[Hidden-tech] Plain text newsletter options?

[Shel Horowitz]

You have my sympathies. I've migrated my list several times.

For the last several years, I've used GetResponse, which is very 
inexpensive. I'm pretty sure they offer both text and HTML but can't 
swear to it.

I loathe Constant Contact and iContact. As a reader, I can only read 
the mail if the click-to-browser ink works, which it only does abut 
half the time. The native formatting in Eudora is unreadable. It's 
better in GMail (not great), but most of my newsletters come to an 
account that gets too much mail to pass through gmail. So if the 
browser link doesn't work, it's instant trashcan.

On migrating:
If you can prove you have double-opt-in, GetResponse at least when I 
did it allowed me to port in the old list--no attrition! (Warn people 
using your old list that they need to update their whitelists and 
address books)

If they've changed their policy, send an e-mail through the old list 
with a subject like: Important/Time-Sensitive: Need 1-minute Action 
 From You

And a very short, simple text telling them why you have to move, 
where it's moving to, and giving a thoroughly-tested link to 
resubscribe. Send this two weeks ahead, then just before you move (to 
those who haven't switched), and then a follow-up with

If you didn't receive the Marketing Minute about ____

And explain that you've switched and they have to switch if they want 
to keep getting it.

Yes, you'll lose some. Maybe even 20 percent.



At 2:44 PM -0700 10/17/11, Marcia Yudkin wrote:
>    ** Be sure to fill out the survey/skills inventory in the member's area.
>    ** If you did, we all thank you.
>
>
>Hi all,
>
>I've been using Sparklist to distribute my weekly newsletter since 
>2003, and I just received a notice saying they are upgrading all 
>their accounts, and what I've been paying $50 a month for will soon 
>cost $1250 a month!
>
>Unless that's a colossal misprint, they're basically kicking me out 
>as a customer and I need to find another newsletter service.  I have 
>almost 12,000 subscribers.  I want to continue sending my newsletter 
>as plain text rather than html.  (Please don't recommend Constant 
>Contact since they don't have a plain text option.)
>
>Does anyone use a service offers good deliverability and reasonable 
>pricing for a list of my size?
>
>And any tips for changing the list over?  I'm sure the process will 
>be a nightmare and I know that most people lose quite a few 
>subscribers during the process.
>
>Thanks,
>Marcia Yudkin
>Goshen
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