To get started, you will need to login at https://newsletter.purpledogdesign.com
Use the username and password that we sent to you when you signed up. If you've not yet signed up, please contact us first.
Once you've logged in, you'll need to begin defining the campaign and sender details;
Click on the Campaigns tab at the top menu and click Create a new campaign. Then follow the on-screen instructions to set up a "Regular" campaign, as shown here:
Tip: Give some thought to the email address entered for "Who is it from," because email replies will be sent to that address. To have replies sent to a different email address, click the link to use a different reply-to address.
When you've filled in the campaign details, click Next. It's easy to come back later if you need to change anything.
Select the campaign template
The next step is choosing the format for your campaign, as explained below.
You should be able to select a template to use from the gallery. The gallery will contain one or more template designs. Selecting a design will open it in the editor where you can customize the content.
For simplicity - we recommend that you re-use a template we have already created for you. You may also see and use additional templates that you can choose from, but be aware that these may not be optimised for your business / branding / etc.
Edit the content of your newsletter
For each news item you have in mind, it's a good idea to add a title, an image, some content text and perhaps a link to your website or other destination.
Below is an example template. To begin editing and adding content, click the Edit link in the right window.
Campaign text and images are added by clicking the Edit and Add New buttons positioned above the editable sections of your template.
Choose recipients
When you're finished customising the content of your newsletter, click Next and then select the list you wish to send to:
If there are no lists you'll be prompted to add new subscribers by typing them in or importing a file. You may also be able to add new subscribers to your existing lists.
Click Next when you're done.
Confirming your permission to email
At this point you may see a system message prompting you to start the approval process. This is really important for maintaining our deliverability ratings. If you don't see the message it means you don't need approval to send to the number of subscribers you've selected.
Review the campaign
We're almost there! To double-check everything you've set up so far, we summarise it for you in a campaign snapshot. If you need to change something just click the the Edit buttons on your right:
You may also get the opportunity to check the plain text version of the email. It's worthwhile doing this because what looks great as HTML might need adjusting for the text-only format.
From the "Content" section, click Preview to check for things like text formatting, and also to make sure the content makes sense without images and embedded links. Then click edit if you need to make changes.
When you're ready, click Test and define delivery.
Test your campaign
A Quick test allows you to send your campaign to five email addresses or less, for free and we recommend that you do this so that you can check all the images, text and any links you've added to the newsletter are correct.
Optionally, there may also be visible a fully automated design and spam test that you can run for a small fee (if you don't see this but would like to have access to it, please contact us). Click Complete test, pictured above, to set one up. (Clicking won't start the test.)
Click Skip the test to keep moving or Next, after you're done testing.
Send now or schedule for later
If you're sending a free trial campaign, to five people or less, you can fire it off now by clicking Send campaign now, as shown here:
Or, select Schedule it for the following time and choose a time and date to send it later. Campaigns can be scheduled to send hours, days or even a few months from now.
If you're sending to more than five recipients, determine the campaign delivery time (send now or schedule) then click Pay for this campaign.
Select a payment option
Unless you have an pre-agreed account with us, you'll be prompted to choose a payment method. If you only want to pay for this campaign right now, select Pay every time.
The other option is monthly billing, which is calculated by the number of active subscribers on all of your lists (contact us to find out more).
After a payment option is selected, click the Send campaign button. The second your email is sent from our servers, we'll notify you by email.
View campaign reports
Your campaign report shows how many people are opening the email and which links have been clicked, as well as keeping record of bounces, unsubscribes and other important activity.
Campaign reports are real-time, so refresh your browser window to see the latest stats and figures instantly.
Help and other resources
Believe it or not, we've tried to keep this guide as brief as possible. We hope it's helped and you've found the application easy to use so far. If not, we'd love to get your feedback.
- There's easy access to all of our help articles from inside the application. Just click Help at the top-right of your account page.
- Contact us if you have any specific questions or you get stuck on anything.