Setting Up An Email Newsletter In WordPress: A Beginner’s Guide For 2025

Why Email Newsletters Still Matter in 2025
My Journey: Starting Small, Growing Big
What You Need Before Setting Up a Newsletter
Step-by-Step: How to Create an Email Newsletter in WordPress
Choosing the Right Email Marketing Plugin
Creating Your First Signup Form
Designing an Irresistible Lead Magnet
Embedding Forms in WordPress Pages & Posts
Setting Up Automated Welcome Emails
Segmenting Your Audience for Better Results
Writing Newsletters That Actually Get Opened
Best Practices: Timing, Frequency & Formats
Tracking Results: Analytics and Insights
Tools I Personally Use and Recommend
Mistakes to Avoid When You’re Starting Out
Next Steps: Monetizing Your Email List
Wrapping Up: Turn Subscribers Into Superfans

1. Why Email Newsletters Still Matter in 2025

Let me start with this:
If you’re serious about growing your blog, building a business, or turning casual readers into loyal fans, you need an email newsletter.

Social media platforms change. Algorithms shift. But email? It’s personal. It’s direct. It’s yours.

I’ve seen firsthand how a well-maintained newsletter can drive traffic, conversions, and even long-term community. That’s why I’m so excited to walk you through how to set up your email newsletter in WordPress—step by step, no tech overwhelm.

2. My Journey: Starting Small, Growing Big

When I launched my blog, I had no list, no strategy, and no clue.

But I knew this: Email felt personal. I wanted a way to speak directly to my readers without fighting algorithms or praying for reach.

I started with 7 subscribers (yes, seven—including my sister and my old Gmail account).
Today, I send weekly emails to thousands of people. And it all began with WordPress + a free email plugin.

So no matter where you’re starting from, you’re in the right place. Let’s build it together.

3. What You Need Before Setting Up a Newsletter

Before we dive into the “how,” let’s talk about what you’ll need:

A WordPress site (obviously)
An email marketing platform (free or paid)
A reason for people to subscribe (a lead magnet, promise, or update)
A place to display your opt-in form (sidebar, footer, popup, etc.)

Don’t worry — I’ll walk you through each part.

4. Step-by-Step: How to Create an Email Newsletter in WordPress

Here’s the roadmap:

Choose your email plugin/service
Connect it to WordPress
Add signup forms
Set up automated emails
Start writing and sending newsletters

Easy? Yes. Effective? Even more so.

Let’s look at tools first.

5. Choosing the Right Email Marketing Plugin

There are a ton of tools out there, but for beginners in 2025, I recommend these:

Plugin/Service	Free Plan	Best For
MailPoet	✅	Directly inside WordPress
MailerLite	✅	Automation + simplicity
ConvertKit	✅	Creators and bloggers
Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)	✅	Advanced users
FluentCRM	✅	Full CRM inside WP

💡 Personal tip: I use MailerLite for clean automation, but if you want everything inside your WordPress dashboard, MailPoet is unbeatable.

6. Creating Your First Signup Form

Once you’ve installed the plugin (say, MailPoet):

Go to “Forms” → “Add New”
Choose a design template
Write a simple call-to-action
Connect the form to your email list

✅ Example copy:

“Get my best blogging tips delivered every week — no fluff, just results.”

📌 Tip: Keep it short. Be clear about what they’ll get.

7. Designing an Irresistible Lead Magnet

Let’s face it—people don’t give out their email for free. You’ve got to offer them something valuable in return.

Lead magnet ideas:

A free eBook or checklist
Exclusive blog content
A short video tutorial
A 7-day email course
Templates or swipe files

🎯 Example: If you blog about WordPress SEO, offer a “10-Point SEO Checklist for 2025.”

You can use Canva to design PDFs or Notion to host exclusive content.

8. Embedding Forms in WordPress Pages & Posts

Where should you place your signup forms?

✅ Top spots:

Blog sidebar
Footer
Inside blog posts (mid-content)
Exit-intent popup
After commenting

Most plugins provide shortcodes or block elements. With Gutenberg or Elementor, it’s literally drag-and-drop.

9. Setting Up Automated Welcome Emails

This is where the magic happens.

Once someone subscribes, send a warm welcome automatically:

Thank them
Deliver your lead magnet
Tell them what to expect
Link to your top content

💌 Example:

“Hey there! I’m so glad you’re here. Here’s your free checklist, and if you’re new to blogging, start with these 3 articles I wrote just for you.”

You can set this up in MailerLite, ConvertKit, or MailPoet with ease.

10. Segmenting Your Audience for Better Results

Don’t send the same thing to everyone. Use segments based on:

Interest (WordPress, blogging, SEO)
Sign-up source (homepage, lead magnet, popup)
Engagement (opened last 3 emails vs not)

Why it matters:

More relevant emails = higher open rates
You can pitch better offers
It keeps your list clean and focused

11. Writing Newsletters That Actually Get Opened

Tips that work for me:

Start with a killer subject line (use AI to test)
Be human — use stories, jokes, or quick tips
Keep them short but actionable
Always link back to your blog
Include a clear CTA

🧠 AI Prompt:

“Write 5 subject line ideas for a newsletter about blogging mistakes in 2025.”

12. Best Practices: Timing, Frequency & Formats

💡 When to send?
Tuesday or Thursday mornings work great for me.

💡 How often?
Weekly is perfect — not too spammy, not forgotten.

💡 What format?
Plain text feels personal. HTML with light branding works too. Just keep mobile readers in mind!

13. Tracking Results: Analytics and Insights

Most email tools offer metrics like:

Open Rate
Click Rate
Unsubscribes
Bounce Rate

📈 Actionable Use:

Test subject lines → improve opens
Test CTAs → improve clicks
Prune inactive subscribers every 6 months

📊 I use MailerLite’s dashboard + Google Analytics to measure list performance.

14. Tools I Personally Use and Recommend

Here’s my current stack:

MailerLite – for sending emails and automation
MailOptin – for popups and lead generation
Canva – for lead magnet design
ConvertBox – for behavior-based form popups
Notion – to organize newsletter ideas

And yes — ChatGPT helps me brainstorm topics and write better subject lines fast.

15. Mistakes to Avoid When You’re Starting Out

❌ No clear value proposition
❌ Sending boring or generic emails
❌ Not segmenting your list
❌ Over-sending or ghosting your audience
❌ Buying email lists (never do this!)

Focus on quality, trust, and consistency.