Direct email is still the most cost-effective sales and fundraising tool for the arts and non-profits. Some studies have shown a $36 return for every $1 invested in email marketing. It is definitely a tool you don’t want to ignore.Â
For years, the conventional wisdom for many WordPress users has been to rely on external, dedicated email service providers (ESPs) like Mailchimp or Constant Contact for their email marketing. While these services are powerful, they often introduce unnecessary complexity, cost, and a disconnect from your core website (while not offering the list aggregating/analysis power of a full CRM (Salesforce, Raiser’s Edge, Theatre Manager, etc.) . While we used to integrate Mailchimp into most of our arts organization and artist sites, changes in the free and lower cost options for Mailchimp have led to Arts Cubed researching options. It became impossible for us to assist clients with their single login free or starter plans due to two factor challenges, leaving clients to fend for themselves in a complex marketing email interface. The price to allow multiple login was too high for most of our clients and those able to afford the steep fees were better served by a full CRM integrated with their ticketing system and donor management software. (Arts People, Theatre Manager, etc.)Â
We have been recommending or migrating clients with a small maillist to The Newsletter Plugin.Â
The Newsletter Plugin, (more details available at https://www.thenewsletterplugin.com/,) offers a superior, integrated solution, allowing WordPress users to manage their entire email marketing strategy directly within their familiar WordPress dashboard. Here is a look at why keeping your newsletter in-house with the Newsletter Plugin is the smarter choice for your WordPress site.
External ESPs require you to connect your WordPress site via APIs, embed forms, and frequently troubleshoot compatibility issues. This often results in a fractured workflow where you manage your content in WordPress but your audience and emails in a completely separate system.
The Newsletter Plugin eliminates this disconnect.
Feature | The Newsletter Plugin (In-House) | External ESPs (e.g., Mailchimp) |
|---|---|---|
Integration | Native WordPress integration | Requires API keys and external connections |
User Experience | Managed directly in the WordPress dashboard | Separate dashboard and login required |
Data Sync | Real-time and automatic | Requires manual sync or complex webhooks |
Form Management | Forms are part of your theme/site | Forms are external iframes or scripts that must be embedded |
This native integration simplifies everything from list building to sending campaigns. There are no external services to worry about, and everything works harmoniously within the WordPress environment you already know.
When you use an external provider, your subscriber data—your most valuable asset—lives on their servers, subject to their terms of service, security protocols, and potential downtimes.
The Newsletter Plugin ensures that your data remains on your server and under your complete control. This is a fundamental advantage for businesses and bloggers who prioritize data ownership and privacy compliance. Your subscriber list is stored in your WordPress database, meaning you have total access and control over it at all times.
In addition when eblast readers choose “view online” they are visiting your own website boosting your traffic not visiting the site of the mail provider.Â
External ESPs typically use a tiered pricing model based on the number of subscribers you have. This means that as your audience grows, your monthly bill increases—often steeply. For many small to mid-sized websites, these recurring costs can become prohibitive.
While the Newsletter Plugin offers a robust free version, its premium extensions and services are often a fraction of the cost of long-term external subscriptions, especially for larger lists. By managing the sending process yourself (even if you use a dedicated SMTP service, it will still prove cheaper than a full ESP subscription), enabling you to drastically reduce your recurring overhead costs.
The Newsletter Plugin offers a comprehensive set of features comparable to external services:
- Drag-and-Drop Composer: Easily create professional, responsive emails without touching a line of code.
- Segmentation and Targeting: Send the right message to the right people by segmenting your lists
- Detailed Statistics: Track open rates, click-through rates, and other vital metrics directly in your WordPress dashboard.
- Automation: Set up autoresponders, welcome series, and automated workflows to engage subscribers without constant manual effort.
- Pro-Options: There is a low cost pro-version available that offers more customizations and integrations.
While The Newsletter Plugin offers significant advantages, running email marketing in-house requires attention to a few technical details, primarily related to email delivery:
- Web Hosting Limitations: Standard shared web hosting environments often impose strict limits on the number of emails you can send per hour. Attempting to send a large campaign (e.g., 5,000 emails) from a basic host can lead to mass failure or even account suspension.
- Email Deliverability: Sending large volumes of email directly from your website’s server can result in poor deliverability, as many email providers (like Gmail and Outlook) may flag your emails as spam, since they do not recognize your server as an authorized email sender.
The Solution: To overcome these issues and ensure high deliverability, it is highly recommended to install an SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) plug in that links to an external SMTP service. These services (like Brevo, SendGrid, Amazon SES, or Mailgun) handle the actual email delivery, leveraging their highly-reputable servers to ensure your newsletters land in the inbox, while The Newsletter Plugin still manages the content, subscribers, and analytics within your WordPress dashboard. At Arts Cubed we usually install Brevo as it has a free option up to 300 emails a day and most of our clients are sending to small targetted lists under 300 and/or can pace their mail over 2 or 3 days to not exceed the 300 cap. When lists are in the thousands of names, there are several paid options. Depending on your service and host, it may be necessary to manually add files to your DNS to verify the domain/mail connection. If you aren’t confident about doing this let your host or website administrator handle it for you.
For WordPress users seeking an integrated, cost-effective, and fully controlled email marketing solution, The Newsletter Plugin is the clear choice over complex and costly external services. It’s time to bring your email marketing home.
Ready to get started?
Download the free version of The Newsletter Plugin today from the WordPress Dashboard and follow the documentation available at: https://www.thenewsletterplugin.com/.
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