is a great way to ensure your content can easily stay consistent, especially your paragraphs and buttons.

You can specify your background colour, fonts, text colours, button and link styles plus more in the settings tab which means you don’t have to customise these elements individually in the text editor every time.

Once your settings are in place, you’re ready to add the relevant content to your template.

FORM BUILDER
In addition to the Email and Page Builder, the Form builder comes with a few more options available in the CONTENT tab - the ability to include new and existing custom fields.

Your existing custom field content types (additional fields that were generated when you uploaded your CSV files, or created them manually) are available to use in your sign up form. You can find them in the FORM ELEMENTS - EXISTING section of the editor.

If you want to add an element to your form, select or drag the content element in the into the preview window. Adding a new form element will also create the custom field which will then be made available in the Custom Fields section.

All the standard content elements are available in the Page and Email builders, but the form builder has a few more elements included.

FORM CONTENT ELEMENT
The form element is likely to be placed inside your template already, however if you don’t see a form in your preview window, drag the Form element into the window to add it to your page.

TEXT
Text fields are commonly used to collect short pieces of text such as names and email addresses.

DROPDOWN MENUS
Dropdown menus make it easy to present a number of options for a subscriber to choose from.

Drag a dropdown content element into the preview window and click on the element. Use the options panel to customize the field settings.

Enter a simple label so that subscribers know what information they’re supposed to provide.

The tag needs to be in capital letters and contain 1 word.

Enter the available options for the subscriber to choose from in the Dropdown options section. Add more options by selecting the plus icon.

MULTI SELECT
You may want your subscribers to have the ability to select more than one option in a form. Multi Select fields allow for this scenario.

Creating a Multi Select field is the same as creating a dropdown menu. The only difference is that the subscriber can select more than one option.

TEXT AREAS
Need more info from your subscribers than just a name or email? Text areas are a great way to get more info from your subscriber by letting them enter their own thoughts in a paragraph or two.

GOOGLE CAPTCHA
Spambots are a nuisance. The best way to deal with fake signups is to include a Google Captcha in your form. To do so, simply click on the SETTINGS tab and check the Google Captcha setting at the bottom of the page.

The Google Captcha will be added just above your SUBMIT or SUBSCRIBE button.

Now that you have an overview of what the builder can do and how to use it, we can begin to create workflows.

HOW TO CREATE A SUBSCRIPTION WORKFLOW

When a visitor on your website is interested in signing up to receive your emails, they’ll go through a process to subscribe. This doesn’t need to be a lengthy process at all, but you should spend some time making sure that you make it easy and enjoyable for them.

A typical subscription workflow example:

1. A website visitor enters their name and email address into the sign-up form
2. They see a friendly notification asking them to check their inbox for a confirmation link
3. Once they’ve clicked on the confirmation link in their email, they are redirected to a page that tells them that they have successfully subscribed, and will begin receiving emails from you
4. They then receive a welcome email

Let’s start by looking at how to set up your signup form.

SUBSCRIBE FORM
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > SUBSCRIBE FORM

Click FORMS & EMAILS > Subscription in the sidebar menu.

On the Subscription page, click the UPDATE button in the Subscribe Form block to make changes to your sign up form.

Once you’ve selected the Subscribe Form you’ll see 3 tabs along the top. In LAYOUTS we’ve kept it simple for you by creating a Basic Subscription Layout for you to start with.

You can use this form as a base to customise your form.

Once you’re happy with your newly created signup form, all you have to do select SAVE AND NEXT.

Use the form builder to add and customize the elements.

Keep your signup form simple, and inform the subscriber what you’ll be sharing with them. This is likely to help them enter their email address and engage with your emails.

Once you’re happy with the changes you’ve made click SAVE AND NEXT to go to the publishing page.

You’ll see the link where your form will be hosted on a Mail Blaze server in the Published URL field. You can use this link on your website for users to click on to be taken to your sign up form.

The HTML code will also be available to paste directly into your website code if you prefer. Simply select COPY in the Embed code field and paste the code in your website code where you’d like the form to appear.

The iFrame code option will also generate an HTML element that you can paste in your website code. The iFrame is different because it displays the entire webpage that hosts your sign up form inside a frame, instead of adding the form HTML directly into your website’s code.

Once you’re ready to put your form live, click SAVE AND NEXT.

PENDING SUBSCRIBE PAGE
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > PENDING SUBSCRIBE

Double opt-in requires that a subscriber confirms their subscription via email first before being added to a list as a Confirmed subscriber.

Usually, once they have entered the details into the sign-up form, they will see the Pending Subscribe page.

By using the page builder to customize what is displayed, it will familiarize your new subscriber with your brand and help them understand what to do next to complete the signup process.

Use the builder to customize this page and select SAVE AND NEXT when you are done.

