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# Listmonk: Self-Hosted Newsletter & Mailing List Manager

Listmonk is a powerful, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager. It gives you complete control over your email campaigns, subscriber data, and messaging without relying on third-party services that might have restrictive terms, high costs, or data privacy concerns. It's ideal for building and engaging with your community.

## Key Features

- Subscriber Management: Import, organize, and segment your subscriber lists.
- Campaign Creation: Design and send email campaigns using rich text or plain Markdown.
- Templating: Create reusable email templates for consistent branding.
- Analytics: Track campaign performance with metrics like open rates, click-through rates, etc.
- Double Opt-In: Ensure compliance and list quality with double opt-in mechanisms.
- Self-Hosted: Full ownership of your data and infrastructure.
- API Access: Integrate Listmonk with other systems programmatically.
- Multi-lingual: Supports multiple languages.

## Getting Started with Listmonk

### Accessing Listmonk

1. URL: Access Listmonk locally via `http://localhost:9000/` (or your configured external URL).
2. Login: You will need to log in with the administrator credentials you configured during the Changemaker setup or the first time you accessed Listmonk.

### Basic Workflow

1. Configure Mail Settings (Important First Step):

   - After logging in for the first time, navigate to Settings > SMTP.
   - You MUST configure an SMTP server for Listmonk to be able to send emails. This could be a transactional email service (like SendGrid, Mailgun, Amazon SES - some offer free tiers) or your own mail server.
   - Enter the SMTP host, port, username, and password for your chosen email provider.
   - Send a test email from Listmonk to verify the settings.

2. Create a Mailing List:

   - Go to Lists and click "New List".
   - Give your list a name (e.g., "Monthly Newsletter Subscribers"), a description, and choose its type (public or private).
   - Set opt-in preferences (single or double opt-in).

3. Import Subscribers:

   - Go to Subscribers.
   - You can add subscribers manually or import them from a CSV file.
   - Ensure you have consent from your subscribers before adding them.
   - Map CSV columns to Listmonk fields (email, name, etc.).

4. Create an Email Template (Optional but Recommended):

   - Go to Templates and click "New Template".
   - Design a reusable HTML or Markdown template for your emails to maintain consistent branding.
   - Use template variables (e.g., `{{ .Subscriber.Email }}`, `{{ .Subscriber.Name }}`) to personalize emails.

5. Create and Send a Campaign:

   - Go to Campaigns and click "New Campaign".
   - Name: Give your campaign a descriptive name.
   - Subject: Write a compelling email subject line.
   - Lists: Select the mailing list(s) to send the campaign to.
   - Content: Write your email content. You can choose:
     - Rich Text Editor: A WYSIWYG editor.
     - Plain Text + Markdown: Write in Markdown for simplicity and version control friendliness.
     - Use a Template: Select one of your pre-designed templates and fill in the content areas.
   - Send Test Email: Always send a test email to yourself or a small group to check formatting and links before sending to your entire list.
   - Schedule or Send: You can schedule the campaign to be sent at a later time or send it immediately.

6. Analyze Campaign Performance:

   - After a campaign is sent, go to Campaigns, click on the campaign name, and view its statistics (sent, opened, clicked, etc.).

## Further Information

For comprehensive details on all Listmonk features, advanced configurations (like bounce handling, API usage), and troubleshooting, please consult the official Listmonk Documentation.