Questions

Subscribers

Building Newsletters

Sending Newsletters

Accounts & Billing

Answers

How do I add subscribers?

Click "Add" underneath "Subscribers" from the main menu and follow these two steps.

  • Step One:
    Select the group you'd like to add your subscribers to by clicking the checkbox beside the group name. Your subscribers can be in as many different groups as you'd like.
  • Step Two:
    Upload your subscribers using one of the following three methods:
    • Quick Add – add multiple subscribers at a time by pasting or typing them into the form, one per line.
    • Upload Detailed File – upload a CSV (Comma Separated Values) file to add multiple subscribers at a time, including optional subscriber details such as name, address, phone number, etc.
    • Form Add – add individual subscribers one at a time, including optional subscriber details.

For more info, read this help doc.

I just added subscribers. Why isn't my subscriber total updating?

The most likely reason for that is that the subscriber was already in your account. They may have been in the same group, a different group or in no groups. You can find out what groups a subscriber is part of by searching the subscriber. Go to "Subscribers" in the main menu and select "Search". Input the email address of the subscriber and click their email address when you see them in the search results. On the window that appears, select "Subscriber Groups" from the left-side menu. Next, scroll through the groups. The subscriber is loaded to any group that has a checkmark next to it.

I just deleted subscribers. Why is my subscriber total not updating?

Your totals will update once a month to reflect permanently unsubscribed contacts. This occurs according to your billing cycle. Check your subscriber total at the beginning of your next billing cycle to see your new total.

"So and so" unsubscribed by accident. How can I add them back?

If a user unsubscribed you cannot add them back yourself. There are two options: forward the subscriber a newsletter from your personal email account and ask them to click on "Subscribe" in the footer to sign back up, or have them send MNB support an email from the address they unsubscribed requesting to be added back to your subscriber list.

How do I unsubscribe someone from my list?

Log in to your account. Select "Search" under "Subscribers" from the main menu. Type the user's email address into the search bar. Click on their email address when it appears and then click "Unsubscribe" from the pop up box.

To remove multiple subscribers, select "Remove" under "Subscribers" from the main menu.

For detailed instructions on this feature, read this help doc and video.

I accidentally unsubscribed someone in my account's control panel. How do I add them back?

You'll need to contact support for assistance with this one.

What does "Verify" do for subscribers and how is it best used?

"Verify" sends a system-generated verification email to the subscriber(s) selected, allowing them to double opt-in, which is an email marketing best practice. MNB will only send one verification email to any given address within a 30-day period.

The best way to use this: whenever you collect addresses outside our subscribe system and add them to your email list. Move anybody that does not verify into a different subscriber group. These will not be engaged readers and sending to them will be inviting complaints.

Why is my CSV file not uploading?

Usually this is due to a format issue. Our CSV file uploader requires that your CSV file matches the following parameters:

Email. The email column must be titled "email" exactly. Columns titled "email address" or anything else will be rejected.
File Type. The file must be a .CSV file. We cannot accept .xls, .xlxs, .num, .osd or any other file format.
Internal formatting. The CSV file must be a properly formatted. Every single row must have the same amount of columns.
Bad characters. A random comma or dash can throw the whole caboodle off track. For example, the accepted format is email,first_name,last_name

Acceptable: johnsmith@example.com,john,smith
Not Acceptable: johnsmith@example.com,bob,shmob, (the last comma in the row invalidates the file).

If all else fails, log into your account and download a blank CSV template here, fill it in, and upload it.

How do I begin creating a newsletter?

  • How do I begin creating a newsletter?

    Once you've logged in, click "Newsletters" from the main menu, then choose "Build Newsletter." On the following page, choose your editor system. Please note that we provide technical support for the Genie editor, but we are unable to troubleshoot or debug custom html code in the advanced html editor. Follow the on-screen directions to create your newsletter.

  • What is the difference between the three newsletter editor systems?

