Trying to make emails and brochures pretty, ideas?

March 10, 2015 1:10 PM

So the communications chair has left my group and I need to send out email newsletters and a make a program brochure. I have heard of constant contact and mailchimp, are there others? Which is easiest to use and will not go to spamboxes? Any sites that can create flyers and brochures, nice graphics, and easy and free?
posted by momtips to Computers & Internet (10 answers total)

tinyletter.com for email newsletters. So What, Who Cares by Lisa Schmeiser is a good aesthetically pleasing example of what it can do.
posted by Wretch729 at 1:33 PM on March 10, 2015

What were you using previously? Did that knowledge leave with the chair?
posted by anastasiav at 1:45 PM on March 10, 2015

Response by poster: yes. I am not too excited about tinyletter. Other ideas, for emails?
posted by momtips at 2:16 PM on March 10, 2015

Something I'm subscribed to uses madmimi, according to the footer in the email. I don't know it from the sending side but they're pretty nice looking emails.
posted by brainmouse at 3:28 PM on March 10, 2015

Mailchimp is the 800 pound gorilla (uh, no pun intended) in the space for small operations. Emma is another option that hasn't been mentioned yet. You haven't been super specific about what exactly you need/like/dislike here, so it's hard to make a more clear recommendation. What didn't you like about tinyletter? How much handholding do you need in setup and design? Any external software you need to connect with? Etc.
posted by primethyme at 3:33 PM on March 10, 2015

Response by poster: Lots of handholding, lol, as I have zero experience. I like the look of madmini. would you recommend mailchimp then? thanks!
posted by momtips at 4:29 PM on March 10, 2015

I would use MailChimp. It is super easy to use and has a drag and drop visual editor, and pre-formatted templates.

For brochures, there are free software programs out there, but you should consider getting some help from someone familiar with layout and design. It will be faster and will look better.
posted by Nevin at 5:43 PM on March 10, 2015 [2 favorites]

MailChimp is great. My company has outgrown it but I miss it! So easy, great templates. They have a great "personality" and it's fun to use. They do a lot to prevent your emails from becoming spam. Also they have a great knowledgebase and you'll learn a lot about email marketing from them. I swear I'm not a shill for them, I'm just a huge fan!

However...you're not going to find email marketing software that creates print brochures and flyers. Print design and email design are two totally different things. The cheapest thing is to use Microsoft Publisher (comes with many Office packages but not al) but it's sortof fiddly, and it's not going to provide templates or make it easy to make your print materials look great. I agree with Nevin that you might want to find a friend or hire someone to do your print materials.
posted by radioamy at 8:45 PM on March 10, 2015

Response by poster: OK, any ideas on where to start or look if I want to learn this myself? Thanks!
posted by momtips at 12:39 PM on March 11, 2015

Nthing Mailchimp. I am pretty technical, and I'm very impressed with them; I work with clients who are not very technical, and they really like it a lot too.

They have some pretty great documentation, so you can start reading about it at your convenience:

Getting Started with MailChimp

MailChimp learning guides

MailChimp Knowledge Base

Also, if you happen to be part of a non-profit, note that MailChimp may offer a discount.

Good luck!
posted by kristi at 10:34 AM on March 13, 2015