Review - Feedmail Pro. An Aweber Alternative?

Please note that Feedmail Pro have now closed down. I'll leave this post here in case people are searching for it. It's another reason I continue to recommend Aweber!

Fate has a way of playing tricks in the blogging world. Almost as I finished writing yesterday’s post about Why an E Book launch went wrong, I had an email from Brian Armstrong, asking me if I would review his email product for bloggers, Feedmail Pro.

Let me start by declaring something here. Regular readers will know I’m a big fan of Aweber. If you are a blogger who intends to earn money from your blog, then I believe Aweber is a product you should have and use. It’s set up is perfect for those of us in that category, and if you aren’t already using Aweber, then you should be. It’s as simple as that.

However, not all bloggers are looking to earn money from blogging, and for those who aren’t, $19 a month can seem expensive for building a simple community.

Enter Feedmail Pro.

It’s a simple to use system, which provides the basics for bloggers, and best of all it’s free for up to 1,000 subscribers. Even once you break through that barrier, the charge is a flat $10 a month.

Here are the features:

Really nice, easy to use interface
You can import subscribers from your existing system without requiring another opt-in
It turns your blog’s RSS into a newsletter, which you can send as often as you want
You can auto send the newsletter, or elect to edit it first to add some personal stuff
You can add your own template to the email, to match your blog’s branding

It’s a good system and is easy and intuitive to use – even the import feature is straightforward.

The downside for me, and the deal breaker if you’re blogging for an income, is that it’s not possible to set up autoresponders. Those are the automatic emails you can schedule over months or even years, which can bring blog traffic and income to you. I’m also slightly concerned about the lack of double opt in and the potential for deliverability problems. But I discussed that with Brian and he assures me that so far there have been no issues and that a large number of blogs are using the service. He also plans to hire a company soon whose sole job will be to ensure Feedmail Pro maintains good relationships with ISP’s and is recognized as a “White list” email provider.

So, if all you want to do is send a regular email update of your posts, and the occasional broadcast email to your community, then Feedmail Pro may be just the thing for you. If this is you, then head over there now to sign up for free.

Disclosure: If you sign up for Feedmail Pro using my links, I earn nothing (as you pay nothing!). But if you eventually start paying once you break through 1000 subscribers, I will earn a small sum. If you use the Aweber links at the top, I will earn a little money. Neither affects the thoughts and views in this post.