Mailchimp is the most widely used email marketing tool in the world. The free plan is good enough to get started, the interface is polished, and there is extensive documentation and support available. If this is your first time setting up an email platform, Mailchimp is a reasonable choice. Here is how to do it.
Total setup time: 1-2 hours. Difficulty: Easy. You do not need any technical background to follow this guide.
Mailchimp at a glance
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Starting price | $13/mo (Essentials) |
| Free plan | Yes |
| Free trial | Free plan up to 500 contacts |
| Setup time | 1-2 hours |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Best for | Businesses new to email marketing and small e-commerce brands |
How to set up Mailchimp in 7 steps
Go to mailchimp.com and sign up for free. Enter your name, email address, and business details. Mailchimp will ask about your business type and what you plan to use the platform for -- answer accurately to get relevant template suggestions. Verify your email address from the confirmation email they send.
Go to Account > Domains and add your domain. Mailchimp will provide DKIM records to add to your DNS as TXT records. Log in to your domain registrar, add the records, then return to Mailchimp and verify. Domain authentication is required on some plans and strongly recommended on all of them -- it improves deliverability and removes the 'via mailchimpapp.com' label from your sent emails.
Mailchimp calls your contact list an Audience. Go to Audience > All Contacts > Manage Audience > Settings and review the default audience settings. Set your default from name and email address. Mailchimp creates one audience for you automatically -- most businesses only need one audience, using tags and segments to organize contacts within it.
Go to Audience > All Contacts and click Import Contacts. Upload your CSV. Map each column to a Mailchimp field. You can add a tag during import to label where these contacts came from. After import, Mailchimp will run a check and flag any addresses it cannot import (invalid format, previously unsubscribed, etc.).
Go to Audience > Signup Forms. Mailchimp offers several form options: an embedded form, a hosted signup page, a pop-up form, and a Facebook form. The hosted signup page is the easiest to start with -- it is already built and you just link to it. For a pop-up or embedded form, use the form editor to customize it and add the code to your site.
Go to Automations > Customer Journeys > Create Journey. Start with the 'Welcome new subscribers' starting point or build from scratch. Add an email action for your welcome email, then a time delay, then a second email if you want a series. Mailchimp's automation builder (Customer Journeys) is more flexible on paid plans -- on the free plan you get a basic single-email welcome.
Go to Campaigns > Create Campaign > Email. Mailchimp's drag-and-drop editor is one of the most polished in the industry. Choose a template, customize it, set your subject line and preview text, select your audience, and send a test email. When ready, schedule or send. Campaign reports are available a few hours after sending.
Tips before you start
- Mailchimp's free plan is limited to 500 contacts and 1,000 emails/month -- plan your upgrade timing accordingly.
- Use one audience with tags rather than multiple audiences. Having multiple audiences creates duplicate contacts and increases your bill.
- Mailchimp's Creative Assistant can generate on-brand designs from your website automatically.
Next steps
Once your account is set up, focus on building your first automation before sending any broadcast campaigns. A working welcome sequence ensures every new subscriber gets a consistent first experience. After that, review your migration guide if you are moving contacts from another platform, and use the recommendations quiz to confirm Mailchimp is the right long-term fit.