{"id":9455,"date":"2023-07-03T11:24:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-03T09:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sendinblue.com\/?p=9455"},"modified":"2023-07-27T16:45:34","modified_gmt":"2023-07-27T14:45:34","slug":"how-to-send-a-mass-email-with-gmail","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sendinblue.com\/blog\/how-to-send-a-mass-email-with-gmail\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Send Mass Email in Gmail"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

You can send mass email with Gmail using a browser extension (for free). We\u2019ll show you how \u2014 and explain why <\/strong>email marketing software<\/strong><\/a> is a better option.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mass email (also known as bulk email) is when you send an email to a large number of contacts. It could be an email marketing campaign to generate leads or drive sales, or follow-ups with your clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It’s possible to send mass emails through a free email service provider like Gmail or Outlook but you risk having your emails land in subscribers\u2019 spam folders. You also won\u2019t be able to send highly personalized emails or customize email designs to fit your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to send mass email in Gmail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Before you begin you\u2019ll need a free Google account<\/a>. Your Gmail account and other tools like Google Docs and Google Slides are part of the Google Workspace suite of online tools (formerly known as G Suite).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your first step starts with installing a free mail merge extension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 1: Install a Mail Merge extension<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Mail merge is a way to send personalized mass emails by combining personal data taken from a subscriber list such as an email, first name and business address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019ll need to install a Google Workspace extension to add mail merge features to Gmail to send bulk emails.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We recommend a popular mail merge addon called Yet Another Mail Merge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 
Visit the YAMM installation page<\/a> and click the Install <\/strong>button.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then select Allow<\/strong> in the popup window to give YAMM permission to access your contacts and edit documents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Step 2: Draft your message<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Open Gmail<\/strong> and write out the content<\/strong> of your email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Include a greeting line at the top of the body of your email that can be personalized to include the formal address and first name of your email recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Include the content you\u2019d like to personalize for each email recipient in your email blast<\/a> using a keyword wrapped by curly brackets like this: \u201c{{First Name}}\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 3: Prepare your subscriber list<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Use a spreadsheet to help you organize your contact information.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within Gmail click on the <\/strong>Google Apps menu in the top right corner of your screen. Select the Drive icon to open Google Drive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Create a new Google Sheet<\/strong> or upload an excel spreadsheet (or a .csv file) if you already have your subscriber list ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each column in your spreadsheet should have a heading that describes the type of information you have in your subscriber list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s an example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Personalized content in the email draft like \u201c{{First Name}}\u201d should have the heading perfectly match the text inside the set of curly brackets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NB<\/strong>: At least one of your columns should include an email list.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Step 4: Start Mail Merge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Click on the Extensions <\/strong>tab in the main menu at top of your Google Sheet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select Yet Another Mail Merge: Mail Merge for Gmail<\/strong> and then choose Start Mail Merge<\/strong> from the drop down menu.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Type in the Sender Name<\/strong> so your recipients know who sent them an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Select the email draft you prepared under Email Template<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Step 5: Send Mass Email<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can now send your emails out or schedule them to be sent later. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The free version of YAMM limits you to sending just 50 emails at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you have more than 50 recipients, use a free email marketing tool like Brevo (formerly Sendinblue).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

Start sending mass emails with Brevo<\/span><\/h4>\n

Free plan includes 300 emails\/day, email builder and ready templates, reporting and unlimited contact storage.<\/p>\n

Open my free Brevo account now >><\/a><\/p>\n<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Why You Shouldn\u2019t Send Mass Email in Gmail<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re looking to grow your business through email marketing<\/a>, avoid using Gmail mass email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

