Table of Contents

    What is an Email Blast and How Do I Send One?

    Written By Jason Rowse - Digital Marketing Expert

    Updated: 09/06/2021

    The internet allows us to reach hundreds, thousands and even millions of people with a single strike.

    However, just like a boxer, you need to ensure your strikes are well-timed and highly targeted. The same is true for email blasts. Sending out messages to multiple recipients is only positive if you have a plan.

    In this guide, we’ll show you how to send mass emails and, importantly, how to create and refine your communications to get the best results.

    What is an Email Blast?

    An email blast is just that, a blast of emails. Otherwise known as a mass email, blasts allow you to compose a single message and send it out to multiple recipients.

    In today’s business world, email blasts must follow certain conventions and standards of practice. Indeed, with the CAN-SPAM Act ensuring people aren’t bothered unnecessarily, you need to know how to send broadcast blasts the right way.

    >>Check out Email Blast Examples

    In the following sections, you’ll learn how to do exactly that. 

    An Easy Guide to Email Blasts 

    As the world of online communication has evolved, so too has the process of sending bulk emails. It’s no longer acceptable to blast thousands of unsolicited recipients. To ensure you get the right responses and maintain a professional image, you need to target your messages.

    The steps below will show you how to create an effective, well-placed email blast. 

    *Note: for this guide, we’ll be using Constant Contact as an example. Other software packages may have slightly different set-ups. 

    CREATE AN EMAIL LIST FOR OPTIMAL BLASTS

    In many ways, mass emails are an outdated and unprofessional way of doing business. Although it was acceptable back in the day, bulk messages are now considered spam. However, that doesn’t mean email blasts aren’t useful. In fact, thanks to modern software, you can contact large groups of people in a more structured, targeted and effective way. 

    With this in mind, the first thing you need to do is create an email list. Rather than simply emailing everyone in your contact book, you should create lists of people that want to receive messages from you. This can be an email list of existing customers, prospective ones, suppliers and so on. To create a list, go into your email software package (e.g. Constant Contact) and select contacts. 

    From the menu, select “email lists” and “add new”. Label the list and then select contacts to add to the list.

    HOW TO SEGMENT YOUR EMAIL LIST FOR THE BEST RESULT

    Once you’ve created an email list, the next step is to be even more granular. In other words, you need to segment the list into groups. These groups are essentially subcategories that contain contacts with similar interests/requirements. 

    For example, for a list of existing customers, you could segment them into new sign-ups, high-volume clients, large business and small businesses. In practice, you can segment email lists in any way you like.

    The main aim, however, is to ensure your email blasts are highly targeted. Although you might want to convey the same overall message to every contact on a list, the way you do it should be tailored to suit a specific segment. 

    That, in short, is why you should create segments. In business, every client should be approached differently. Of course, that’s not always possible.

    However, with segments, you can group contacts that require a similar approach. By doing this, you can make your emails more personalized and, in turn, more relevant. 

    To segment an email list, you need to go into contacts and select “segments”. 

    From there, you’ll be able to set various conditions a contact must meet in order to be included in the segment.

    Once you’ve done that, you can go back to your email lists and apply the segments to create highly-specified groups. 

    HOW TO SEGMENT YOUR EMAIL LIST FOR THE BEST RESULT

    To help you complete steps one and two in the most efficient way, you need to choose an appropriate email blast service.

    Although you can technically do a lot of the work manually, the best email blast products make things extremely easy.

    Moreover, they can give you insights into how contacts interact and respond to messages, thus allowing you to further refine your communications. 

    Five of the best email blast services you can use are:

    Constant Contact

    One of the market leaders, Constant Contact allows you to drag and drop email templates, send automatic replies and integrate eCommerce features into messages. When it comes to email blasts, this service not only allows you to compile lists and segments manually, it does it automatically.

    Thanks to features such as triggers, you can create lists based on where users click on emails and how they respond. 

    Sendinblue

    In tandem with SMS and chat-based communication tools, Sendinblue gives you complete control over email blasts. The CRM allows you to track relationships with customers in order to refine communications.

    Beyond that, market automation tools allow you to set rules and trigger automatic responses, segmentation, and email blasts. Finally, you can customize segments to create personalized messages. 

