How to Use Mail Merge to Send Personalized Emails

If you author a newsletter, you have probably encountered delivery problems from time to time. It's hard to get newsletters past spam filters. By using mail merge to send personalized emails, you can avoid some of the spam traps along the way and hopefully get your message into your client's hands. You can also personalize your messages with mail merge. Read on to learn more.

Instructions

1. Create your newsletter using a program that allows you to send a document as email. Microsoft Publisher is the program this example uses. Save a copy.

2. Send a copy of the newsletter that you saved as a Publisher document to your Outlook email account. Go to "File," click on "Send Email" and finally click on "Send This Page as Message." This should send your newsletter to your email address.

3. Use Outlook to create your distribution list. This is your list of clients or recipients of your newsletter. Open your distribution list in rich text format (RTF). To do this, click on the list, and then choose "File." Next choose "Save As." Arrange the headings in the order you would like them to appear. Separate them with a tab.

4. Return to the email you sent yourself. Delete any indication that it is a forwarded email. Set the cursor in the body of the message. Choose "Tools," then "Letters and Mailings" and finally "Mail Merge." A mail merge wizard appears.

5. Work your way through the wizard. From the first box choose "E-Mail Messages" and select "Next." Choose "Use the Current Document" and select "Next." Click "Browse." Find your Distribution List. Click "OK" beside after you highlight your list. Click "Next."

6. Personalize your mail merge list. Use the "More Items" option to insert personalized messages or names. Click "Next" when you complete that step.

7. Edit the recipient list one last time. Complete the merge by clicking "Next." Your newsletter is now ready to send as a mail merge.