iTechGuides is reader-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Learn more
To use Mailchimp for email marketing, set up an account, create one audience, collect subscribers through a signup form, send a campaign to subscribed contacts, then review the report. You can add tags, groups, and segments to target relevant people without splitting them across multiple audiences.
What you need before sending
Mailchimp is a web-based marketing platform, so you use it in a supported browser rather than downloading an email-marketing application. The basic workflow is account, audience, signup form, email, and report. Mailchimp’s getting-started guide outlines those steps.
Plan to send marketing messages only to contacts whose status is subscribed. Mailchimp distinguishes subscribed from non-subscribed contacts, and its campaign guidance covers choosing recipients and preparing an email: create and send an email campaign.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
1. Create and activate your account
- Create a Mailchimp account in a supported browser.
- Open the activation email Mailchimp sends and follow its confirmation link.
- Sign in and proceed to audience setup.
2. Create one audience and choose signup settings
For most small businesses, one audience is the simplest starting point. Organize contacts within it using tags, groups, and segments instead of creating separate audiences for each campaign or customer type. Contacts appearing in multiple audiences are counted in each audience’s total, and audiences do not share data. Mailchimp explains the distinction in About your audience.
#1 Best Overall
During audience setup, choose whether to use single or double opt-in. With double opt-in, a person receives a confirmation message and must confirm before being added as a subscriber. That adds a step to signup and creates evidence that the person confirmed. Neither choice is universally right for every organization.
You can also add GDPR consent fields to explain data use and collect consent. These are platform options, not a determination of what privacy or marketing law requires where you operate.
3. Add a signup form and collect subscribers
Mailchimp can generate a customizable signup form to share, and its embedded form builder can provide code for a form on your website. Use the form to invite people to subscribe rather than adding people who have not agreed to receive marketing.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
If you change an embedded form after placing it on your site, the code already pasted there does not update automatically. Copy the new form code and replace the old code on the website. See Mailchimp’s instructions for adding a signup form to a website.
4. Organize contacts for relevant sends
Use these audience tools for different purposes:
- Tags: labels you assign to contacts, such as “event attendee” or “wholesale lead.”
- Groups: preferences or interests contacts can indicate, such as the topics they want to hear about.
- Segments: filtered sets of contacts based on attributes or activity, which you can use to target a campaign.
Segment-building options depend on plan. Mailchimp’s help documentation says Free and Essentials segments can use up to 10 conditions; higher tiers have an advanced builder subject to the qualifications in its segment documentation. Check the current plan details before designing a workflow around a particular capability.
5. Build, review, and send your first campaign
- In Mailchimp’s campaign builder, start a regular email campaign.
- Choose recipients from your audience. Select subscribed contacts appropriate to the message.
- Enter the email details, including the subject and sender information.
- Choose a template and add your message content.
- Review the recipient list and email, then send it or schedule it for later.
Before sending, check that the content matches the audience selected and that links and email details are correct. The campaign builder’s documented workflow is described in Mailchimp’s campaign instructions.
6. Read the campaign report and decide what to improve
After a campaign, review its report for opens, clicks, and unsubscribes. Use the results to inform the next send—for example, whether the content earned clicks or whether a particular audience selection was too broad. These measures describe campaign activity; they do not by themselves establish why a recipient acted.
Audience analytics can show contact totals and subscription status, but Mailchimp lists that feature as available on Standard or higher, and at least one email or SMS contact is required for report information. Confirm current plan inclusions before relying on a specific report. See Mailchimp audience analytics documentation.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Choose a plan based on contacts and the work you need
Do not estimate plan fit from subscriber count alone. Mailchimp’s contact total includes subscribed, unsubscribed, and non-subscribed contacts; archived, cleaned, and deleted contacts are excluded. Check the total and expected growth, the segmentation complexity you need, and whether audience analytics are important to your workflow. The definitions are in About your contacts.
Prices, availability by region, and plan features can change. Check Mailchimp’s live pricing and the feature details for your account and region rather than relying on an old price or plan comparison.
Add automation after the basic campaign workflow works
Automation flows let you define a contact journey using triggers, branches, and actions. For example, a flow can respond to a contact’s behavior with different next steps. Automation is an extension of the account-to-audience-to-campaign process, not a requirement for sending your first email. Mailchimp describes the building blocks in its automation flows guide.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
