How to send mass email in Gmail (Step-by-step guide)

In sales, fundraising, customer support, and other email-related processes, there are times when you want to send the same email to multiple Google Contacts at once and personalize it for each recipient. However, most solutions are either hard to use, require adopting a completely new platform, or lack a personal touch.

That's why we built a mail merge tool that integrates directly into your Gmail account and we offer a free version to every Gmail user.

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Streak's mail merge gives you the power to send dozens of personalized bulk emails in mass from right inside of Gmail. You can also create smart follow-up campaigns for each message to increase replies and engagement from your recipients.

What's required to start sending mass emails in Gmail?

The benefit of knowing how to send mass email in Gmail is that you're already working within a familiar platform. This helps you avoid additional time and budget spent learning how to navigate a new tool.

To get started with mail merge in Gmail, you'll just need to: 

1. Download the free Streak extension

The first step to learning how to send mass email in Gmail is to download the Streak browser extension.

Once you add the free extension, you'll instantly have a mail merge tool in your Gmail account and be able to start sending personalized mass emails to your contacts. 

Based on your browser type, you can get the free extension in the Chrome Web Store or the Mac App Store for Safari users (or click “Add to Safari/Chrome” at the top right of this window).

2. Prepare your recipient list

You'll need a list of email addresses from your Google contacts and the data you'll use to personalize each email. Some common data points used for personalizing a mass email are: 

• Recipients' names
• Their business name, if applicable
• General location for regional events, etc.
• The most recent product they bought
• How long they've been a customer
• How they found your product or service (lead source)

You can organize your list of email addresses and custom data points with:

• An existing Streak pipeline
• A new pipeline created with a CSV import
• Just a CSV file

Below is a step-by-step guide to sending your first mail merge.

How to send a personalized mass email in Gmail 

It only takes a few minutes to start sending mass emails and scheduling follow-up messages to increase your response rate.

Send a personalized mass email to recipients using a CSV file

If you're new to Streak or just want to use the mail merge functionality, you can quickly create a new pipeline with a CSV import or start your mail merge directly from a CSV file (like Google Sheets) without creating a pipeline first.

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All the file needs is a dedicated column for your recipients' email addresses, but you can also include columns for other variables to personalize your mass email within your Gmail account. 

Be sure to include a header row to name each column so you can identify which variables you're adding when you personalize your message.

To create a personalized mass email using a CSV file:

1. Compose a new email in Gmail.
2. Click on the “Mail Merge” link in the recipient's field.
3. Click the "Uploading a CSV" link.
4. Select a CSV file with your recipients' email addresses and data.
5. In the New Message compose window, type the message for your mass email.
6. Click the “Variables” button at the bottom of the compose window to add variables from your CSV file.
7. Scroll over each recipient in the Recipients tab to preview how the message will be personalized for them and to fix any errors.
8. Click "Start mail merge now" to send your mail merge immediately, or click "Send Later" to schedule your mail merge for a future time.

Send a personalized mass email to contacts in your Streak pipeline

If you have your Google contacts in a Streak pipeline, you've already completed the first step toward sending a mass email in Gmail. 

You'll be able to use the contacts in your pipeline for your recipient list and insert variables using any of the columns, including magic columns, in your pipelines. Once you send the message, Streak will track the mail merge in the recipient's contact page and automatically add the email to their box in your pipeline.

To create a personalized mass email from your pipeline:

1. Open a pipeline with all the email addresses of contacts you want to include in your mass email in Gmail.
2. Check off the boxes for each contact – or mark the checkbox for an entire stage – that you want to send bulk emails to.
3. Click the airplane icon at the top of your pipeline to start a mail merge with checked boxes.
4. Select “New mail merge”.
5. In the New Message compose window, type the message for your mass email.
6. Click the “Variables” button at the bottom of the compose window to add variables from contact fields and your box columns.
7. Scroll over each recipient in the Recipients tab to preview how the message will be personalized for them and fix any errors.
8. Click “Start mail merge now” to send your mail merge immediately, or click “Send Later” to schedule your mail merge for a future time.

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Manage mass email in Gmail with Streak

Whether you're doing email marketing, managing your sales process, or just want to be more organized and effective when you track and manage your leads, you need an efficient CRM system that provides powerful data and insights.

That's where Streak comes into play.

It's a step up from standard email service providers or a paid Google Workspace account.