In this comprehensive guide, I'll show you how to use Gmail's built-in Mail Merge feature to send up to 1,500 personalized emails per day directly from your Gmail account.
We'll discover how to send bulk emails using Gmail's native functionality without any third-party tools.
Why Regular Group Sending (BCC) Isn't Enough
You're probably going to tell me that grouped sending is something you can already do on Gmail, at least to some extent. The process is simple: we insert our emails in the BCC section, we send the email, and recipients won't see who else you've sent an email to. It keeps an impression of uniqueness even though it's nothing but a mirror illusion.
But let's be serious - this approach is far from being perfect for sending bulk emails in Gmail, and this is why Gmail recently created a new feature: Mail Merge.
What is Gmail Mail Merge?
In this guide, we'll discover how to use Mail Merge to send out your newsletters. As for the question of whether you can use it to conduct an email campaign, the answer is yes... maybe. However, I don't recommend it given that it's a fairly recent feature, so it still lacks a lot of things to make its use really interesting and efficient in a cold mailing situation.
Prerequisites: Google Workspace Required
All you need to do to follow this tutorial is to use one of the following Google Workspace editions:
- Workspace Individual
- Business Standard
- Business Plus
- Enterprise Starter
- Enterprise Standard
- Enterprise Plus
- Education Standard
- Education Plus
If this condition is met, let's jump into it.
Getting Started with Gmail Mail Merge
Here you are in my professional Gmail account. Let's have a look at our amazing feature - actually, the Mail Merge feature is displayed on this screen. Indeed, we can see it at the top right corner of our screen.
If I click on "Use Mail Merge," the button color changes to purple and we get a notification from Google telling that each recipient will get a separate copy of this email with a unique unsubscribe link.
Important Browser Compatibility Note
Something you have to know is that I don't know why, but this feature is only displayed when I use this Gmail account and Google Chrome, and it doesn't work from another browser. I don't know why, but if you've got the same issue as I encountered, please use your Gmail account and Google Chrome.
Creating Your First Mail Merge Email
I'm gonna use another email address of mine and let's say "hello" - let's keep things short and simple.
It's important to keep the unsubscribe link or not to remove it, otherwise Gmail is likely to consider our message as spam. I click on continue, I click on "got it." I can send a preview of my message first. When I want to send hundreds of emails at once, but in our case when I send one message at a time, there is no use doing it, so I click on "send all."
I've received my email, so let's try out the unsubscribe link. I will be able to unsubscribe from the mailing list, kind of. But the most interesting thing here is that I received an email telling me that the recipient indeed has unsubscribed.
Email Personalization Options
Another interesting aspect is that we can send personalized emails, at least to some extent, because so far it's not really powerful. We can only personalize four elements, but maybe it will be improved in the near future.
Let's compose another email one more time, and I can personalize:
- My first name
- My last name
- My full name (which is a combination of the first name and the last name)
- The email address
However, there is an issue here, and the problem is that we can know what the email address is for sure because it's written here. However, how can we know what the first name is? And the answer is we cannot know it because we haven't created a contact yet.
Creating Contacts for Personalization
So let's see how to create a contact related to this email address. To begin with, let's do it manually. Let's create a contact. I invite you to open contacts.google.com in a new tab, and now I can create my contact. I insert my first name, I input my last name, I can add more details if I want to, I click on Save.
I reload my web page - my contact has been saved, so it should work out. I've got my first name, my last name, and my full name. If I click on preview, I've got François as a first name, Jeff as a last name, and François as a full name. So it's an efficient way to create contacts.
However, we obviously won't create each contact one by one. The aim is to create a list of contacts instead - a list of leads.
Where to Get Quality Contacts for Gmail Mail Merge
In order to do so, we can use professional lead generation tools. The purpose of lead generation is to help you scrape verified email addresses from companies, and we can see that we can scrape emails from companies, which is the data field we are mostly interested in.
In other words, if you want to target small or medium-sized companies, Google Maps might be the good platform for you. For real-time email extraction, you need tools that can find email addresses from Google Maps efficiently.
Search Criteria for Lead Generation
The first criterion is the activity - actually, there are around 4,000 different categories listed on Google Maps. And we've got location criteria. For example, I can change the country from France to United States. I can select a level one division which entails a state, the level 2 division is represented by a county, and the city means a city. It's pretty much self-explanatory.
So I can target restaurants in New York City, for example. The point is that we can filter our data out even more. We have said that we are interested in getting email addresses only, and basically all of these filters will allow you to split your database up.
Let's click on filter, and I will get fewer results of course, but much more targeted ones. If I'm not happy with my result, I can click on export, and I can say that I want to get the first 100 email addresses. I click on export.
Finally, I should be able to download a CSV and an Excel file. All I need to do is to wait for a little bit, so I see you back once I've got my result.
Importing Contacts in Bulk
Now I am going to create a bulk email. Let's create our list of contacts first. I've got my CSV file. All I need to do is to create a new contact list or to import your contact, which is also available here. I select my file, I select my CSV file, I import it. It seems like everything sounds correct, and the last thing I have to do is to rename my label. I can say "restaurant New York."
The best thing to do is to reload my page and let's type our label's name "Restaurant New York," and I will be able to create my bulk email.
Improving Contact Details with Google Sheets
However, there is something we could have improved. If we take a look at one contact's details, in most cases Gmail is having a hard time identifying what the first name and the last name is. So maybe it could be a good idea to improve our contact details a little bit.
It is possible, but in that case, we have to create a Google spreadsheet. In other words, how to create a list of contacts with names.
