RSS Emails with MailerLite, Pabbly & Zapier: Send Emails When New Content is Published

Introduction (00:00:00)

• The topic of discussion is an automation hack to send newsletters from a website’s posts, allowing for automated email notifications to be sent to website members and newsletter subscribers when new content is published (00:00:00).
• The goal is to automate the process of sending email notifications, which is currently a manual process when using the website’s system to send one-off email newsletter blasts when new content is published (00:00:09).
• The automation process will utilize the website’s RSS feed to keep subscribers and members up to date with new content, and will involve setting up recurring emails (00:00:42).
• The presentation will cover how to set up this automated process, which will enable website members and newsletter subscribers to always be informed about new content published on the website (00:00:45).
• The automation will be achieved through the use of an email service, and will allow for a more efficient and streamlined process of sending newsletters (00:00:53).

What Is an RSS Feed? (00:00:54)

• An RSS feed is a standardized content distribution method that allows a website to automatically broadcast notifications when new content has been published, with RSS standing for Really Simple Syndication (00:01:10).
• The RSS feed is similar to an XML file that automatically and dynamically updates as new content is published on the website, including new blog articles, events, and other content (00:01:33).
• The website’s RSS feed will automatically be updated to reflect newly published content, and various tools can be used to read the data within the RSS feed and display it in a user-friendly way (00:01:47).
• The RSS feed can be used in conjunction with an email marketing platform to grab the feed from the website, parse through the data, and show newly published posts in a clean format within a newsletter (00:02:06).
• The parsed RSS feed data can then be used to send out newsletters to members and subscribers, displaying the newly published content in a clean and organized manner (00:02:19).

What Is an RSS to Email Campaign? (00:02:26)

• An RSS to email campaign is an automatic email update that is sent to subscribers when new content is published to a site, which can include registered members, newsletter subscribers, or anyone who subscribes to the list (00:02:26).
• The campaign can include various types of new content, such as blog posts, articles, events, coupons, or property listings, and is a convenient way to keep the audience engaged as soon as new content is published (00:02:51).
• The frequency of these email updates can be chosen, including daily, weekly, or monthly, and the process is automatic, with the new content being included in the email and sent to subscribers (00:03:15).
• Many solutions that take an RSS feed and send an email campaign can check for new posts based on the last time the email campaign was sent, ensuring that subscribers do not receive the same post data twice (00:03:38).
• This process is intelligent and smart, as it knows how to read what is considered a new post on the site, and only includes posts that are newer than the last time the email campaign was sent (00:03:59).

Benefits of Having RSS Email Campaigns (00:04:09)

• Having an RSS email campaign set up allows businesses to keep their subscribers up to date with the content on their website through email, forming stronger relationships with an already engaged audience, as 74 percent of consumers prefer to interact with brands through email (00:04:22).
• This approach enables businesses to increase their website’s traffic by delivering new content straight into their subscribers’ inboxes, rather than relying on visitors to continually come back to the website on their own (00:05:04).
• RSS email campaigns are an efficient and relatively cost-effective marketing tool, especially compared to other marketing tactics like paid online ads, with minimal fees associated, such as marketing platform fees, which can be as low as $10 per month (00:05:41).
• The automated nature of RSS email campaigns is a significant benefit, as it allows businesses to set it and forget it, without relying on users to remember to come back to the website to check for new content, and without requiring manual effort, which saves time and money (00:05:50).
• The cost-effectiveness of RSS email campaigns is further enhanced by the fact that it’s automated, as manual implementation would require significant time and effort, which could be spent on other business activities (00:06:10).
• To make the most of RSS email campaigns, businesses should create compelling updates and use effective call-to-action to sign up, which will automatically send emails to subscribers with new content, granted that new posts are being added to the site (00:06:41).

