How to Send Mass Emails: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

A guide to safely sending bulk email messages through mailing list services and apps

Written by Nicole Levine, MFA

Last Updated: February 3, 2023 References

Mailing List Services

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Standard Email Clients

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Q&A

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Tips

This wikiHow teaches you how to communicate with your target audience by sending mass emails. The most reliable way to send bulk messages is to use a mailing list service, many of which have free options that let you email up to 5000 subscribers. If you're just sending a one-time message to under 500 addresses, you can usually use your regular email app to get the job done.

Things You Should Know

Most email providers limit how many messages you can send at once.
Using a reputable mailing list service like MailChimp or Constant Contact gives you list management tools and tracking.
If you use a service like Gmail or a standard email app like Outlook, add your recipients to the "BCC" field to avoid mass replies.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Mailing List Services

1
Research mailing list services that meet your needs. The easiest and most reliable way to send mass email is to use a service that specializes in email marketing. These services are typically affordable, and many even provide innovative tools to help you create more effective communications. Here are a few options:
- MailChimp offers various plans, including a free level that supports sending messages to up to 2000 users.^{[1]
  X
  Research source} If you need to reach more people, you can opt for one of their paid plans.
- Constant Contact does not restrict the size of your mailing lists or how many messages you can send, but there are no free options.^{[2]
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  Research source}
- TinyLetter is a free service that allows you to send simple email newsletters to 5000 subscribers at no cost.^{[3]
  X
  Research source} TinyLetter doesn't have any special statistics features, but it's great if you just want to contact many people at once.
- There are many mailing list services available, which you'll find if you do a quick Google search. Research options thoroughly before choosing a service.
2
Sign up for a mailing list service. Once you find the service that works best for you, click that service's sign-up link to create an account. If you chose a paid service, follow the on-screen instructions to enter your payment method and activate your membership.

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3
Create your list. The steps to do this vary by service, but you'll usually have to create a "campaign" and then import a list of your current subscribers.^{[4]
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Research source}
- Mailing list services all offer different ways to import your contact list. Some offer the ability to connect to your Gmail account so you can move your contacts into the service, and most will allow you to import .CSV files or Excel spreadsheets containing email addresses.
- To learn more about building a list of subscribers, check out How to Collect Email Addresses and How to Build a Response Opt in List.
4
Create your first mass email. Use the service's built-in tools to customize your message. Some services offer a variety of templates you can use to spruce up the message, and most let you use HTML and import your own images (with some limitations).
5
Send your message. Depending on the service you're using, you may be able to track various statistics about the sent messages, including whether any of the messages bounced.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Standard Email Clients

1
Obtain a list of email addresses. If you're just sending a one-time message to many email addresses, you can just add the addresses to the "BCC" field of the message header. This method will work best for smaller lists of fewer than 500 recipients. The email list can be in the form of a spreadsheet, document, or text file.
- Most email providers limit the number of recipients to whom you can address a message, and many also cap the number of messages you can send in a single day. Gmail, for example, will not allow you to send a message to more than 500 people at once, nor will they allow you to send more than 500 messages per day.^{[5]
  X
  Research source} Check with your email provider about limits before sending mass email.
- To learn more about building a list of subscribers, check out How to Collect Email Addresses and How to Build a Response Opt in List.
2
Create a new email message. You can do this in an email client that's installed on your computer or your favorite web-based email service (e.g., Gmail, Outlook.com). This usually involves clicking a button that says Compose or New Message.
3
Enter your own email address into the "To" field. This will be the only email address that will be visible to the recipients of the message.
4
Click the BCC field. If you don't see it, you may have to click a link that says BCC next to the To field.
- Make sure you're clicking the BCC field and not the CC field.
5
Enter the email addresses into the BCC field. Separate each address with a comma if typing them manually. If you have a list of addresses, you can copy them from the document and paste the whole list into this field.
6
Type your subject and message body. Depending on your email client, you may be able to use HTML and other formatting tools to personalize the message.
7
Click the Send button. The location of the button varies by client, but you'll usually see an envelope or paper airplane icon on it. This sends the message to the recipients.

Community Q&A

Question

Is it possible for my e-mail address to be "recognized" as a spam or junk e-mail address after sending an e-mail to many contacts?

Taras Rogers

Community Answer

Yes. If you send bulk emails without targeting or personalization, they are likely to end up in the spam or junk folder. For higher email deliverability, follow best practices as discussed above.
Question

The emails (300 million) are in text files bundled in WinRar. Is it possible to send mails in one shot?

Taras Rogers

Community Answer

No. Sending 300 million emails at one time is risky and will have an impact on your email deliverability. Sending 50-to-100 emails at once would be OK.