Features

Unwrap New A.I. Features in Direct Mail 7.8

Just in time for your holiday email campaigns, Direct Mail version 7.8 delivers a host of helpful A.I.-powered improvements that we hope you will love. Check out what’s under the tree:

A.I. Subject Line Suggestions

Engaging subject lines help your email stand out in a crowded inbox and make a huge difference in boosting open rates, but writing good subject lines is hard! Our new Suggest Subject feature reads your email and suggests a variety of different options for you to choose from (or further edit yourself). Our A.I. assistant has analyzed millions of email campaigns and is an expert in what makes a good subject line. Give it a try by choosing Optimize > Suggest Subject… from the toolbar.

Eagle-eyed readers will have spotted the Suggest Preview Text feature, as well. Preview Text (or a “pre-header”) is the short snippet of text that appears under or next to the subject line in your recipient’s inbox. It represents another opportunity to entice your recipient to open the email. The Suggest feature can give you great ideas for what to put in this space.

A.I. Proofreading

Ever wished for a second set of eyes to proofread your campaign before sending it out? Our Suggest Content Improvements feature reads your message and suggests ways it could be better. For example, it can catch spelling and grammatical mistakes, factual errors, and suggest adjustments to the tone or content of your message. As always, you stay in control and can accept or reject the various edits that are proposed.

Automatic Image Descriptions

The images that you use in your email can carry with them text descriptions, although most people usually forget to add them (we get it—it’s one more thing to remember!). However, there are some important benefits to adding in those descriptions:

  • Blind or low-vision users often use screen-reading technology (like VoiceOver) to read their email. When a screen reader encounters an image with a description, it can read it to the user instead of leaving them guessing at what the image is.
  • Some email clients do not display images by default for privacy, corporate policy, or data usage reasons. Text descriptions help your recipient understand the email even if the image is blocked.
  • Some spam filters look for “red flags” to identify junk mail—like large images without any descriptions. Accurate descriptions lend credibility to your message and signal that you are a responsible sender.

In Direct Mail 7.8, you can now generate descriptions for your images with just one click. Select your image, then click the “Suggest” button in the inspector. An A.I. model analyzes the image and comes up with a concise description in just a few seconds.

Image Playground

Apple’s Image Playground is an A.I. feature available on newer Macs that lets you to instantly create playful, stylized illustrations and graphics based on simple text prompts or photos from your library. It can be a fun and effective way to quickly create unique, copyright-free images—such as a custom caricature of your team or thematic graphics—that add a human, creative touch to your newsletter without the cost or time required for professional design.

To use Image Playground, select an image or image placeholder in your email, then click the “…” button in the inspector and choose “Image Playground”.

Holiday-Themed Templates

Just in time for the season, we’ve added a handful of new Christmas- and Holiday-themed templates to Direct Mail. Check them out under the Seasonal section of the template browser.

Anything Else?

Yes! This update also squashes several annoying bugs and brings other quality-of-life improvements. Check out the release notes for more information.

How to Update

Updating to Direct Mail 7.8 is free and easy-to-do. In fact, in most cases you won’t have to do anything. Your copy of Direct Mail should automatically update itself over the next few days. If you’d like to get the update right away, just choose Direct Mail > Check for Software Update from the menu bar at the top of your screen.

Thank you for being our valued customer and thank you for the great feedback you have sent us—please send more! It has been a wonderful year and we look forward to good things in 2026. Our sincere hope is that you have a wonderful Christmas and holiday season! See you next year!

by Jonathan in Announcements, Features

Announcing WooCommerce Integration

We’re excited to share that starting today, Direct Mail includes built-in support for WooCommerce!

If you run your online store on WooCommerce, you can now seamlessly connect it to Direct Mail and put your customer data to work. No more exporting spreadsheets or juggling multiple tools—Direct Mail makes it easy to bring your store and your email marketing together, right from your Mac.

Why WooCommerce + Direct Mail?

  • Sync Customers Effortlessly: Import your WooCommerce customers directly into your Direct Mail mailing lists.
  • Better Targeting: Alongside names and email addresses, Direct Mail also imports valuable purchase data, like number of orders, order totals, and SKUs. This makes it simple to segment your list and send more personalized, effective campaigns.
  • Access Product Images: Building newsletters just got easier—browse your WooCommerce product photo library from inside Direct Mail and drop images straight into your designs.
  • Stay Up to Date: Direct Mail can keep your customer list in sync automatically, so your campaigns always reach the right people.

How to Get Started

Getting set up takes just a few clicks:

  1. Open Direct Mail
  2. Go to the Contacts tab
  3. Click the “+” button in the toolbar and choose Import Contacts
  4. Select WooCommerce
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to connect your store and import your customers

That’s it! Once connected, your WooCommerce customers and product photos will be available to use in your email campaigns.

Available Today

WooCommerce integration is included in the latest update to Direct Mail, available now. Update today and start creating smarter, more beautiful campaigns powered by your WooCommerce store.

by Jonathan in Announcements, Features

Reach Inboxes at Just the Right Time(Zone)

Timing matters. Whether you’re sending a promotional email, a newsletter, or an important update, hitting your subscribers’ inboxes when they’re most likely to check email—like first thing in the morning—can make a big difference in open and click rates.

But what happens when your mailing list includes people across time zones? Scheduling your email for 9AM might work great for your East Coast subscribers, but it could land in the middle of the night for those on the West Coast… or way off the mark for your international audience.

That’s where time-zone delivery comes in.

Deliver at 9AM (Their Time), Not Yours

With time-zone delivery, you can schedule your message to arrive at the same local time—say, 9:00 AM—for everyone on your list, no matter where they live. It’s a great way to boost engagement and ensure your emails land at just the right moment, whether your audience is in New York, San Francisco, or Sydney.