What’s Required to Set This Up? (00:06:57)

• To set up automated email newsletters, three key components are required: an RSS feed for posts, an emailing service, and an integration platform, with the RSS feed add-on being available for those with the VIP add-ons Club (00:06:58).
• The RSS feed add-on automatically creates an RSS feed file that will be used to automate emails, and this file is a crucial element in the process of creating automated email newsletters (00:07:03).
• An emailing service is necessary, and there are several email marketing platforms to choose from, including Mailerlite, Brevo, Campaign Monitor, and Constant Contact, with the majority of them having the ability to create email campaigns from an RSS feed (00:07:17).
• The emailing service used in this case is Mailerlite, which has the capability to create email campaigns from an RSS feed, making it a suitable choice for automated email newsletters (00:07:31).
• An integration platform, such as Pabbly Connect or Zapier, is also needed to connect the RSS feed and emailing service, with Pabbly Connect being used in this case due to its simplicity (00:07:38).
• Once these components are in place, the basic setup steps can be followed to complete the automation process, allowing users to create automated email newsletters with ease (00:08:01).

Basic Setup Steps (00:08:06)

• To set up an automated email newsletter, a simple opt-in form needs to be created where subscribers can enter their email address, name, and select the type of content they want to receive updates on, such as industry news articles or events, and this form will be placed in a widget on the website, specifically in the sidebar (00:08:08).
• The email marketing service, in this case Mailerlite, will be used to create different groups for subscribers based on the type of content they are subscribing to, such as one group for article notifications and another for event notifications (00:08:56).
• Pabbly or Zapier will be used to connect the form to Mailerlite, and routes or filters will be set up to identify which types of posts the subscribers want to be emailed about, allowing for automated email campaigns based on specific RSS feeds (00:09:30).
• The workflow will be turned on, creating a self-automated system that can be left to run on its own, and it is possible to customize the setup to only send website blog updates or specific types of content, rather than allowing subscribers to choose from different types of content (00:10:43).
• The process can be started by showing how the system works, including how subscribers are added to Mailerlite, and then going through the checklist of setup steps to ensure everything is configured correctly (00:10:37).

Showing How The Automated Workflow Works (00:11:21)

• A demo site has been created with an opt-in form that allows users to subscribe to upcoming events or blog updates, and the form has been customized by removing the phone number and message field and adding a checkbox for subscription options (00:11:22).
• The opt-in form provides users with the option to subscribe to specific categories, such as events or blog updates, depending on the site’s niche or location, and in this case, the options are set to select both (00:11:35).
• A test subscription is performed using the email “webinar test” and name “webinar JSON” to demonstrate the automated workflow, and a success message is received after subscribing (00:12:21).
• The subscriber is added to the Mailerlite account, which handles emailing and scheduling, and is assigned to specific groups, such as website blog subscribers and event updates (00:12:45).
• The Mailerlite account is used to manage subscribers and groups, and the test subscriber “webinar test” is added to both the website blog subscribers and event updates groups (00:13:00).
• Two campaigns are set up in Mailerlite, one for sending RSS updates of website blog articles and another for sending updates of new event posts, and these campaigns are sent to specific groups of subscribers (00:13:36).
• The campaigns are set up to send emails once per week, and the details of the campaign setup will be discussed further, with the next step being to start with the Brilliant Directories side of the setup (00:14:07).

Creating an Opt-In Form (00:14:21)

• A new opt-in form was created for the site by going to tools and form manager, and the form was named “subscribe to updates” with a simple process of clicking new form, (00:14:31)
• The form was updated to remove a few fields, including the phone number field, and the title was changed to “love what you see get daily get weekly updates delivered to your inbox”, (00:15:07)
• The form title was updated to be more compelling, and the submit message was changed to “subscribe Now!” with an exclamation point, (00:15:35)
• The pop-up message that appears when the form is filled out was updated to be more friendly, with a message that says “super duper your subscribed”, (00:15:59)
• The short code for the form was copied and put into a widget, which was then added to the sidebar on the site, specifically the post search results sidebar, (00:16:41)
• A div module was used to style the form and give it a nice white background, with the code for this module shared in the chat, (00:17:06)
• The widget containing the form was placed at the top of the page in the sidebar, and when the page is refreshed, the new form is visible with the updated title and message, (00:17:52)
• The goal is to create automated email newsletters that are delivered to the inbox, and to achieve this, a form is used to collect email submissions, which are then saved in a directory on the website (00:17:59).
• The form submissions will be integrated with Mailerlite, an emailing platform, using Pabbly, an integration platform, which also works with Zapier (00:18:21).
• To set up the integration, a new workflow will be created in Pabbly, and the form submissions will be sent to Mailerlite using Pabbly Connect (00:18:42).
• The form can be customized to include checkboxes, such as upcoming events, new blog articles, and coupons, which can be useful for a local directory site (00:19:02).
• The checkboxes can be used to create separate email campaigns for each RSS feed, and the RSS feed for each option can be found and customized using various hacks, including search criteria for locations and categories (00:19:55).
• The form will be connected to Pabbly, and the submissions will be used to create automated email newsletters (00:20:16).

