Step-By-Step Guide on Sending Email Blast in Gmail

With over *1.8 billion users worldwide*, Gmail commands about 21.95% of the global population. It’s free and offers advanced features through its paid service, Google Workspace. Given its vast user base, many businesses use Gmail for their marketing emails.

However, Gmail may not be the ideal choice for everyone when it comes to email marketing. While it’s convenient, it has several limitations, such as daily email sending limits and restrictions on the number of recipients you can add to each email.

In this article, we’ll dive into how to send an email blast using Gmail and help you navigate these limitations.

Table of Contents

• What is an email blast?
• How to send an email blast in Gmail
• How to send an email blast in Gmail without showing addresses
• How to send an email blast in Gmail using the BCC field and labels
• How to send an email blast in Gmail using spreadsheets
• Best practices for sending an email blast in Gmail
• Are there any possible limitations when sending an email blast in Gmail?
• Is there an alternative to sending email blasts with Gmail?
• Send and manage your email blasts easily

What is an email blast?

An email blast refers to simultaneously sending a single email to a large group of people. This is a common practice for businesses, marketers, or organizations looking to reach a broad audience quickly. The goal is usually to share important information, promotions, updates, or announcements with multiple recipients in one go.

Email blasts are often used for marketing campaigns, newsletters, product launches, event invitations, or customer engagement efforts. 

Unlike personalized emails, they are typically sent to a list of contacts, either segmented or broad, without significant customization for each recipient.

Why send an email blast in Gmail?

Sending an email blast in Gmail can be an attractive option for businesses or individuals who want to reach a large audience quickly without the need for sophisticated email marketing tools. 

Here’s why you might consider using Gmail for an email blast:

• Widespread use: As discussed, Gmail is one of the most popular email platforms globally. This means that a significant portion of your audience likely uses Gmail, making it a convenient choice for reaching them.
• Free and easy to use: Gmail is free for personal use and offers an intuitive, user-friendly interface. If you’re already familiar with it, sending an email blast doesn’t require a steep learning curve.
• Google Workspace features: For businesses, Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) offers added benefits, like increased storage, advanced security, and administrative control. If you’re already subscribed to Google Workspace, sending an email blast becomes even more convenient.
• Simple integration: Gmail integrates well with other Google apps, like Google Contacts, Google Sheets, and Google Drive. This makes it easier to manage your contacts, track email responses, and share content directly through the platform.
• Cost-effective: Gmail provides a low-cost solution–free if you’re using Gmail for personal use and starting $6 for Google Workspace users–making it ideal if you’re just starting with email marketing and don’t want to invest in specialized tools. You can send various promotional or informational emails without paying for expensive email marketing software.
• Personalized touch: With Google Workspace, you can integrate with third-party tools like Yet Another Mail Merge (YAMM) or Mail Merge with attachments, which enhance Gmail’s personalization features. These integrations enable you to send personalized, targeted messages to a larger list while making it feel as though each message was written specifically for the recipient.

However, while Gmail offers many benefits, it’s important to be mindful of its limitations, like sending limits and lack of automation features, which might become more challenging as your email marketing needs grow. (We’ll take a look at these limitations later in our guide!)

How to send an email blast in Gmail

You’ve likely sent individual emails through Gmail before. Sending an email blast follows a similar process but with a few added steps to manage multiple recipients. Let’s break it down for you.

Step 1: Create multiple Gmail accounts (optional)

Gmail has a daily sending limit, which can be restrictive if you plan to send a lot of emails. If you want to stay within the free Gmail tier but send more emails than your account allows, creating multiple Gmail accounts can be a solution.

Keep in mind, though, that Google might suspend accounts if they notice suspicious activity. No matter how many accounts you use, always follow Gmail’s guidelines and best practices.

Step 2: Add your contacts

If you’ll be sending emails to the same group often, organizing your contacts in Gmail will make things easier. You can add contacts manually or by importing them.

• Manually: Go to Gmail and click the Google Apps icon at the top right. Select Google Contacts, then click Create Contact. Add the contact’s details, such as name, company, or birthday.

• Importing: If you have a list of contacts, import them via vCard or CSV files. After importing, Gmail will show any duplicates so you can clean up your list before finalizing.

Step 3: Organize your contacts with labels

To make it easier to send mass emails to specific groups, you can use labels in Gmail. This will help you organize your contacts by category—like projects, interests, or client groups.

On the Contacts page, click Create label on the left. Name your label, then assign it to contacts using the three-dot menu. 

To apply a label to multiple contacts, select them and use the Manage labels icon.

