The Mailing Service I Use For My Newsletter

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Finding a mailing service that actually fit my (very basic) needs turned out to be a nerve-wracking process. After trying out about a dozen platforms over multiple weeks—and fully setting up a few of them—I finally settled on MailerLite.

This isn’t a sponsored recommendation. I just want to document what I’m doing as I try to build an audience for my writing. There may be even better options out there, and if I come across one, I will switch. But for now, MailerLite checked all the boxes I cared about:

  • A free entry-level plan
  • A built-in (and free) autoresponder
  • No overbearing marketing nonsense
  • An easy-to-use dashboard

Currently, MailerLite lets you use its service for free with up to 500 subscribers. I’m nowhere near that. At the moment, my mailing list has exactly two subscribers—both from personal connections.

I expect my numbers to stay low for months, maybe even years. That’s why I wasn’t looking for a pricey provider that would charge me $20 monthly just to send an email to two people—something I could easily do manually as well. If I ever grow a real audience and start making money from my work, I’ll happily pay. But until then, I don’t want to fund my writing project with money from other projects. So free was a must.

The biggest dealbreaker with most services was their so-called “free tier.” Many offered it, but without an autoresponder. I specifically needed an autoresponder so that new subscribers would automatically receive a free book I’ve written exclusively for them, called Endless.

For example, Mailchimp doesn’t include an autoresponder unless you’re on a paid plan, even if you only have a handful of subscribers. MailerLite, fortunately, does.

Another point that mattered to me: I didn’t want to be bombarded with marketing and sales pitches the moment I signed up. The worst experience I had was with a service called Kit. On paper, it seemed perfect—free plan, autoresponder included, easy setup. I spent about an hour getting everything ready, only for them to lock my account after the setup until I scheduled a mandatory sales chat with one of their reps. My entire setup was deactivated until I listened to their pitch for a paid plan. Honestly, that was one of the most disgusting business practices I’ve ever seen. My advice: avoid Kit completely.

So far, MailerLite hasn’t annoyed me once. Setup was smooth, everything works, it just does what I need it to do, and it’s all free.

For now, if you’re starting out and looking for a mailing service for your own list, I can recommend: MailerLite

You’ll need to sign up for the mailing list again to get the free book (sorry!).

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I apologize to everyone who already subscribed, but Mailchimp restricted my account because I refused to give them my phone number. As a result, I no longer have access to the old list and can’t import it into the new email provider I set up yesterday.

So, if you were already subscribed and you’d like to get the free book, I can’t send it to you directly—you’ll need to re-enter your email address using the form here: Newsletter. Once you do, you should automatically receive an email with the book.

Sorry again for the inconvenience.

The bottom line:
Having a mailing list is just another thing you don’t truly own. The provider controls it, and they can do whatever they want with it. It’s like social media—your account can be banned and years of work can vanish in an instant, leaving you no way to reach your audience.

That’s the reality of much of the internet today.

I Started A Newsletter

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Everyone says you need a mailing list. I’m not sure if that’s true. But I was banned from Medium a year ago, and YouTube has been shadow-banning my account for political content I posted nearly a decade ago.

If I’d had a list, I could’ve stayed in touch with my readers from Medium. Since I didn’t, I had to start over from scratch — not a great experience. But that’s exactly how the social media overlords designed it.

This time, I want to be at least somewhat prepared. A mailing list seems like a good tool to have.

I don’t expect it to grow overnight. Like I said, I’m starting from almost zero, trying to build my author project. But the goal is to eventually have a tight-knit inner circle — people who support each other online by sharing links, insights, and checking out each other’s projects.

This isn’t meant to be a spammy or scammy thing. I hate spammers and scammers as much as any sane person. For now, I only share links when I’m offering free books or discounted new releases on Amazon. As the list grows, I’ll keep adding more value to the newsletter.

If that sounds interesting, you can sign up here:

Join the Newsletter