Connecting the Form to Pabbly (00:20:18)

• To connect a form to Pabbly, a new workflow is created and named, such as “webinar opt-in to posts post updates”, and a webhook is used to link the form submissions to Pabbly (00:20:19).
• The complicated URL from Pabbly is copied and then used in the website’s developer hub to create a new custom webhook, which takes the form submission data and sends it to Pabbly (00:20:37).
• The webhook is set up to capture form submissions from a specific form, in this case, the “webinar subscribe to post updates” form, and the data is sent to Pabbly for further processing (00:21:03).
• The webhook can be used to send form submission data to various third-party platforms, including Mailerlite, Google Sheets, Mailchimp, HubSpot, and Constant Contact (00:22:05).
• To test the setup, a test submission is made, and Pabbly is checked to see if it receives the webhook response, which it does, confirming that the form is now connected to Pabbly (00:22:20).
• Alternatively, instead of creating a custom form, the default newsletter sign-up form can be used, which already has a default event that can be used to send form submission data to Pabbly (00:22:58).
• The default forms on the website, such as the newsletter sign-up form, already have an event that can be used to send data to Pabbly, making it easier to set up the integration (00:23:25).

Creating the Pabbly Workflow (00:23:37)

• To create a Pabbly workflow, a router is set up to determine which group in Mailerlite to add subscribers to based on their preferences, such as upcoming events, new blog articles, or deals and coupons, with the goal of segmenting the email list (00:23:38).
• The router has three options, and for each option, a filter and an action step are set up, where the filter checks what the subscriber wants to subscribe to and the action step adds them to the corresponding group in Mailerlite (00:24:14).
• For the first route, the filter checks if the subscriber wants event updates, and if so, the action step creates or updates a subscriber in Mailerlite and adds them to the event group (00:24:28).
• The email address from the web hook is mapped to the email field in Mailerlite, and the status is set to active, with the groups set to the event group (00:25:27).
• The process is repeated for the second and third routes, with the filter checking for blog articles and deals and coupons, respectively, and the action step adding subscribers to the corresponding groups in Mailerlite (00:26:02).
• For each route, the workflow is saved and tested to ensure it works as expected, with the option to close and save the workflow after testing (00:25:56).
• The workflow can be customized to fit specific needs, such as skipping certain steps if not applicable, and the importance of saving each step is emphasized to avoid losing changes (00:26:10).
• The Mailerlite account is connected to Pabbly to enable the creation or update of subscribers, and the groups in Mailerlite are set up to match the preferences selected by the subscribers (00:25:03).

Creating a Group in MailerLite (00:27:08)

• A group in MailerLite was created for a coupon, specifically named “Deal and Coupon Updates Email”, to organize subscribers who want to receive updates on deals and coupons (00:27:09).
• The group was then connected to Pabbly, where a route was set up to add subscribers to the “Deal and Coupon Updates Email” group in MailerLite if they include or contain the word “deal” in their subscription (00:27:32).
• The MailerLite account was connected to Pabbly, and the email address was mapped to the dynamic email, allowing for automated addition of subscribers to the group (00:27:51).
• The setup allows for an automated engine that emails people updates on topics they want to receive information about, such as deal and coupon updates (00:28:08).
• A pro tip was provided, suggesting that if subscribers don’t check any subscription options, an “or” condition can be added to automatically add them to a group, or a required field can be made to ensure they select at least one option (00:28:55).
• The process of creating a form, groups in MailerLite, and a web hook in Pabbly was reviewed, highlighting the ability to capture form submissions and route subscribers to specific groups based on their interests (00:30:01).
• The overall setup enables automated addition of subscribers to groups in MailerLite based on their subscription preferences, allowing for targeted email updates (00:30:07).