MAIL BLAZE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOUR MESSAGING

• Make sure your page branding is consistent with your website
• Keep your page simple and uncluttered
• You want to make sure there are clear instructions of what you want them to do next (which is visit their email and click on the verification link)
• Be friendly in your tone of voice

SUBSCRIBE CONFIRM EMAIL
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > SUBSCRIBE CONFIRM EMAIL

Now that the confirmation email has been sent, and you’ve asked your new subscriber to check their inbox, they will see this email. Let’s make it beautiful!

Click on the UPDATE button in the SUBSCRIBE CONFIRM EMAIL block.

You’ll need to enter the details that the user will see when they receive the confirmation email.

FROM NAME:
Usually your company name, or your own name

FROM EMAIL:
This can be a no-reply address or email address that you send from

NOTE: It is best practice to authenticate the domain you are sending from to increase the chance that the email will land directly in the subscribers inbox and not in a spam folder. You can find out how to do this by setting up your SPF & CNAME details.

REPLY TO:
Enter an email address that will receive replies. You can also specify a no-reply address if you prefer to be contacted through other means.

SUBJECT: Enter the subject line that lets the subscriber know that they need to click a link in this email.

Example: Thank you for signing up! Please confirm your subscription.

Select SAVE AND NEXT when you are done.

Now you can use our pre-built Confirm Subscription Layout as a base to customize your email.

When you are done adding your personal touches select SAVE AND NEXT.

A confirmation email should be simple and let the subscriber know that the only thing they need to do is click the verification link.

The [SUBSCRIBE_URL] tag will generate the confirmation link automatically. It should already be included in the paragraph by default. If you would like to add it into your own text, type and highlight the text that you would like to link to and select the LINK icon.

You can make sure your URL says what you want it to say by selecting the URL for the Link Type, choosing for the protocol and adding the [SUBSCRIBE_URL] tag in the URL field. An example is displayed below.

When a subscriber clicks on the link, their status in your list will be updated to Confirmed.

SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMED PAGE
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMED

Once your subscriber has clicked on the confirmation link in the email, they will be redirected to a page that lets them know that they are good to go. This page should be kept very simple with nothing more than some branding and a message to assure them that they have now completed the sign up process.

Select the Subscription Confirmed block and then select the Subscription Confirmed Layout option as per below image.

Add your own unique branding, along with some personalized text to the confirmation page.

Once you’ve created your subscription confirmation page, we can now create your welcome email.

WELCOME EMAIL
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > WELCOME EMAIL

Now that your new subscriber has successfully been added to your list and will be sent emails, it would be a great time to send them an email to welcome them. Welcome emails play an important role because it showcases your brand and can give a taster about the style and content that the subscriber can expect from you.

Click the Welcome Email block to open up the options. Start by entering the From name and email address, Reply to email address and Subject line.

Example: Welcome! We’re glad to have you aboard.

Once you click SAVE AND NEXT, you’ll be redirected to the builder screen with some default content.

A welcome email is a chance to get creative: provide new subscribers with a discount code, a link to your archive page if you run a blog or let them know what’s going on in your business - there are so many opportunities!

As before, use the email builder to add layouts and drag widgets into the sections.

That’s it! Your subscribers will now be guided through the process of signing up for your emails.

It’s a good idea to test the process by using one of your available email addresses to sign up to see what they will experience when opting in. If you find that you have missed something, you can always revisit a page or email and make the necessary changes as explained above.

OPTIONAL: PRE-APPROVED SUBSCRIBERS
If your business requires you to vet subscribers, or if you want to pre-approve subscribers before sending them emails, then you can opt for them to require approval before updating their status to confirmed. This only applies to you if you have selected “yes” for the Sub. require approval option on the List Details page (SETTINGS > Update List Details).

This should only be considered for strict cases, as double opt-in takes care of most vetting requests.

It is important to note that if you want to pre-approve subscribers, then you select single-opt in.

SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMED APPROVAL PAGE
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMED APPROVAL

After a subscriber has signed up to receive your emails, they will see this page informing them that their subscription is pending approval, meaning that you have been sent a notification and will need to approve their subscription.

Try to keep the text simple and friendly so that they are understanding of the extra step involved.

Select the Subscription Confirmed Approval block to create a new page.

Use the page builder to let the subscriber know that their part is done and that they will receive a confirmation once you have approved their subscription.

Once your page is ready to go live, click SAVE AND NEXT.

SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMED APPROVAL EMAIL
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > SUBSCRIPTION > SUBSCRIPTION CONFIRMED APPROVAL EMAIL

Once your subscriber has signed up for your mailing list, they will see the previous page, while waiting for you to confirm them as a subscriber to your mailing list. Now that you’ve approved them, they will be sent this email.

Enter the From name, From email, Reply to email and Subject line that informs them that they can now expect to receive your emails. There is an Update Profile link included in the template, which points them to the page where they can change their email address along with any other available options if they wish to do so.

You can use the email builder to customize your email.

UNSUBSCRIBE

As sad as it is to see a subscriber go, it’s important to make the process as seamless as possible for them. Use the builder to create page and email templates that guide them through the steps necessary to opt-out of receiving your emails.

