Use Mailchimp to Send Subscribers New Blog Posts via Email

If you’re already using Mailchimp for your email newsletter, did you know you can also use it to send subscribers your latest blog posts in their email inbox?

While there are a few WordPress plugins that manage email subscriptions, I like using Mailchimp so I have all my email campaign information – and mailing lists – in one place.

Here’s a quick guide on how to set this up…

1. In Mailchimp, create a new list.
2. If you have an existing mailing list you want to import, you can do that via a CSV or Excel file. See more information on importing users who have already opted in.
3. Then, you’ll need to create a signup form. You can do this in a few ways:
   1. Use a WordPress plugin that works with Mailchimp like this one.
   2. Use a form plugin like Gravity Forms that has a Mailchimp connection through an addon.
   3. Create a form using the Signup Forms tools in Mailchimp itself (it’s in the Lists section).
4. Once you’ve added your new form to the site and connected it to your new mailing list. you’ll need to create an RSS (really simple syndication) campaign. This will send new blog posts to your subscribers via email so you can keep in touch with them more easily. To do this go to Campaign, click on Create Campaign and choose ‘RSS Campaign.’
5. Add the feed URL for your blog – typically this will be ‘http://yourdomain.com/feed/’ but if you’re not sure, try that and Mailchimp will let you know if it’s incorrect.
6. Choose your new mailing list for the recipients.
7. Then you’ll need to choose a theme – I leave this to you, it might take awhile. Be sure to preview the theme you choose using both the Desktop and Mobile buttons to make sure it looks nice in a mobile device.
8. Once you’ve chosen your theme, you’ll need to consider how to present your blog posts. These RSS merge tags allow you to really customize what’s displayed and can be pasted into your new theme’s content areas. Us the Preview and Test tool to see what it’s going to look like – this is important! Mine looked awful when I first set it up. If you get stuck, check out these examples of  RSS merge tags in action.
9. When you’re satisfied with the layout, send yourself a test email. If it looks good in both desktop and browsers, you’re done.

If you have more questions, check out this article by Mailchimp, it has info on troubleshooting your RSS campaign.