Creating an RSS Email Campaign in MailerLite (00:30:12)

• The magic happens in campaigns, where events are created and edited, and an RSS link is obtained for the site, specifically the one with “RSS-image” to get a feed of all events on the site (00:30:12).
• The RSS feed URL is entered for events, and the frequency of sending the newsletter can be set to daily, weekly, or monthly, depending on the dynamism of the data on the site, with options to stagger emails throughout the week to avoid spamming subscribers (00:31:18).
• The time of day to send the newsletter can be chosen, and the subject and content can be edited, with the content being dynamically generated based on the events on the website (00:32:19).
• The email newsletter template is dynamic and will change every week depending on new content, and it can be customized with blocks and titles, such as “upcoming Los Angeles events” or “hot Los Angeles events” (00:32:51).
• The number of items to show in the newsletter can be chosen, with options to show up to 50 newest post items, and settings can be adjusted to control the appearance and content of the newsletter (00:33:42).
• The email newsletter layout can be chosen, with options including a main section on top and two below, or all sections having the same layout, and the newsletter would be automatically sent to users who subscribe using a form (00:33:50).
• Mailerlite is a user-friendly option that allows users to choose what they want to show from the RSS feed, with options including excerpts, excerpts with feature images, titles and images, or full content (00:34:26).
• The excerpts option shows a small snippet of the content from the beginning of the post description, while the excerpts with feature images option is preferred as it looks good and is a good way to showcase content (00:34:33).
• The full content option shows the entire post information, which is good for daily updates with one post from the website, and is a good option if the content is quality and confidence is high (00:35:01).
• There are also checkboxes to hide or show post categories, published dates, and read more links, with the option to change the text of the read more link to something like “click to view article” (00:35:40).
• The email can be customized by adding content above and below the dynamic data from the RSS feed, and can be sent to specific groups of subscribers who have chosen to receive certain types of content (00:36:14).
• A new campaign can be created from scratch for specific groups, such as a coupons group, and hacks and workarounds can be used to manipulate the RSS feed and customize the email (00:37:01).
• The process involves creating a form on the website, creating a group for subscribers, and creating a corresponding campaign to send emails to that group, with options to customize the layout and content of the email (00:36:30).
• The process of creating an automated email newsletter involves setting up an RSS campaign, where the subject line is defined, such as “Trending deals in Los Angeles”, and an RSS feed URL is provided, which in this case is “forward slash RSS hyphen image” (00:37:49).
• The frequency of sending the newsletter can be set to daily, or specific days of the week, such as Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, and it will only show new posts since the last newsletter was sent (00:38:15).
• The drag and drop editor is used to design the newsletter, where pre-made templates are available, and RSS blocks can be added to display the latest content, such as daily deals (00:38:45).
• The RSS block can be customized to show a specific number of items, and the layout can be adjusted to be concise and easy to digest, such as showing only the title and featured image (00:39:56).
• After setting up the newsletter, subscribers can be added to a specific group, such as the “coupon updates email” group, and they will receive the daily deals emails (00:40:35).
• To test the newsletter, a subscriber can be added to the group, and the page can be refreshed to verify that the subscriber has been added successfully (00:41:04).
• The process of setting up automated email newsletters can be completed quickly, with one person able to handle the task efficiently using Pabbly, and the next step is to review and finalize the setup (00:41:15).
• Once the setup is complete, the automated email newsletter can be scheduled to go live, sending updates to subscribers based on a predetermined schedule, with the next email sent dates displayed, such as May 5th and May 1st (00:41:30).
• The automated email newsletter setup allows for remarketing to subscribers beyond just sending updates, using a lead magnet, and the process involves mostly point-and-click steps with no coding required (00:41:51).
• The setup process involves integrating multiple solutions, including Pabbly, Zapier, and email providers like Mailerlite, and the steps can be complex due to the number of point-and-click actions required, but not due to the complexity of the tasks themselves (00:42:04).
• The process has been explained in a way that is easier to understand than other email providers, according to Sandra, who appreciated the clear explanation of the steps involved in setting up the automated email newsletters (00:42:20).
• A question was received from Teresa during the process, indicating that there are still some aspects of the setup that may require further clarification or explanation (00:42:27).