Step 4: Compose your email

Now that your contacts are ready, it’s time to write the email. Click on Compose in Gmail. Add the subject line and write the body of your message in the small window that pops up.

You can also customize your email by using the formatting tools next to the Send button. This includes adding attachments, images, or even emojis to make your email stand out.

Alternatively, you can start composing emails directly from the Send email button on the Contacts page after selecting your recipients.

Step 5: Add recipients and hit send

The last step is entering your recipients. You can either paste the email addresses into the To field or type in the label name you assigned earlier.

To test your email, send it to yourself first. This lets you check how the email looks before sending it to everyone.

Once everything looks good, click Send to deliver the email instantly. To schedule it, click the arrow next to the Send button and choose Schedule Send.

And that’s it! You’ve just sent your email blast using Gmail. Remember Gmail’s sending limits (500 recipients per day for free accounts and 2,000 recipients per day for Google Workspace users),and comply with email best practices to avoid your emails getting flagged as spam.

How to send an email blast in Gmail without showing addresses

When sending email blasts, keep your recipients’ email addresses private. This prevents others from seeing the contacts and ensures their privacy. In Gmail, this is simple to do using the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field. Here’s how you can set it up:

Start by clicking the Compose button to create a new email.

Next, instead of adding recipients in the TO field, place them in the BCC field.

Once you’ve pasted the email addresses into the BCC field, double-check everything. Ensure no email addresses are accidentally placed in the TO or CC fields.

Once everything looks good, click Send to send your email while keeping all recipients hidden. This way, your email blast goes out without exposing anyone’s contact details.

How to send an email blast in Gmail using the BCC field and labels

If you want to send an email blast without exposing your recipients’ email addresses, Gmail labels can help. It’s a simple process that saves you time, especially when you don’t want to add each email address manually.

The steps for using the BCC field are similar to those in the previous section. The main difference is in how you add your recipients.

Instead of pasting individual addresses into the BCC field, simply enter the label name you’ve created for your group. Gmail will automatically send the email to all the addresses under that label.

How to send an email blast in Gmail using spreadsheets

When sending out email blasts, it’s natural to wonder if you can use a spreadsheet to streamline the process. Google Sheets and Excel are great tools for storing large contact lists and additional information. 

The best part? You can even personalize emails using data from the spreadsheet. Pretty cool, right?

Here’s how you can set it up:

Step 1: Get the Mail Merge template

Start by creating a copy of a Gmail/Sheets Mail Mergetemplate with an attached script that links Gmail and Google Sheets for mail merge.

Step 2: Prepare your spreadsheet

• Once you’ve made a copy, the spreadsheet will open with sample data. Delete the sample data and adjust the column names to fit your needs. 
• Leave the Recipient and Email Sent columns unchanged—the Mail Merge script requires these to track email sends.
• In the Recipient column, add your recipients’ email addresses. The Email Sent column will automatically update when an email is sent.

Step 3: Add personalized details

Now, enter the recipient details that you want to personalize like names, dates, or custom fields row by row. 

Step 4: Compose your email

• Next, create your email. In the body of your email, insert double curly brackets to represent the data fields you want to pull from the spreadsheet. For example: {{First Name}}, {{Price}}.
• Make sure to use {{Recipient}} in the TO field. You can also use curly brackets in the subject line to personalize it.

Step 5: Run the Mail Merge script

• Once your email is ready, don’t click Send. Instead, copy the subject line and return to your spreadsheet. 
• At the top, you’ll see an option called Mail Merge. Click on it, then choose Send Emails.
• At this point, the script will ask for your permission to run. Don’t worry—this is a security step, and Google provides the script. 

Step 6: Send your emails

• After granting permission, click Send Emails again, paste your email’s subject line, and click OK.
• The script will now run and send out your email blast. You can double-check the Email Sent column to see which emails have been successfully sent.

Optional customizations

If you want to tweak the Mail Merge script further, go to Extensions > Apps Script. From here, you can adjust things like the sender’s name, set a no-reply email, change the BCC or CC fields, or even attach files.

With that, you’re ready to send personalized email blasts in Gmail like a pro!

Best practices for sending an email blast in Gmail

When sending email blasts or commercial emails, follow best practices that protect both your reputation and your recipient’s inbox. This means staying compliant with local regulations, respecting Gmail’s policies, and ensuring your messages are valuable to your audience. 

Here’s what you should know:

1. Get consent before sending

Before sending marketing emails, always get explicit consent from your recipients. In many countries, it’s required by law to allow customers to opt in or subscribe to your email list. Ensure you provide a simple way for them to sign up and confirm their interest. 

