Newsletters & Readers

Pubblish has a built-in email tool for growing a reader list and sending readers regular updates. You find it under Readers in the Marketing section of the sidebar. From there you can manage subscribers, send email campaigns, set up an automated welcome sequence, and offer a free download to new signups. This guide covers each of those tasks.

The Readers dashboard

Open Readers in the sidebar to reach the dashboard. The top of the page shows six count cards: Active Subscribers, Pending Confirmation, Mailing Lists, Campaigns Sent, Active Sequences, and Reader Magnets.

Below the cards is a Quick Actions row. Each card opens one area of the tool:

A Mailing Lists table and a Recent Campaigns table appear on the dashboard once you have data.

Managing subscribers

From the dashboard, open the Subscribers card. The page lists each subscriber with their Email, Name, Status, List, and the date they subscribed. Use the search box and the Status dropdown at the top, then click Filter to narrow the list. Click any subscriber’s email address to open their detail page.

A subscriber’s status is one of three values:

• Pending — they signed up but have not confirmed yet.
• Active — they confirmed and will receive your emails.
• Unsubscribed — they opted out.

New subscribers join through a signup form on your website and confirm by email. When someone signs up, Pubblish creates them as Pending and sends a confirmation email. They become Active only after they click the link in that email. This double opt-in step keeps your list clean and protects your sending reputation. See the websites guide for adding a signup form to your site.

Importing an existing list

If you already have a subscriber list from another tool, a workspace admin can bring it in from a CSV file on the Import Subscribers page.

The only required column is email. Optional columns are first_name, last_name, name, source, and tags. If your file has a single name column, Pubblish splits it into first and last name for you.

On the import form, choose a Mailing List, add any Tags, and enter the Consent text. Consent text records how these people agreed to hear from you. The field is required. Leave Skip confirmation unticked to send each imported person a confirmation email first.

A few limits apply: the file must be UTF-8 encoded and under 10MB. Duplicate and invalid email addresses are skipped.

Exporting subscribers

A workspace admin can download the subscriber list as a CSV file from the Export Subscribers action. This is useful for backups or for moving data. Exports are limited to ten per hour.

Cleaning your list

Over time, some subscribers stop opening your emails. Sending to people who never read anything hurts your reputation with inbox providers.

The Inactive Subscribers page is a workspace admin tool. It lists everyone who has not opened an email in 180 days and has received at least three emails. From that page you can:

• Export CSV — download the inactive list.
• Send Re-engagement — create a campaign aimed at winning them back.
• Bulk Unsubscribe — remove them all from your active list at once.

Bulk Unsubscribe cannot be undone, so export the list first if you want a record.

Creating and sending a campaign

A campaign is a single email sent to your subscribers. Open the Campaigns card, then click New Campaign.

Fill in the campaign form:

In the Email Body (HTML) editor, use the toolbar to add bold, italics, headings, and lists. The template picker on the left lets you start from a saved design. Use the Variables dropdown to insert personalization tags, such as the reader’s name.

Under Targeting, you can include or exclude subscribers by tag. Leave both empty to reach everyone on the list.

Save the campaign to open its detail page. While it is a draft, three buttons appear:

• Edit — change the campaign.
• Preview — see the finished email.
• Send Now — send it right away.

When you click Send Now, Pubblish asks you to confirm the recipient count, then starts sending. After it goes out, the campaign page shows delivery statistics: Sent, Delivered, Opened, Clicked, and any bounces or complaints.

If a campaign is scheduled and has not yet gone out, its detail page shows a Cancel button that stops it before it sends.

Automating a welcome sequence

A welcome sequence is a series of emails that go out automatically to new subscribers. Open the Sequences card, then click New Sequence.

On the sequence form, give it a Name and an optional Description, and tick Active. Only active sequences send emails, so you can build one fully before turning it on.

Open the sequence and click Add Email to add a step. Each email has:

• Order — its position in the series.
• Delay (Days) and Delay (Hours) — how long after the previous step it sends. The first email can use zero delay to send straight away.
• Subject Line and Preview Text.
• Email Body (HTML) and an optional Plain Text Version.
• An Active tick that controls whether this single email sends.

On the sequence page, the emails appear as a numbered timeline. Each one has an Edit button, a Preview button, and a pause or play button labelled Toggle active status. Pausing an email stops it from sending without deleting it, so you can turn one step off, then turn it back on later.

To remove a whole sequence, use Delete Sequence in the Danger Zone at the bottom of the sequence page. This cannot be undone.

Offering a reader magnet

A reader magnet is a free file, such as a sample chapter or a short story, delivered to people when they subscribe. Open the Reader Magnets card, then click New Magnet.

On the magnet form:

• Name and Description — the description appears in the download email.
• Active — only active magnets are delivered.
• Asset — choose the file from your assets library. See the assets guide for uploading files.
• Title and Edition — optional, to link the magnet to a book in your catalogue for tracking.
• Link Expires After — how long the download link stays valid, in hours (1 to 720).
• Max Downloads — how many times each subscriber can download the file (1 to 100).

Email templates

Templates are reusable email designs. Open the Templates card to reach the Email Templates page.

Templates marked with a Starter badge are provided by Pubblish and are read-only. For a starter template you can Preview it, or Duplicate to customize it, which makes an editable copy you own.

Your own templates show three actions: Preview, Edit, and Delete. Click New Template to create a new one. Your templates appear in the template picker when you compose a campaign.

Sender settings

Open the Settings card to reach the Mailing Settings page. Under Sender Information you control how your emails are addressed:

• From Name — the name shown in the “from” field of your emails.
• From Email — fixed to your workspace subdomain and cannot be changed here.
• Reply-To Email — where replies from readers go.
• Physical Address — a postal address required by anti-spam law. It appears in the footer of every email.

Click Save Settings to keep your changes.

The sidebar on this page shows your Plan Limits: monthly email limit, maximum subscribers, lists, and tags. It also shows your sending Reputation: total sent, bounce rate, and complaint rate.

Related Topics

• Assets — upload the files you deliver as reader magnets.
• Websites — add a signup form so readers can join your list.
• Settings & account — manage your workspace and plan.