Can this be done with Mailchimp? (00:42:28)

• The possibility of creating automated email newsletters with Mailchimp is explored, considering its popularity, but conflicting information was found online regarding its support for email campaigns from RSS feeds (00:42:29).
• For those already using MailChimp, it is recommended to reach out to their support to see if they have the functionality available, although it was not possible to figure it out and an alternative solution was found with MailerLite (00:42:44).
• MailerLite is presented as a user-friendly and affordable alternative, with a great UI, easy workflow, and default email template, allowing for easy creation of automated email campaigns (00:42:50).
• It is mentioned that MailChimp may have discontinued their RSS feed functionality, with some users possibly being grandfathered in, but other solutions like MailerLite, Constant Contact, Campaign Monitor, and HubSpot are available (00:43:05).
• MailerLite is highlighted as a cost-effective option, offering unlimited emails and up to 1,000 contacts for $10 a month, making it a good value for automated marketing (00:43:27).
• The possibility of using MailerLite for automated marketing and its potential as a workaround for RSS feed functionality is further explored, with additional features and hacks to be discussed (00:43:55).

Get RSS feed URLs for specific post search criteria (00:44:04)

• To get an RSS feed URL for specific post search criteria, users can go to the Post search results page, type in “RSS” in the address bar, and see the RSS feed includes various information, indicating a valid feed (00:44:08).
• By conducting a search on the site for a specific keyword, such as “skydiving”, users can find related posts and create an RSS feed URL by adding the keyword to the end of the RSS image URL, resulting in a shorter feed with only relevant posts (00:44:35).
• The same process can be applied to create an RSS feed for a specific location or category by adding the corresponding keyword or category to the RSS image URL, allowing users to create a customized feed with only relevant posts (00:45:10).
• Users can also search for a specific category, such as “Category 2”, and create an RSS feed URL by adding the category to the end of the RSS image URL, resulting in a feed with only posts from that category (00:45:21).
• Additionally, users can create an RSS feed for multiple posts in a specific category by using the category name in the RSS feed URL, allowing for a customized feed with relevant posts, such as a stream of posts for weddings with the category “musicians” or “bands” (00:45:39).
• Another tip for using RSS feeds is to search for a specific keyword or category by adding it to the RSS feed URL, such as “coupons?category=2”, allowing users to customize their feed with relevant posts (00:45:52).

Get RSS feed URL for posts by a specific member (00:46:00)

• To get an RSS feed URL for posts by a specific member, the member’s ID number is required, which can be found by looking at the user’s posts on the site, for example, the ID for “sample number three” is three (00:46:07).
• By using the member’s ID number, it is possible to see the posts published by that user, for example, using “coupons and user ID equals three” shows that the user has published three articles (00:46:14).
• The RSS feed URL can be modified to include the member’s ID number by adding “question mark user equals three” or “question mark user ID equals three” to the URL, which will display the posts published by that user, resulting in a more granular RSS feed (00:46:27).
• Adding the member’s ID number to the RSS feed URL will increase the amount of content displayed, as it will include all the posts published by that user, for example, adding “question mark user ID equals three” will display three posts (00:46:32).
• The site has additional RSS feed options that can be used to get more granular RSS feeds, and using the member’s ID number is one way to achieve this (00:46:47).

Get RSS feed URL for all published posts (00:46:55)

• To get the RSS feed URL for all published posts, simply type the website URL followed by “RSS” in the search bar and hit enter, which will display the entire post feed of the website, including events, blogs, coupons, and more (00:46:57).
• The RSS feed can be used in Mailerlite to create an email campaign, and by going to the RSS settings, the feed can be changed to include all the website’s posts instead of just specific ones, such as coupons (00:47:36).
• By using the website’s RSS feed, the email campaign can include a variety of content, such as events, blog articles, and discussions, and can be customized to display a specific number of posts (00:47:50).
• The RSS feed can also be used to aggregate posts from a single member, by adding the member’s ID to the RSS feed URL, which can be useful for promoting members or encouraging them to utilize their RSS feed to populate their own company blog (00:48:40).
• Additionally, the RSS feed can be used with keyword searches and other features, making it a versatile tool for aggregating and displaying content from the website (00:49:31).