How to Use Time-Zone Delivery in Direct Mail

To set up time-zone delivery:

  1. Click Send Campaign in the toolbar—the same as you would for a regular campaign
  2. In the window that appears, locate the Schedule settings
  3. Choose Send Later
  4. Select the time you want the campaign to send
  5. Instead of your local time zone, choose Recipient’s Time Zone

Click the Schedule button once you’re ready to send the campaign.

What to Expect During Delivery

When you use time-zone delivery, you’ll notice a few differences in the delivery of your campaign:

  • Because some of your recipients may be in time zones ahead of you, don’t be surprised if some emails are sent before the appointed time arrives in your own time zone.
  • Because some of your recipients may be in time zones that are much later than you, Direct Mail will not show the campaign as fully sent until up to 24 hours after the appointed time arrives in your own time zone.
  • Direct Mail learns the time zone of each recipient based on historical open- and click-tracking data. If no such data exists for a particular recipient, Direct Mail will deliver to them at the appointed time in your own time zone.

Time-zone delivery is a powerful way to make sure your emails show up when they’re most likely to be seen, no matter where your audience is located. It’s just one more way Direct Mail helps you send smarter, more effective campaigns with less effort. Give it a try on your next send and see the difference it can make!

by Jonathan in Features

Turn Emails Into Insights: Embedding Net Promoter Score Surveys

When was the last time you heard unfiltered, honest, and actionable feedback from your customers? That’s exactly what a Net Promoter Score (NPS) survey delivers. NPS is a simple yet powerful way to measure customer loyalty by asking one key question: “How likely are you to recommend our product or service to a friend or colleague?” The answers you receive can help you identify promoters who love your brand, detractors who might be at risk of churning, and everyone in between.

Embedding NPS surveys directly into your email campaigns is one of the most effective ways to collect this feedback. For starters, email is a direct and personal channel—perfect for engaging customers at key moments in their journey. NPS surveys are short, unobtrusive, and easy to respond to, which makes them a natural fit for email’s quick-scan format. Plus, by embedding the survey directly in the message, you reduce friction and increase response rates. The result is a steady stream of high-quality feedback you can use to improve your product, service, or customer experience.

How NPS Works

The Net Promoter Score (NPS) is based on a single, straightforward question: “How likely are you to recommend our product/service to a friend or colleague?” Respondents answer on a scale from 0 (not at all likely) to 10 (extremely likely). Based on their responses, customers are grouped into three categories:

  • Promoters (9–10): Loyal enthusiasts who are likely to recommend your brand and fuel growth.
  • Passives (7–8): Satisfied but unenthusiastic customers who could be swayed by competitors.
  • Detractors (0–6): Unhappy customers who may churn or share negative feedback.

To calculate your score, subtract the percentage of detractors from the percentage of promoters. The result is a number between -100 and 100. A positive score means you have more promoters than detractors—an encouraging sign of customer loyalty and satisfaction.

How to Add an NPS Survey to Your Email

Direct Mail makes it easy to add NPS surveys to your email campaigns. This is done by adding a “Poll” block to your message. In the message editor, click the Poll Block button in the toolbar:

Next, click where you’d like to place the poll:

By default, new polls include only two choices: 👍 and 👎…

…but we want to change that to a 0–10 rating scale. We could enter those numbers by hand, but let’s save time: click “Suggestions”, then choose “0–10”:

Your survey is now ready to send!

Calculating Your Net Promoter Score

Once your email is sent and recipients begin responding to the survey, your campaign report Summary tab will show the results:

In addition to a displaying a histogram of the survey results, Direct Mail calculates and displays the Net Promotor Score in the top-right corner of the tile.

If you’d like to dig into the details, switch over to the Polls tab of your campaign report. There you can see a list of how each recipient voted.

Acting on NPS Feedback

Collecting NPS data is only half the value—the real impact comes from how you respond. Detractors (those who score 0–6) are at risk of churning, leaving negative reviews, or spreading dissatisfaction. Instead of ignoring their feedback, use it as an opportunity to win them back:

  • Follow up personally. A quick, empathetic email or call asking for more detail shows you care and can help diffuse frustration.
  • Acknowledge their pain points. Even if you can’t solve the problem right away, let them know you’re listening and working on improvements.
  • Loop in your support or product team. Their feedback can help guide bug fixes, feature requests, or service improvements.
  • Offer a gesture of goodwill. In some cases, a discount, credit, or priority support may help repair the relationship.

Promoters (those who score 9–10) are your biggest fans and a powerful resource for growth:

  • Thank them. A simple thank-you message goes a long way in reinforcing their loyalty.
  • Ask for a review or testimonial. Now’s the perfect time to request a public review or case study.
  • Invite referrals. Encourage them to refer friends or colleagues, especially if you have a referral program.
  • Gather deeper insights. Ask what they love most—this can help shape future marketing or product messaging.

Incorporating Net Promoter Score surveys into your email marketing is a great way to meet your audience where they are and gain access to honest, high-quality feedback about your business. Whether it’s turning detractors into loyal customers or empowering promoters to amplify your brand, the insights you uncover from NPS can drive meaningful improvements and long-term growth. So don’t let valuable feedback slip through the cracks—start using NPS in your next campaign and turn every email into an opportunity to listen, learn, and improve.

by Jonathan in Features, In-Depth

How to Capture Subscriber Interests and Send Smarter Emails

Capturing your subscribers’ preferences when they sign up for your list can help you unlock valuable insights. Insights that let you send emails tailored to their interests, delivered at just the right time. These are the emails people can’t wait to open, read, and click on—boosting engagement, improving deliverability, and building a loyal audience.

Direct Mail’s email sign-up forms have been enhanced to make this a breeze. Let’s check it out!

by Jonathan in Features

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