    The Genie Template Editor
    This is our most advanced and user-friendly editor offering the following features:

    • Drag-and-drop interface – rearrange your articles and graphics quickly and easily
    • Real-time editing – see your newsletter in the editor exactly how it will appear to your readers
    • Unlimited storage and organization for all your images, video and audio files
    • Large selection of professionally designed stock templates, buttons, banners, and backgrounds
    • Live image and banner editing with Pixlr and Picnik integration as well MNB's built-in banner maker
    • Limitless customization of headers, fonts, links, colors and article & coupon styles
    • Integration with Regionize.com and JukeboxAlive.com for importing event calendars and multimedia files
    • Much, much more!

    For information on using our Genie Editor, please use ourvideo library or read this help doc.

    The Original Template Editor
    MNB's original template editor includes over 100 standard templates allowing you to copy your content directly into a basic format quickly and easily.

    The Advanced HTML Editor
    Use and edit your own HTML code for complete control over the design and functionality of your newsletter.

    How do I edit an existing newsletter?

    Click the "Newsletter" tab on the main menu to see a list of all your saved newsletters. Click the name of the newsletter you'd like to edit. This will bring you back to the beginning of the editor's set-up process. Click "Next" twice to access the editor.

    Can I resend a sent newsletter?

    Yes. Simply create a draft copy of the newsletter by clicking "Sent" under "Newsletters" from the main menu. To the right of the newsletter, click the "Copy" icon email marketing
. You may change the title of the newsletter or just click "Save". This will create an exact duplicate of that newsletter, found under "Drafts" in the left-side menu. Continue to edit and send this newsletter as usual.

    How do I change themes from within the Newsletter?

    Easy! Once you are in the Genie newsletter editor, click the "Theme" button on the upper right side: email newsletter
    On the following drop-down, celect the tab that says "Change Theme". Select your new theme from any of the ready made themes available. Please keep in mind that any customizations you've made to the previous theme will be lost when you switch. However, your content, images and links will remain in place.

    How do I customize my Genie theme?

    Great question! Once you are in the Genie newsletter editor, click the "Theme" button on the upper right side. On the following drop-down, click the tab that says "Edit Theme". Select any of the newsletter component titles to open that section. Use the tools available to change colors, font styles, font sizes, and template images, such as the background image. Your changes will save automatically. If you don't like it, you can select "Restore Defaults" at the bottom of the window. Any customizations you make will also be lost if you change templates.

    How do I change the formatting of a link in Genie without altering the theme settings?

    On the toolbar in the Genie editor, locate the icon that says "HTML" email newsletter editor. This allows you to edit the HTML within the newsletter. Locate the link you want to edit in the HTML code and use the following code:

    [a href="http://yourlinkhere.com"][span style="format"]LINK TEXT[/span][/a].

    Replace all "[ ]" with "< >". Please don't attempt this if you are not experienced with HTML.

    How do I add a button link to my Facebook/whatever page in my newsletter?

    While working on a newsletter in the Genie editor, place the text cursor where you wish the social networking (such as Facebook) button to go, and click the "Insert/Edit Image" button on the main toolbar email newsletter. Then, in your image gallery, select the "Buttons" folder under "Stock Images", and find the button you like. Click your button of choice. In the next window, add a URL link to your social networking page and click save. The image will be linked to your social media profile.

    Why are my social buttons linking to the wrong site or producing an error?

    The buttons are images that contain a URL. This error typically happens when you add a button right next to another button. Sometimes if the cursor is not placed properly, you can unknowingly add another URL directly into the link of the first button. This is not visible on the WYSIWYG editor, but you can fix it in the HTML mode of the editor by clicking the HTML icon in the toolbar email newsletter editor.

    You can set these buttons up easily enough and avoid errors. Here's how:
    1. Add each social media icon image from the media library – do not add the URL just yet.
    2. Place the icon images where you would like them, resize them, and make any other adjustments necessary.
    3. Next, click on one image. The Image Options box will pop open. Input the URL for that social media page and click "apply" at the bottom of the box.
    4. Repeat for the remaining icons.

    Doing it in this manner ensures the HTML remains properly formatted and intact as you create multiple social media icons (or other linked images) side by side.

    How do I add images to my newsletter using the Genie Editor?

    Once you're inside the Genie editor, put your cursor in the article where you'd like the image to appear. Next, click the small image icon in the upper left of the tool bar to open the media library browser newsletter.

