Importing a ready-made newsletter

If your newsletter is already completely finished, you can import it into Laposta as a campaign and send it from there. You can do this from an address on the internet, from your own computer, or by entering the HTML code directly.

Importing is for users with technical expertise. Since you provide the HTML yourself, you are responsible for how your newsletter is displayed across all email clients, browsers, and screen sizes.

When designing your newsletter, stick to the standard width of 600 to 620 pixels. Also note the difference between this and importing a custom template: you import a ready-made newsletter once to send it out, whereas you add tags to a template so you can reuse it for new campaigns. If you are not sure which approach suits you best, take a look at the options under Types of templates.

Starting an import campaign

You can import a newsletter by choosing a different campaign type when creating a new campaign:

Start a new campaign

Go to Campaigns → Browse and click ‘Create new campaign’. This takes you to the ‘1. Enter basics’ screen.

Change the campaign type

At the top of the screen, click the ‘Choose a different campaign type’ link.

The heading 1. Enter basics with the circled link Choose a different campaign type below it

Choose to import

On the ‘Start a new campaign’ screen, select the ‘Import’ option and click ‘Start’ at the bottom.

You set up an import campaign in five steps instead of the usual six:

In step 1, Entering the basic details, you fill in details such as the sender address, sender name, subject, and previewtext.
In step 2, Selecting the recipients, you tick the lists or segments you want to reach.
In step 3, you import your newsletter (instead of choosing and filling in a template).
In step 4, Last check, you check your newsletter, the basic details, and the recipients.
In step 5, Setting the delivery time, you send the campaign immediately or schedule it.

In step 3, ‘Import email’, choose where your newsletter is coming from and click ‘Start import’.

Step 3 Import email with the three import options: from the internet, from your computer, and enter HTML

Option	Choose this if	What you provide
Import from internet	your newsletter is already online as a web page	the URL of that page
Import from computer	you have the newsletter ready locally on your computer	the HTML file plus a ZIP file containing the rest
Enter HTML	you want to paste or build the HTML directly	the HTML code itself

Importing from the internet

Enter the web address of your newsletter under ‘URL’. Laposta fetches the page, adds the associated stylesheets, and saves the images to your account. The system also adjusts the links in your newsletter so that you can measure how often they are clicked after sending.

The import form with the required URL field and the ticked option Yes, place CSS inline

Importing from your computer

Under ‘HTML’, select the HTML file for your newsletter. Provide the accompanying images and CSS files as a single ZIP file under ‘Files’. After uploading, Laposta unpacks everything, merges the HTML and the stylesheets, saves the images to your account, and makes the links measurable.

Entering HTML code

Selecting ‘Enter HTML’ opens an HTML editor where you can paste or build your entire newsletter. Once you have entered it, click ‘Save and import’ to import the code.

The bar above the HTML editor with the option Place CSS inline and the Save and import button

If you only want to add a small piece of code to a newsletter that you are otherwise building in the standard editor, read HTML code in the editor.

Placing your CSS inline

Email clients cannot handle external stylesheets. That is why Laposta merges them with the HTML during the import process. In addition, all three import methods allow you to have your CSS placed inline. This puts the styles as attributes inside all the individual HTML tags.

Inlining is necessary for proper display in major email clients, particularly Gmail and Outlook. You should therefore leave the option ‘Yes, place CSS inline’ (or ‘Place CSS inline’ above the HTML editor) ticked.

With complex CSS, placing styles inline can sometimes cause your newsletter not to display properly. If that happens, simplify your CSS or disable inlining.

After importing, you can still edit the HTML in step 3 using the HTML editor, for instance to personalise your newsletter. Here you can also enter an unsubscribe link yourself, or have Laposta add one automatically.

Click ‘Preview’ to see what your newsletter will look like to your subscribers. Using ‘Testmail’, you can send the campaign to yourself and a few others to check it. Because you provide the HTML yourself, you must also test how it is displayed in different email clients and screen sizes yourself.

In step 4, ‘Last check’, you review your newsletter along with the basic details you entered and the selected recipients. In step 5, ‘Schedule delivery’, you can send the campaign immediately or choose ‘Schedule’. Here you also enter the email address to which the delivery confirmation will be sent.

Importing your own HTML template

Add a reusable template from your computer, a URL or as HTML code.

What requirements must a custom HTML template meet?

Make your own HTML template suitable for Laposta with editable tags and read how to…

Why do you need to test your own HTML template yourself?

Why and how to check the display of your own template in different email clients yourself.