The Free and Simple Mailing List solution for your Blog

Having an email sign-up form on your site is essential, but some of the solutions are either too complicated or cost money.

Fortunately Google comes to the rescue here with a website they acquired last year. Feedburner.

The Pros

• Its Free! All you need is a Google account.
• Emails get sent out automatically the next morning after posting on your blog.
• You can brand your emails with a logo and a reply email address.
• Feedburner creates a consistent RSS feed url that stays the same even if your website address changes.

The Cons

• You can’t import subscribers into this system. Google is cautious that spammers will use this service. You could ask your current list to sign up again but you may lose some people.
• Emails are simple and you can’t have elaborate themes.

What on earth is RSS you ask? Read more here.

To get your newsletter sign-up form:

1. Create or Sign-in to your Google account.
2. Go to Google Feedburner: http://feedburner.google.com
3. Enter the full url of your website into the Burn a feed right this instant field: e.g. http://mygreatwebsite.com and click Next.
4. Feedburner will search for RSS feeds at your address (there can be more than one). Choose the top option which should look something like, Your Website RSS Feed: http://mygreatwebsite.com/feed/ Click the Next button.
5. Next you will be asked to choose a name for your feed, both the title and the final URL of the new RSS feed. Adjust (or not) and click the Next button.
6. On the next page you receive your feed URL from feedburner. Copy this down to put into your emails and websites as your RSS feed address. Click the Skip directly to feed management link.
7. Click on the Optimize tab at the top then the Smartfeed link on the left sidebar. Press the Activate button to make your feed readable by anything. This just increases readability.
8. Click on the Publicize tab and then the Email Subscriptions link in the sidebar.
9. Click the Activate button.
10. Feedburner will now display some code. The first, long section is for the sign-up form that will go on your website. The second is a direct link to your form that can be used in emails or as links.
11. This code (the longer string) needs to be copy and pasted into your sidebar in WordPress so that people can sign up to your sites updates easily.

NOTE: There are a few other links in the Feedburner sidebar that allow you to customize the look and feel as well as delivery time etc.  Communication Preferences, Email Branding and Delivery Options.

Here I outline instructions for WordPress but it will work fine anywhere that full HTML can be used. e.g. Blogspot, other free Blogging platforms or web design programs such as Dreamweaver.

Including the sign-up form in your WP sidebar.

1. In WordPress go to Appearance >> Widgets.
2. Drag a new Text Widget where you want the form to appear. It’s position can be changed by dragging and dropping also.
3. Call the text Widget something like “Free Newsletter” and paste into the main text field the code we just grabbed from Feedburner.
4. Press Save and open your website address in your browser to see your new sign-up form on the site.
5. Invite your friends and contacts to visit your site and sign-up!

NOTE: You can change the message above the email sign up form by editing the text within the HTML. Look for the section that says, “Enter your email address:” and change that section only.

Now anyone that subscribes to your emails will receive a full html rich email the morning after you submit a new post to your blog.

Right, now invite all your friends to sign-up!

HOT TIP: You can make the email subject the same as the article title by customizing your emails in your Feedburner control panel:

1. Login to Google Feedburner.
2. Click on the Publicize tab at the top.
3. Click the Email Subscriptions link, then Email Branding in the sidebar.
4. In the Email Subject/Title field, enter this code: ${latestItemTitle}
5. Make any other customizations and press the Save button.
6. Publish more cool stuff!

You should also subscribe to your own blog feed so that you can check what everyone is getting.
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