Creating your MailChimp account

MailChimp is our recommended service provider for email newsletters. They have an easy-to-use interface, great tracking and analytics, and can help keep your email database organized with their bounce tracking and list cleaning.

Plus, getting started with MailChimp is simple, quick, and free. So let’s take a look at how to get started by creating your MailChimp account.

Entering Basic Information

To create your account, you’ll want to go to MailChimp’s website. Click Sign Up Free in the top right corner, and you’ll be asked to enter your email address, desired username, and a secure password.

MailChimp has quite a few requirements for your password, so be sure and read their instructions carefully, and keep your password saved in a safe spot.

Once you’ve filled out that information, click Create My Account.

Activation

After you’ve signed up, you’ll receive an email at the email address you entered with an activation link.

Check your email, and click Activate Account in the email from MailChimp. That will direct you back to MailChimp’s website, and you’ll verify that you’re a real person by filling out a CAPTCHA form, which is where you have to enter the characters in that you see in a photo, to prove you’re a real human.

Company & Industry Info

The next section deals with lots of questions about you and your organizations.

Answering these questions as accurately as possible will help MailChimp compare you to your industry, and see how you rate against your competition.

One of the questions it will ask you is for an address. Keep in mind that this address will be visible on your email newsletters, so if you don’t have a physical office location, we often recommend using a PO Box address instead.

After you’ve filled out all the questions, click Save And Get Started.

And that’s all there is to it! MailChimp will then give you a mini-tour of where and what to do next. Next time we will look at how to create your email list that stores all of your subscribers.