While it might save money to begin with, you\u2019ll eventually face some issues.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You can\u2019t send more than 500 emails per day<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can only send and receive a maximum of 500 emails within a 24-hour period. The number of recipients in a mass email is also limited to just 500. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Businesses with a growing subscriber list will use the 500 limit very quickly. You may have to separate lists and spread out email campaigns over several days. This is tedious and time-consuming. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And once you hit the limit, you have to wait a full 24 hours before you can resume sending emails from the account. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All your important emails like product announcements or responses to customer inquiries will have to wait until the next day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only way to send more emails a day is to upgrade to a paid Google Workspace plan. And even then you get only 2,000 messages to 1,500 unique recipients a day. If you use them all up in one go, you won’t be able to send or receive ad hoc emails that come up during that day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your emails will be marked as spam<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

If your sender address ends in @gmail.com, there\u2019s a high chance that your mass email campaign will never make it to recipient inboxes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Free webmail providers are designed for personal use. So when a mass email is sent from one, the sender is flagged as suspicious. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google will temporarily disable your account if your emails have been marked as spam or if you\u2019ve sent a large number of undeliverable messages to invalid email addresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s best to use a sender address that\u2019s tied to your domain name. An @gmail.com address for business purposes doesn\u2019t look professional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You have to design emails manually<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gmail is designed for one-to-one correspondence. Even in a business context, that usually means plain-text emails with a static signature at best. There is no in-built email design tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Another Mail Merge<\/em> and most other mail merge add-ons suggest designing your newsletter in Google Docs and then importing it to Gmail. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a text editor as a design tool is frustrating and time-consuming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just take a look below \u2013 do you want to spend hours doing this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"email<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Source<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you can send this, created in minutes with a dedicated email design tool and service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"christmas<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

A ready-made template, available with Brevo\u2019s free plan<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To stand out in the inbox and get the reader to take action, text-based emails just won\u2019t cut it. Especially when compared to modern day email marketing examples<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As an ecommerce, plain-text emails won\u2019t do justice to the products you\u2019re trying to sell. Eye-catching branded emails are the norm not just for online stores, but for pretty much any business. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want your Gmail mass email to look the part, you need add-ons or Chrome extensions to insert graphics, colors, or branding elements. That\u2019s a lot of hassle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You\u2019re better off using tools that are specially built for email design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why You Should Invest in an Email Marketing Service<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t risk your sender and brand reputation with Gmail mass email. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To send marketing emails to large groups of contacts, you need a dedicated bulk email service<\/a> like Brevo (formerly Sendinblue). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And if you\u2019re still thinking about Gmail mass email, here are five reasons to invest in email marketing software.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Attractive and engaging email designs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A sleek and professional email design will build trust in your brand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A good email marketing service makes it easy to design emails by offering responsive email templates<\/a> and drag-and-drop email editors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A drag-and-drop editor (like the one below) removes the need to hire an email designer or code emails from scratch, saving you time and money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What\u2019s more, your emails will display correctly on all mobile and desktop devices. Such features drastically improve your email marketing results. But you won\u2019t find them in Gmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Better email deliverability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Deliverability is the most critical factor when sending mass emails. It refers to a sender\u2019s ability to land emails in the inbox and not the spam folder. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between misspelled\/expired addresses (tip: use double opt-in<\/a> to avoid these), and anti-spam filters, your email has to jump through several hoops to make it to the inbox. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Brevo has a rigorous authentication process to keep spammers out and protect senders on our shared IP addresses. Dedicated IP addresses<\/a> are also available for mass email senders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because email marketing services are made for sending mass email, deliverability will be far better than with Gmail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An email limit that matches your needs<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned, Gmail lets you send either 500 emails per day or one email to 500 different recipients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might not have anywhere near 500 contacts right now. That\u2019s ok. But if you plan to grow your email list, a more flexible email marketing service will let you send as many emails as needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the Brevo Starter Plan<\/a>, the base price of $25 includes 20,000 monthly email sends and unlimited contact storage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Email performance analytics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

When sending a mass email campaign, you need to know what kind of impact it has on your audience. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, checking if your emails were delivered, how many people opened them, how many clicked and went on to make a purchase, etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In other words \u2014 did your email marketing campaign achieve its goal?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gmail doesn\u2019t offer reporting features but an email marketing service will give you all the essential email metrics<\/a>, including but not limited to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n