I've got my Google Spreadsheets, I've got my Excel file, and the first thing I'm going to do is to remove any duplicates in my email data field. I click on Data > Remove duplicates, I select email, and I've got six duplicates.
Once it is done, I copy and paste my column. I'm going to paste the column regarding the name of companies. We've got everything we need.
What remains to do is to share my Google spreadsheet in order to make sure that Gmail is allowed to have access to it. I give access to everyone who has a link, and I click on OK.
Connecting Google Sheets to Mail Merge
Now let's come back to our Gmail account, and if I click on "Use Mail Merge" one more time, I can add it from a spreadsheet. I have access to my Google spreadsheet as long as it is the same account.
I have to select two elements only: email and first name. The last name is optional. The email is related to the email column, and the first name is the company's name. I click on finish, and let's see what it looks like.
I click on preview. I've got my company's name. As you can see, it's good, but it's not perfect because Gmail doesn't take into account special characters, and it sounds like a special character to me. Maybe it could have been a good idea to replace special characters or simply to remove them in order to have a better database.
On the other hand, email addresses sound perfect. Before sending, it's crucial to check if an email is valid to ensure better deliverability rates. I click on OK, and now I'm able to send my bulk email. Obviously, I won't do it because it was just an example.
Email Templates and Layouts
One last thing you might be interested in is that you can use some layouts. If you select a layout, you can have a layout looking like a newsletter. Then you are perfectly able to customize your text.
I'm not a huge fan of this feature. I prefer to keep things simple and to work harder on our emails rather than spending a lot of time determining what the best layout looks like. It doesn't influence that much the success of your emailing campaigns.
Gmail Mail Merge Limitations
Although Mail Merge is a useful feature, it also comes with a couple of drawbacks, and these disadvantages prevent Gmail from being a suitable email marketing tool.
1. Send Limits
The first drawback is send limits. We can send an email to a maximum of 1,500 recipients per day. Actually, this limit is usually not a problem unless you are a company - a big company with a large customer database - or an important influencer willing to send newsletters.
2. Email Sequences
Number two: email sequences. Gmail cannot create email sequences, at least for now. We cannot automate something like "oh, I'm going to send one email, and if recipients don't answer it within three days, I will send another one."
Nevertheless, if we get a response from the first message or the second one or the third one, we stop our sequence, but the sequence is stopped only for people who have replied. We cannot do that.
3. Scheduling Limitations
Mail Merge cannot be used with scheduled sending. We send a bulk email now or never. We send it once we are ready.
4. No Analytics or Feedback
Probably the most annoying disadvantage is that we are unable to adjust our strategy. We don't have access to any feedback, to any metrics. It's like trying to score a goal blindfolded - low chance of success.
To draw a parallel, we cannot do any A/B tests. It's fine as long as we only want to send out newsletters, but that's a bit of a problem for an email campaign. For more advanced email marketing, you might want to explore cold email tools that actually work for better campaign management.
Legal Compliance and Best Practices
Finally, obviously we must follow local regulations and Gmail policies. You can see on your screen some best practices about bulk email. The rules are not crystal clear. However, if we remain ethical and if we apply a bit of common sense, it should work out.
Please note that what I'm saying only applies at the moment I'm shooting this video, and the rules and features may evolve over time.
Conclusion
This is the end of the guide. I hope you have enjoyed it. If it's the case, you can give a thumbs up and subscribe to the channel.
Gmail's Mail Merge feature is definitely a step forward for bulk email sending directly from Gmail, but it's important to understand its limitations before diving in. For basic newsletter sending and simple bulk emails, it's a solid solution. For more advanced email marketing campaigns, you'll likely need dedicated email marketing tools.
The key to success with Gmail Mail Merge is having quality, verified email lists and understanding the feature's constraints while maximizing its personalization capabilities.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you do a mail merge in Gmail?
Yes, Gmail has a built-in mail merge feature that allows you to send personalized emails to multiple recipients. Each recipient receives a unique copy with their own unsubscribe link, making it perfect for newsletters and announcements.
How many emails can I send with Gmail Mail Merge per day?
Gmail mail merge allows you to send up to 1,500 emails per day with Google Workspace accounts. This limit resets every 24 hours and applies to all emails sent from your account.
Do I need Google Workspace for Gmail Mail Merge?
Yes, Gmail Mail Merge requires a Google Workspace subscription (Individual, Business Standard, Business Plus, or Enterprise plans). It's not available with free Gmail accounts.
What's the difference between Gmail Mail Merge and BCC?
Mail Merge sends individual emails to each recipient with unique unsubscribe links and personalization options. BCC sends one email to multiple people where recipients can't see other addresses, but there's no personalization.
Can I schedule emails with Gmail Mail Merge?
No, Gmail's built-in mail merge doesn't support scheduled sending. You must send emails immediately when you're ready. This is one of the feature's current limitations.
How do I create contacts for Gmail mail merge personalization?
You can create contacts manually at contacts.google.com or import them from a Google Sheets spreadsheet. The spreadsheet method is more efficient for large contact lists and allows for better data management.
What are the main limitations of Gmail Mail Merge?
The main limitations include: no email sequences, no scheduling options, limited analytics/metrics, maximum 1,500 emails per day, and only basic personalization options (4 elements: first name, last name, full name, email address).
Where can I get quality email lists for Gmail Mail Merge?
You can generate quality email lists using professional lead generation tools that extract real-time email addresses from Google Maps and other business directories. Always ensure emails are verified and compliant with anti-spam regulations.