    Choose from the stock images available in the left-side column, or add your own images by clicking the "Upload Images" button. Next, select the image you'd like to use and click "Insert". On the subsequent "Image Options" box, you may change any formatting details. Finally, click "Apply" and your image should now appear beside your cursor.

    For extra help on adding images, please watch "Genie Editor Basics" from the video library.

    Can I add music and video to my newsletter using the Genie Editor?

    Yes. To begin, place your cursor where you'd like to insert a play button, image, or text link and click the respective audio or video icon in the upper left of the tool bar email newsletter multimedia
.

    A media library browser will open. Add your media by clicking the "Add Audio/Video" button, select your files and click "Upload." Once your files are uploaded, select the audio or video file you'd like to use along with the graphic you'd like to link it with. Finally, click "Insert" and your graphic should appear with the link automatically attached. It may take some time for certain video file formats to render before they are ready to play.

    For more information on adding media, please watch "Adding Video and Audio" in the video library.

    Why is my newsletter formatting all messed up?

    Formatting issues usually result from copying/pasting rich text into the newsletter editor. This occurs because computers do not just copy/paste the text itself, but also any formatting associated with the text (such as font, size, color, links, etc). Code is delicate and picky. The HTML must be in a certain arrangement in order to function properly. When rich text is copy/pasted into the middle of other rich text, the HTML formatting code being newly introduced "monkey-wrenches" (yes, that's the technical term) into the already existing code and can cause a huge variety of formatting errors. Therefore, it is always best to use plain text when copy/pasting text in general (even when not using MNB) to avoid this issue.

    Ways to Copy in Plain Text:
    In Chrome: Copy the text; press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste as plain text.
    In Firefox: Copy the text; press Ctrl+Shift+V to paste as plain text.
    In Internet Explorer or Safari: MNB Support recommends that you not use these browsers as you may need to leap through several other hoops to copy as plain text.
    In MNB's Genie editor: Use the "Paste As Plain Text" button in the toolbar. When you click it, the background of the button turns orange. Now you can paste your items.
    In MNB's Genie editor: Press the "HTML" button, which will open up a plain text window you can paste into. Don't paste over pre-existing text or code as you may break something.

    Why is my video upload taking so long to process?

    Good question! There are a lot of variables at play, such as the size, length, and format of the video you are trying to upload. Video encoding can be a slow process. It is possible that it could take up to 24 hours. Give yourself a reasonable window of time to upload videos before sending an email. It may also be a matter of how many users are trying to upload videos at the same time. Our video uploader operates on a queue system, which means that videos are uploaded in the order in which they arrive. A status of "pending" means that your video is in queue.

    How do I change the newsletter footer contact info?

    Click "Settings" under the "Account" from the main menu. The contact information that appears in your footer is taken from "Member Profile" and "Organization Settings." Change this as you see fit and don't forget to save!

    Note: any changes made to this section will only apply to new newsletters. To apply these changes to any previously saved newsletters, you must refresh the newsletter data on each newsletter. To do so, click "Newsletters" in the main menu and select the newsletter you want to update. At the bottom of the first subsequent page, check "Refresh Newsletter Data" and click "Save."

    Why are people not getting my newsletter?

    The best way to ensure that people get your newsletter is to have them add you to their contact or safe sender list. This will ensure your newsletter doesn't end up in their spam box. Avoiding spammy marketing phrases in your email content will also improve deliverability.

    On your "Reports" page, look at your bounce numbers to see if their email address is on any of those lists. Perhaps their emails were entered incorrectly. Next, look at your open rates. An acceptable open rate is anywhere from 10 - 20%. If your open rate is better than that, it means people are getting and opening your newsletter. One or two deliverability issues, while worth pursuing, should not be a grave concern to you. Focus on sending clean, deliverable content.

    Why is my newsletter going to people's spam folder?

    Spam filters differ depending on the email service. Not only are they highly variable, but they are also top secret in nature - service providers don't tell you how they work because they don't want people to figure out how to exploit them. Generally speaking, there are three aspects of your newsletter that are examined: subject line, sender's address, email content.

