The cost of a mass email campaign can vary quite a bit depending on several factors. In the opening paragraphs, we’ll provide some quick answers to common questions about mass email pricing to give you a general idea of what to expect.
Quick Answers on Mass Email Pricing
Here are some quick answers on average mass email costs:
- Cost per 1,000 emails sent: $50 – $500+
- Average cost per subscriber: $0.10 – $1.00+
- Cost for list of 10,000 subscribers: $1,000 – $10,000+
- Cost for list of 50,000 subscribers: $5,000 – $50,000+
- Cost for list of 100,000 subscribers: $10,000 – $100,000+
As you can see, pricing can cover a wide range depending on the size of your list and other factors. In the sections below, we’ll dig into the details of what impacts mass email costs and pricing models.
What Impacts the Cost of Mass Email?
There are several key factors that influence how much a mass email campaign will cost. Let’s look at each of the main considerations.
Number of Emails Sent
The number of emails you plan to send is one of the biggest factors impacting cost. Most mass email providers charge per 1,000 emails sent. The more emails you send, the higher your cost will be.
For small lists under 5,000 contacts, you may be charged a flat monthly fee instead of a per 1,000 email rate. Once you get over 5,000-10,000 emails, that’s usually when providers shift to per 1,000 pricing.
The rate per 1,000 emails can range anywhere from $50 on the low end up to $500 or more from premium providers. The more emails you send, the more likely you are to get discounts on larger volumes bringing down the average cost per 1,000.
Type of Emails
Different types of mass emails have different pricing implications. Here are some of the main mass email use cases and how they impact costs:
- Marketing Promotions: These tend to be image-heavy emails focused on promotions, deals, and advertising. They have higher deliverability requirements and often higher costs.
- Plain Text Transactional: These are pure text emails for confirmations, notifications, etc. They have simple content and the lowest deliverability needs and costs.
- Rich Text Transactional: These include both text and basic HTML formatting for things like customized receipts and notifications. Costs are moderate.
- Newsletters: These are designed emails focused on content. Images and formatting increase costs over plain text.
Size of Email List
In addition to how many emails you send per campaign, providers also look at the total size of your subscriber list. The larger your list, the more likely you are to negotiate lower volume discounts.
For small lists under 5,000 subscribers you’ll usually pay maximum rate per 1,000 emails. Once you get over 50,000-100,000 subscribers, you have more leverage to get reduced pricing.
Deliverability Needs
Deliverability refers to how well your emails reach the inbox versus getting blocked or sent to spam. Marketing and promotional emails have higher deliverability requirements than simple transactional mail.
Advanced deliverability capabilities like sender score monitoring, inbox placement testing, and IP warming can increase costs. Simple transactional mail usually doesn’t require robust deliverability features.
Advanced Features
Mass email services offer a variety of features above basic sending. This includes things like:
- Advanced analytics
- Automation
- Split testing
- Customer segmentation and grouping
- Advanced scheduling
- Email customization
- Team collaboration
- Integrations with other tools
The more functionality and complexity you need, the more it will drive up cost. Simple text-only transactional email rarely needs advanced capabilities, while marketing mail and newsletters typically use more sophisticated features.
Service and Support
Some mass email providers offer higher-touch service with dedicated account management and expert support. Others are more self-service focused. The level of service affects pricing.
For large or complex email programs, hands-on service provides more value. Smaller users may not require much live support, so self-service options can minimize cost.
Mass Email Pricing Models
Now that we’ve looked at the key factors impacting mass email costs, let’s examine the common pricing models providers use.
Flat Monthly Fee
Some mass email services charge a flat monthly fee. This is common for smaller email lists under 5,000-10,000 contacts. The monthly fee gives you access to basic features and allows you to send up to a maximum number of emails per month.
This pricing plan provides predictable costs for low to moderate email volumes. However, the monthly fee usually caps how many emails you can send. Flat fees are not optimal for large lists or high volumes.
Per 1,000 Emails
Once you exceed the limits of a flat monthly fee, providers typically switch to charging per 1,000 emails sent. This is the most common pricing model for midsize to large lists.
| Number of Emails Sent | Cost Per 1,000 Emails | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 10,000 | $100 | $1,000 |
| 50,000 | $75 | $3,750 |
| 100,000 | $50 | $5,000 |
As you can see in the table, costs go up linearly with email volume. But providers often have tiered per 1,000 rates, with discounts kicking in at higher tiers. This makes the average cost per 1,000 emails decrease at higher volumes.
Tiered Pricing Plans
Some mass email services create packaged pricing plans at different tiers. For example:
- Starter: Up to 5,000 contacts, $49/month
- Professional: Up to 20,000 contacts, $199/month
- Business: Up to 50,000 contacts, $499/month
- Enterprise: Over 50,000 contacts, custom pricing
With tiered plans, you pay a flat monthly fee based on how many contacts are in your email list. As your list grows from one tier to the next, your monthly cost increases. But the rate per subscriber or per 1,000 emails decreases at higher tiers.
This model provides more pricing consistency versus strictly pay-as-you-go models. However, costs can jump up when crossing into a new pricing tier.
Hybrid Plans
Some mass email providers offer hybrid models that combine elements of flat fees, per unit pricing, and tiered plans. This gives businesses flexibility to find the right balance of predictability and scalability.
For example, a hybrid model might charge:
- $X per month for up to 10,000 subscribers
- Then $Y per 1,000 emails for additional volume
- With discounted rates for emails over 50,000
This approach has a flat fee up to a threshold, then usage-based pricing that scales, and volume discounts to incentivize growth. The hybrid model works well for businesses with unpredictable email volumes.
Cost Saving Tips
Here are some tips to help minimize the costs of your mass email program:
- Audit your list: Clean out inactive subscribers to reduce wasted emails and costs.
- Use plain text for transactional mail: You can send these emails at high volumes for extremely low costs.
- Send less frequently: Monthly or weekly emails are cheaper than extremely high send frequency.
- Negotiate discounts: Larger lists have more leverage to negotiate custom discounts and improved rates.
- Review usage regularly: As your list grows, make sure you are on optimal pricing tiers.
- Minimize waste: Reduce errors that cause high soft bounce and unsubscribe rates.
With some due diligence, you can maximize value from your mass email program and minimize unnecessary costs.
Key Takeaways
Here are some of the key points we covered on mass email pricing:
- Costs range from around $50 to $500+ per 1,000 emails sent
- Factors like email volume, list size, deliverability needs, features, and service impact pricing
- Common pricing models include flat fees, per 1,000, tiered plans, and hybrid models
- Larger lists get volume discounts driving down the average cost per email
- Transactional email is cheaper than marketing campaigns and newsletters
- Shop providers and negotiate custom rates to maximize value
Every mass email program is unique, so requirements vary. With a mix of provider comparison, usage optimization, and list management, businesses can keep mass email costs reasonable.
Conclusion
Mass email marketing remains an effective channel for customer engagement and retention. But costs can add up, especially for large lists and high send volumes.
The pricing factors and models we covered provide a blueprint to estimate your potential mass email costs. From choosing simple transactional mail to negotiating volume discounts, businesses have many opportunities to optimize spending.
With a strategic approach, mass email can drive impressive ROI. The key is finding a cost-efficient provider and plan that aligns with your program size and needs. Test different options to find the best fit before fully committing.
No matter what mass email pricing model you select, focus on maximizing value from every email you send. Careful list management, campaign optimization, and analytics will ensure no contacts or costs are wasted.
Invest some time upfront finding the ideal mass email solution for your business. With the right platform and pricing plan in place, you can scale your email marketing growth efficiently.