    GetResponse

    Perhaps the most powerful feature you’ll get with GetResponse is its auto-funnel tool. Put simply, you plug in the right information and the software will handle everything from landing pages and social media posts to emails.

    For emails, you can send customized newsletters, set auto-responses and follow-ups. Additionally, you can segment email lists and even time when messages are sent based on custom commands and recipients. 

    SendX

    Used by more than 3,000 companies, SendX allows you to send unlimited email campaigns, build lists and set advanced sequences. The latter is the most impressive tool as it gives you the power to segment lists automatically.

    By defining rules for each segment, including the type of contact, response times, activity times and more, the software will send the most appropriate emails at the best times. The end result is targeted email blasts that land in a contact’s mailbox at the ideal time. 

    Mailchimp

    The all-in-one marketing solution, Mailchimp is more than an email service. This software can handle all your marketing needs. One of its best resources is the insights hub.

    By showing you how effective web-based, social media, and email campaigns are, you can refine the way you approach customers.

    This is particularly useful when it comes to creating email lists and segments. By combining the marketing insights with auto-funnel tools and manual sending options, you can target the right users with the right message. 

    CREATE YOUR OWN MASS EMAIL CAMPAIGN

    can use pre-made templates to create the ideal marketing campaign. 

    Using Constant Contact, go into the “campaigns” menu and click on “create”. 

    With a blank page, you can select “email” from the dropdown list and then search through the templates. To save time, you can input keywords and call up a selection of templates based on a certain theme/goal. 

    With a template in place, you need to customize the content. After selecting the contacts/segments you’re going to target, click on the header and body of the email. From here, you can insert your message before hitting the send button. 

    REVIEW YOUR EMAIL BLAST RESULT

    The real reason to use bulk email software is reporting. When you’ve compiled the perfect list, segmented it and sent it out, the next important step in the process is to review what you’ve done. 

    Without an online email service, this would be highly impractical and, in many ways, impossible. However, with the best marketing software, you can get acute insights into the how who, when and where of an email blast. 

    Using Constant Contact, you can click on the “reporting” option and view the following pieces of information:

    • When you sent an email
    • Total number of sends
    • Bounce rates
    • The number of emails opened
    • The most sent email
    • Total number of clicks an email receives broken down by time periods and device (mobile or desktop)
    • Trends and graphs
    • Comparisons between your stats and industry averages
    • Did not open and subscription statistics

    As well as viewing the data online, you can click “download as” to save an overview of your data in the following file formats: PNG, JPG, SVG, PDF or CSV. 

    IMPROVE YOUR EMAIL DELIVERABILITY: REVIEW AND REFINE

    The final step in creating an effective email blast is to reflect on your results and refine your communications. In reality, that’s the whole point of using email blast software. As we’ve said, it’s important to be as efficient, effective and targeted with your communications as possible. The reason for this is that you want to get the best results. However, you also need to maintain a professional image and avoid breaching business guidelines such as CAN-SPAM. 

    The CAN-SPAM Act sets out rules for commercial emails. In short, this act requires senders to provide accurate information (i.e. not mislead people), disclose your company details and allow recipients to opt-out as required. When you’re reviewing your email blasts, you need to ensure these conditions are met. Once you’re complying with best business practices, it’s time to review the stats. 

    Clear Out the Mishits-

    Unopened emails, unsubscribe request and bounce backs must be dealt with first. These are contacts you should remove from your list. 

    Time and Dates-

    The second step in refining your mass emails is to review when you sent your messages and when they were opened. Certain markets and customers will be more receptive at certain times of the day or week. Learn when these times are. 

    Tailor Your Template-

    The best email marketing software will give you access to hundreds of templates. However, you need to ensure the content is tailored to your audience. Are the headlines eye-catching? If the open rate is low, you might need to write better headlines. Is the internal content engaging? If you’re getting a lot of opens but the read times and click-through rates are low, you might need to put more effort into the main body of the email.

    Constantly Work on Your Communication-

    Don’t go through the review process once and expect your need blast to have a 100% success rate. To create the best emails possible, review, review and review again. The top email software will allow you to do this. 

    The Bottom Line

    If you want to improve response rates and get the best results from your broadcast emails, you need to follow the steps listed above.

    >>Read more on how to boost your open rate.

    Only through a process of planning, targeting, delivery, and refinement can you get the most out of your online communications. To make your life easier, check out our recommended email blast services.