    If the spam filter thinks it's "spammy" enough, it will get sent to your recipient's spam foler. Therefore, you can troubleshoot by changing one or more of those three areas of your newsletter to see if that makes a difference. The problem could be as simple as using words or punctuation that trigger spam filters. You can also try requesting that subscribers add your sender's address to their address book/contact list/safe sender list.

    Another option is to use a third party service like www.emailonacid.com to analyze your newsletter in detail before you send it.

    It's also worth noting that just because person A received it in spam, that doesn't necessarily mean person B, C, or D did too - especially if they use different email systems and have their spam filters more or less restrictively configured.

    Why are my emails bouncing? What is the difference between a hard and soft bounce?

    A bounce occurs when your newsletter cannot be received by the intended recipient for any particular reason. Bounces occur in two varieties:

    A hard bounce happens when the email address you are sending to is no longer valid. This is a permanent issue; therefore, the address is removed from your account automatically and no further action is required on your part.

    A soft bounce happens when a temporary issue prevents your newsletter from getting through. Typically this occurs from a full inbox or a busy server on the other end. These issues are always temporary and it's best to wait 24-48 hours before attempting to resend your newsletter to those bounced addresses.

    Can I resend to bounces? If so, how do I do that?

    Yes you can - but only to soft bounces. Hard bounces will have been removed from your subscriber lists and well, you wouldn't want to send to them anyway. You can resend to soft bounces with some success(assuming the reason for the bounce has been resolved by the time you resend). To resend a newsletter, click to "Reports"on the main menu. On the newsletter report overview, click on the number in the "bounces" column. This will take you to the bounce report. Next, select "copy bounces" and create a subscriber group to copy the bounces to. Finally, you need to copy the newsletter you want to resend, then send it to that new group.

    If you find yourself doing this frequently, please consider asking support about an automated process to copy those bounces - we can make your life a bit easier. Also consider some good ol' fashioned list hygiene.

    Steps For Resending to Soft Bounces:
    1. Go to "Reports" Click the number listed under the "Bounces" column to the right of that newsletter's name. Click "Bounce Details", then, "Export Soft". This will save a .CSV file with the list of soft bounces for that newsletter on your computer.
    2. Go to "Subscribers" and create a new group by using the "Add Group" area on that page. Then click "Add," select the group you just made, and add the list of bounces you downloaded in Step 1 using the "Upload Detailed File" option.
    3. Go to "Newsletters → Sent", and to the right of the newsletter's name, click the "Copy Newsletter" icon. This will save a copy of that newsletter into your drafts folder with the word "copy" on it.
    4. Go to "Newsletters → Drafts", and click the "Send" button next to your newsletter copy. Choose your new "bounces" group and click "Send".

    You have now resent your newsletter to only those who had bounced originally.

    Why is my account deactivated?

    The three most likely reasons for a deactivated account are:
    1. Your billing method expired or failed to process
    2. Your complaint rate was too high (over 0.1% or 1 in 1000 of your send rate)
    3. You received an "Abuse of Acceptable Use Policy" (AUP) from our Internet Service Provider (ISP).

    How do I renew my subscription online?

    To renew online, log in to your MyNewsletterBuilder account. To upgrade your sending plan, visit "Quota" under "Accounts" in the main menu. Select the plan that best suits your needs and click "Select Plan."

    Your request will be reviewed by our support staff and you will be notified of the upgrade via email. This is a measure to protect us (and you) from spammers. Click here for more information about Quotas.

    I updated my billing information. How long will it take to update?

    Your new billing information may take a few minutes to process. If your information does not update automatically after a few minutes, or you have any other problems updating your billing information, please contact support or your sales representative.

    I have a specific problem and would like assistance. How can I contact support?

    Customer support can be reached by clicking the "Live Support Online" button at the upper right of any MyNewsletterBuilder screen. This will connect you with one of our support representatives via a live chat window. Live support is available during the following hours:

    • Monday - Friday: 8am - 8pm (EST)
    • Saturday - Sunday: 11am - 4pm (EST)

    Support is also available during these hours by phone at 828-774-5639 or email.