Select Unsubscribe in the sidebar menu.

Unsubscribe Form
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > UNSUBSCRIBE > UNSUBSCRIBE FORM

Let’s begin with the unsubscribe form. Select the Unsubscribe Form option and select a template under the LAYOUTS tab. Browse the THEMES tab if you’d prefer to customize a prebuilt theme.

Familiarize your subscriber with the unsubscribe page by sticking to the branding of your emails and other pages you’ve created, you can add your logo and a customized farewell message.

Drag an element into the preview window, or replace the existing content with your images and message.

Once you’re happy with the page layout and content, click SAVE and preview your page by selecting the PREVIEW button. Now that everything’s in place, select SAVE AND NEXT to see the link where you’ll see the link that points to your unsubscribe page. The _[UNSUBSCRIBEURL] tag in your template will generate this link and will take the subscriber to this page if they decide to opt out. You’ll also notice that you can copy the HTML code and host the page on your website as well.

Now that you’re happy, click SAVE AND NEXT to put the page live!

Unsubscribe Confirmation
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > UNSUBSCRIBE > UNSUBSCRIBE CONFIRMATION

After a subscriber has entered their email, they will be redirected to the unsubscribe confirmation page. In a friendly manner, let them know that they have successfully opted out of receiving emails from you going forward.

Unsubscribe Confirm Email
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > UNSUBSCRIBE > UNSUBSCRIBE CONFIRM EMAIL

We strongly recommend that your unsubscribe process is single opt-out in order to make it easy for subscribers to stop receiving your emails. Making subscribers complete an extra step is likely to cause them frustration, and even block you as a sender.

However, if you need them to click on a confirmation link in order to complete the process, you can create the email by selecting the Unsubscribe Confirm Email and using the email builder.

PROFILE
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > YOUR LIST > FORMS & EMAIL > PROFILE > UPDATE PROFILE

The Update Profile form allows subscribers to easily update their details such as their email address. As before, use the form builder to customize the form to include your branding and to provide the necessary fields.

Once you’re happy with the form, click SAVE AND NEXT to navigate to the confirmation page. Click on the SAVE AND NEXT button to make the page live.

The _[UPDATE_PROFILEURL] tag that is included in the templates by default will generate a link for every subscriber, so when they click on the link, they will be directed to this page. Their details will automatically populate the fields making it easy for them to view what their current information is, and allow them to update the necessary details.

FORWARDS

You can insert a Forward to a friend tag in your template which will generate a link that allows your subscribers to fill in a form and share the mailer with a friend or colleague.

The [FORWARD_FRIEND_URL] tag will generate a Forward to a friend link. When a subscriber clicks on it, they will see a form where they’ll need to enter the details of the person that they’re sharing the email with, such as name, email address, and a short description if they’d like to include one.

Forward Email Form
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > Your List > FORMS & EMAIL > FORWARD EMAIL FORM

Click on FORMS & EMAILS > Forwards and then the Forward Email Form option.

Use the page builder to customize your content.

Each field is necessary for the subscriber to fill in so that the email will send successfully.

Once you’re happy with the page, select SAVE AND NEXT to go to the publishing page, and select SAVE AND NEXT to make the page live.

Simply include the Forward to a friend tag in your email templates for your subscribers to share your emails with their contacts.

Forward Email
FIND IT HERE: LISTS > LIST > Your List > FORMS & EMAIL > FORWARD EMAIL

This is the email that their contact will receive.

BLACKLIST
Your account blacklist can be found by clicking LISTS > BLACKLIST. The blacklist contains subscribers that will be excluded from being sent emails in the future. The reason your blacklist is so important is because you want to eliminate invalid email addresses and make sure you never send emails to subscribers that have opted out, especially if they happen to be on more than one list.

Removing invalid email addresses reduces your bounce rate and therefore protects your sending reputation.

CAN I REMOVE EMAILS FROM MY BLACKLIST?
No. The blacklist is designed to clean your sending lists by automatically removing invalid and unsubscribe emails from the sending batch. If you find that there is an email address that shouldn’t be included in the blacklist, kindly contact support and please provide as much information as possible as to why it should be removed. We can then investigate to see if it’s safe to reactivate the email address.

STATS The Stats Overview page displays your data visually.

LISTS OPENS & CLICKS
In the Lists Opens & Clicks graph, you’ll see how many subscribers opened and clicked the links in your campaigns that were sent to that list over a certain period of time.

CAMPAIGN GROWTH
The campaign growth graph will display how many campaigns were sent over a period of time to that list.

LIST GROWTH
The list growth graph visualizes how many subscribers have recently been added to your list.

UNSUBSCRIBE TREND
The unsubscribe graph displays the amount of subscribers that have opted out of receiving your emails over a period of time.

RECENT ACTIVITY
Any recent activity such as campaigns being scheduled, and users unsubscribing will be listed in this log.