Additionally, remember that customers must be able to unsubscribe easily. Mail merge tools make it easy to include an unsubscribe option in bulk emails.

Pro tip: Use a double opt-in process to confirm your recipients want to hear from you. This ensures higher-quality leads and reduces the chances of unsubscribes.

2. Always follow spam laws

Most countries require commercial emails to identify the sender, and this includes providing essential business information. 

If you’re using Gmail as part of Google Workspace, you can customize the footer of your emails to include necessary details like:

• Your business name
• Your business address
• A contact phone number

This ensures recipients know who’s contacting them and how to contact them.

3. Avoid deceptive practices

Honesty and transparency are key when building trust with your audience. Never try to deceive your recipients, as this goes against Gmail’s policy. Avoid using clickbait, misleading phrases, or hidden intent behind your email. Make sure your subject line and content align with the message you’re sending.

4. Make unsubscribing easy

Another critical best practice is making it simple for recipients to unsubscribe from your emails if they no longer want to receive them. Always include an unsubscribe option in the footer of your email.

Gmail’s mail merge feature includes a built-in unsubscribe option, which makes compliance easier. 

However, remember that certain kinds of emails, like order confirmations or receipts, don’t require an unsubscribe option.

5. Craft a clear and engaging message

Your subject line and email content should be clear and to the point. Avoid jargon or overly complex phrases. Be sure to include a clear call-to-action (CTA) so recipients know what to do next – whether it’s to visit your site, make a purchase, or sign up for a webinar.

Also, be mindful of the links and buttons you include in your emails. Ensure they accurately describe what the recipient can expect when they click on them. 

Pro tip: Use segmentation to send more relevant messages. Tailor the subject lines and content based on your audience’s preferences and behaviors.

6. Set expectations for email frequency

One of the quickest ways to lose subscribers is sending too many emails. If your audience finds your emails irrelevant or excessive, they may unsubscribe or mark them as spam. To avoid this, you should:

• Set clear expectations about how often you will send emails.
• Let your subscribers know what type of content they can expect.
• Ensure that the frequency is in line with what your audience finds acceptable.

Offer recipients the option to control their email preferences. For example, you could give them the option to choose between daily, weekly, or monthly emails.

By sticking to these best practices, you’ll improve the effectiveness of your email campaigns while keeping your recipients happy and engaged.

Are there any possible limitations when sending an email blast in Gmail?

While Gmail is a great free tool for personal use, it has restrictions that could impact your email blast efforts. Let’s go over what you should be aware of.

1. Daily email sending limits

With a standard Gmail account, you’re limited to sending only 500 emails per day. 

While this might be personal use or small-scale communication, it’s not ideal for businesses with larger email lists. 

For example, if you’re running a small business with a few hundred customers and want to send a monthly newsletter, this might be fine. However, you’ll quickly hit this limit if you need to send out promotions to a more extensive customer base or manage a growing email list.

Upgrading to Google Workspace might help to some extent. Google Workspace comes with a host of enterprise-level features and allows up to 2,000 recipients per email, making it more suitable for larger lists.

2. Risk of poor deliverability

One of the biggest challenges of using Gmail for email blasts is the risk of poor deliverability. Gmail is quite sensitive to cold email senders. Violating Gmail’s sending rules or hitting your sending limits with a new account could lead to issues.

Your emails might land in spam folders, or worse, your account could be temporarily suspended. This can significantly hurt your email campaign, especially if you’re trying to reach a larger audience.

3. Limited personalization

While Gmail does allow for some personalization through tools like Mail Merge, it falls short compared to dedicated email marketing tools. Personalization options like dynamic content, segmentation, and advanced custom fields are much more limited in Gmail. 

So, if you need highly tailored messages for different groups, you might want to explore other options.

4. Basic scheduling and automation

If you’re running a promotional campaign where users must receive a series of emails (e.g., a welcome series, then a discount offer, and later a follow-up),Gmail cannot manage this process without manual intervention.

Gmail offers very basic scheduling options for email blasts and doesn’t support complex automation. 

If you’re looking for advanced scheduling features, such as drip campaigns or automated follow-ups, you might find using Gmail a bit restrictive.

5. No tracking or analytics

Once you send an email using Gmail, tracking its performance is challenging. Gmail doesn’t offer any built-in tools for tracking open rates, click-through rates, or overall engagement. You won’t know if your emails are landing in inboxes, being opened, or if recipients are clicking on your links. 

Without this data, it’s difficult to gauge your campaigns’ performance or where you need to improve.

6. Limited design options

While Gmail allows you to send basic HTML emails, designing visually engaging emails can be tricky. 

