Guides · Updated 2026-10-15

How to start an email newsletter for a UK small business

An email list is the one audience a small business owns outright: no algorithm decides who sees it. For a trade, salon or shop it can be as simple as a short monthly email to past customers. This guide compares four tools for starting one, using prices read on each provider's pricing page on 15 October 2026, and sets out the UK rules on who you're allowed to email.

Affiliate note: the beehiiv link in this guide is an affiliate link. If you sign up through it, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. It doesn't change the comparison, and the other three tools are shown on the same terms. See how we make money.

The quick comparison

All four price in US dollars, so your card provider may add a currency fee.

Sources: Brevo pricing, Kit pricing, beehiiv pricing, Mailchimp pricing (UK page). Kit and beehiiv prices rise with subscriber numbers, and Mailchimp's with contacts.

Which one to start with

• You want to spend nothing for as long as possible: Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers, the most of the four. beehiiv's covers 2,500.
• You'll send more than a few hundred emails a day: Brevo's free plan allows 300 a day, so a single email to 1,000 customers won't fit in one day. Its Starter plan at $9 a month includes 5,000 emails a month.
• You want a newsletter that doubles as a simple website, with past issues online: beehiiv builds that in on the free plan. Removing beehiiv branding needs the Pro plan ($109 a month, or $95 billed yearly).
• You already use Shopify, Square or a booking app and want the email tool to connect to it: Mailchimp lists 300+ integrations (Brevo lists 150+), but its basic Free plan is pitched at businesses with fewer than 250 contacts.

For head-to-head detail, see Kit vs beehiiv, beehiiv vs Mailchimp, Brevo vs beehiiv, Brevo vs Mailchimp and our best email marketing tools list.

Who you're allowed to email

The UK rules on marketing emails are in regulation 22 of the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR). According to the ICO's guidance:

• You must not send marketing emails or texts to individuals unless they have specifically consented, for example by ticking an opt-in box.
• The exception, often called the soft opt-in, is your own existing customers: people who bought, or discussed buying, a similar product or service from you. You must have given them a simple way to opt out when you collected their details, and in every message.
• The soft opt-in doesn't cover prospective customers or new contacts, such as bought-in lists.
• Sole traders and some partnerships count as individuals, so the same rules apply when you email another tradesperson. Companies and LLPs can be emailed, but keep a "do not email" list of any that object.
• Every message must say who it's from and give a valid way to unsubscribe.

The ICO notes that this guidance is under review after the Data (Use and Access) Act, so check the page before you start.

Getting your first subscribers

• Past customers who didn't opt out: under the soft opt-in, you can email them about similar services, as long as you offered an opt-out when you took their details. From now on, add a line to your paperwork offering the opt-out, for example in the payment terms box of our free quote template.
• A sign-up form on your website: Kit's free plan includes unlimited landing pages and forms, and beehiiv's includes landing pages. Put a link in your email signature and your Google Business Profile too.
• At the end of a job: ask, and record the yes. A QR code on a card that goes to your sign-up form works well for salons and shops.

Don't import a list you've bought or scraped: the soft opt-in doesn't apply to it.

What to send

Short and useful beats long and polished. Some ideas that suit trades and local businesses:

• seasonal reminders (boiler services before winter, gutter clearing after autumn, a summer garden tidy)
• a recent job with before-and-after photos, with the customer's permission
• when you have gaps in your diary
• one practical tip, such as how to bleed a radiator or look after a new lawn

An AI assistant can draft the email from your notes. Try this prompt in ChatGPT or Claude:

Write a short monthly email for my [trade] business in [town] to past customers. Include: [one seasonal reminder], [one recent job], [when I have availability]. Friendly and plain, British English, under 150 words, with a clear way to book. No hype.

Check every claim before it goes out. There are more ready-made prompts in ChatGPT prompts for tradespeople.

FAQ

Is there a completely free email newsletter tool?

Yes. Kit's free plan covers up to 10,000 subscribers and beehiiv's up to 2,500. Brevo's free plan allows 300 emails a day. Mailchimp has a basic Free plan that it suggests for businesses with fewer than 250 contacts. Checked 15 October 2026.

Can I email my past customers without asking first?

Possibly, under the soft opt-in: if they bought, or discussed buying, a similar service from you and you gave them a way to opt out when you took their details and in every message. Otherwise you need their consent. See the ICO's guidance on electronic mail marketing.

Can I email other tradespeople about my services?

Sole traders and some partnerships are treated as individuals, so you need their consent or the soft opt-in. Limited companies and LLPs can be emailed, but keep a list of any that ask you to stop, the ICO says.

Are the prices in pounds?

No. All four pricing pages we read showed US dollars, so check the price in pounds at checkout.

How often should I send?

Often enough that people remember you, and not so often they unsubscribe. Monthly is a manageable start for most small businesses; send more only when you have something worth saying.