How to Send a Newsletter for Municipalities: Step-by-Step Guide

Email newsletters are one of the most effective ways for municipalities to communicate with residents. From promoting local events and programs to sharing emergency updates and municipal decisions, newsletters help build transparency, trust, and engagement within your community.

This comprehensive guide will walk you through the entire process—from collecting emails to crafting high-performing content.

Email Marketing for Municipalities:

• Step 1: Build Your Email List
• Step 2: Choose the Right Email Tool
• Step 3: Plan Your Content
• Step 4: Create a Consistent Schedule
• Step 5: Design for Simplicity and Mobile

 

Step 1: Build Your Email List

Before you send anything, you need a list of recipients who want to hear from you. It’s not just a best practice—it’s the law in many places (like under CASL in Canada).

How to grow your list:

• Website opt-in form: Place a signup form prominently on your municipality’s homepage and service pages. Make the value clear: “Get updates on events, programs, and important notices.”
• Program registrations: Add a checkbox during registration for recreational programs, camps, or community events. It should clearly say, “I’d like to receive updates from the municipality.”
• Event signups: Collect emails at town hall meetings, public consultations, or community festivals.

 

 

Compliance tips:

• Never add people without permission.
• Always include an unsubscribe link in every email.
• Clearly state how often you’ll email and what kind of content they can expect.

 

Step 2: Choose the Right Email Tool

To send newsletters, you need an email marketing platform. It ensures email deliverability, enhances your design, and ensures compliance with privacy laws.

Popular tools municipalities use:

• Activity Messenger: Activity Messenger is built with municipalities and small towns in mind. It connects with your events, forms and registration systems and makes email design simple.
• Mailchimp: Mailchimp offers good templates and automation for general use.
• Constant Contact: Constant Contact is a popular with nonprofits and government, with support for surveys and event promotion.
• Brevo (formerly Sendinblue): Brevo is known for affordability and simple automation.

Key features to look for:

• Drag-and-drop editor
• List segmentation
• Scheduling and automation
• Analytics (open rate, click-through rate)
• Easy-to-use templates
• Contact syncing with your registration software
• Canva integration

Step 3: Plan Your Content

Now that you have an audience and a tool, it’s time to figure out what to send. If you already have a paper bulletin that goes out, you’ll just need to recreate it online and add a call to action.

Types of content to include:

• Upcoming events: Community picnics, holiday parades, movie nights in the park, etc.
• Important dates/reminders: Deadlines for tax payments, garbage collection changes, registration periods.
• Public notices: Road closures, construction updates, council decisions.
• Program highlights: New library programs, recreation classes, or senior services.
• Spotlights: Feature local volunteers, businesses, or community leaders.
• Emergency alerts: Extreme weather updates, boil water advisories, etc.
• Calls to action: Fill out a community survey, attend a meeting, or apply for a grant.

Step 4: Create a Consistent Schedule

Consistency builds trust. Your audience will come to expect and rely on your emails if you deliver them regularly.

Suggested schedules:

• Monthly: A roundup of everything coming up in the next month.
• Bi-weekly: Great for towns with a lot going on.
• Weekly (for larger cities): Shorter emails with more timely updates.

Avoid over-sending. If you’re unsure, start monthly and adjust based on feedback and engagement.

Special editions:

• Emergency or weather-related alerts (might want to switch to bulk SMS in some cases)
• Last-minute changes to events
• Election or budget announcements

Step 5: Design for Simplicity and Mobile

Up to 60% of emails are read on phones, so it’s essential to design with mobile in mind.

Design best practices:

• Keep it clean: Use white space and clear sections to guide the reader’s eye.
• Use headings: Break content into bite-sized blocks with descriptive headlines.
• Bullet points: Easier to scan than long paragraphs.
• One topic per section: Avoid info-dumps. Link out to full articles on your website if needed.
• Images: Include photos from recent events or graphics that match your town’s brand.
• Buttons: Use clear calls to action like “Register Now,” “View the Agenda,” or “Give Feedback.

Mailchimp Alternative for Municipalities

Cost-Effective Email Marketing for Municipalities

Pricing plays a big role when choosing an email marketing platform. This is especially true  for municipalities working with tight budgets and multiple needs. Having everything in a single tool is very important. That’s where Activity Messenger stands out as a more affordable and flexible solution.

Email Marketing Pricing Overview

Activity Messenger

• Flat pricing model: Your cost doesn’t increase as your email list grows—great for growing communities.
• All-in-one tool: It’s more than just email. You also get:
  • Online registration
  • Online surveys
  • Digital waivers
  • Ticketing for community events

• Municipality-friendly features: Designed with public service organizations in mind—no extra cost for features you actually need.

Traditional Platforms (e.g., Mailchimp, Constant Contact)

• Pricing is typically based on the number of subscribers.
• Tools like surveys, forms, or ticketing usually require separate platforms.
• Features aren’t tailored for municipal workflows

Why Municipalities and Small Towns Prefer Activity Messenger

• No contracts: You’re not locked into long-term commitments.
• Transparent pricing: No hidden fees
• User-friendly interface: Your team can send emails without needing advanced tech skills.
• Streamlined communication: Everything in one place. This is perfect for recreation departments, town halls, libraries and more.

Final Thoughts

Your residents are busy. A thoughtful, well-designed newsletter helps them feel connected to their community and updated on what all the city has to offer.

It doesn’t have to be perfect-just consistent, clear, and helpful. And with the right tool like Activity Messenger and Canva, sending a professional newsletter becomes a simple and fun task.