You can create simple email layouts and add a few call-to-action buttons, but anything beyond that will be challenging to achieve within Gmail’s interface. 

If you need more polished or branded email designs, third-party design tools can help likeCanvaoffer customizable email templates. These can be integrated with Gmail via Google Workspace. 

Is there an alternative to sending email blasts with Gmail?

Although it’s an incredibly convenient tool for email communication, Gmail has several limitations when it comes to sending email blasts—such as daily sending limits, deliverability risks, lack of automation, and minimal email tracking capabilities. 

This is where Hiver, a customer service solution built for Google Workspace, steps in. Hiver effectively addresses many of these challenges, offering a more robust way to manage email blasts and streamline workflows. Here’s how it overcomes Gmail’s shortcomings:

1. Manage bulk emails with ease

Hiver’s Bulk Action feature lets you tackle multiple emails at once—no more wasting time handling them one by one. You can:

• Assign emails to team members: If you’re handling a high volume of responses to an email blast, Hiver lets you quickly assign follow-ups to relevant team members.
• Change statuses in bulk: You can mark emails as Open, Closed, or Pending in seconds to stay organized.
• Tag emails for easy sorting: Hiver lets you group emails into categories like “Leads” or “Follow-ups” to simplify tracking.

2. Keep emails organized with tags

 Hiver makes tagging emails effortless. You can:

• Create custom tags for specific campaigns or workflows.
• Use views to filter and sort emails based on predefined criteria to always target the right emails with bulk actions.
• Color-code tags to make it easier to visually sort and prioritize emails.
• Add or remove tags from multiple emails at once, saving time and ensuring consistency.
• Quickly locate emails based on tags, enabling faster access to important conversations and follow-ups.
• Ensure all team members can access the same tags, streamlining collaboration and reducing miscommunication.

3. Bypass sending limits

Gmail caps you at 500 emails per day (or 2,000 with Workspace),but you can integrate Hiver with email marketing tools that scale to your needs—perfect for larger campaigns.

4. Track performance like a pro

Sending bulk emails is one thing, but how do you know if they’re effective? With Hiver’s built-in analytics, you can track key metrics like open rates, response times, and team performance, ensuring your emails hit the mark and your team stays on top of their game.

For advanced metrics such as click-through rates and in-depth campaign analysis, Hiver can be seamlessly integrated with dedicated email marketing tools, providing a comprehensive solution for managing and optimizing your email campaigns.

5. Create branded and polished emails

Need beautifully designed emails? Hiver supports customizable templates that save time and ensure consistent branding. With Hiver, you can create, save, and reuse templates for quick responses, streamlining repetitive tasks. You can also add images, videos, PDFs, and documents to your templates for richer content. These templates can be shared across teams, promoting uniformity and professionalism in communication.

6. Automate tedious tasks

Let’s be honest, managing bulk emails can get tedious pretty quick. Automating grunt work can be a savior in such cases, but Gmail doesn’t offer much help on this front. Here’s where Hiver steps in to save the day–again! With Hiver’s automation features, you can:

• Auto-assign emails to team members based on predefined rules, ensuring faster responses.
• Use templates to quickly send standardized replies for bulk messages, reducing manual effort.
• Apply tags automatically based on conditions you set, keeping email organization efficient.

7. Simplify team collaboration

Ever wished there was an easier way to collaborate with your team members on crafting the messaging for your email blast? Hiver turns Gmail into a shared inbox where your team can work together to create the perfect emails without messy forwards and CCs. With it you can:

• Leave internal notes on emails to provide context without needing separate chat tools.
• Ensure everyone’s on the same page with shared visibility.

8. Seamlessly integrate with your favorite tools

Imagine connecting your email campaigns with tools you already rely on—without breaking a sweat. That’s exactly what Hiver does. It integrates with CRM systems and tools like Zapier, making it super easy to hook up popular email marketing platforms like Mailchimp and ActiveCampaign. You can automate workflows, sync contact lists, and run bulk email campaigns seamlessly—all without juggling multiple platforms or losing track of your outreach.

Send and manage your email blasts easily

Email blasts can feel a bit overwhelming, especially when using Gmail or any other tool. After all, no one wants to risk errors when reaching out to hundreds—or even thousands of email recipients. 

But don’t worry—guides like this one make it simple! With the right tools and tips, you’ll get the hang of sending email blasts in Gmail and managing your email marketing campaigns like a pro.

If you’re looking to level up your email marketing, platforms like Hiver can help streamline the process with advanced features, automation, and seamless team collaboration.

Ready to send your next email blast with ease? Sign up for Hiver today—it’s free and easy!

*1.8 billion users worldwide