Curious how a single dashboard can take you from zero to your first campaign in under an hour? This guide gives you a clear path to sign up, explore the dashboard tour, and launch a working campaign with confidence.
You’ll start with a free trial that unlocks premium features without a credit card. After confirming your address you can add company details, import contacts, and follow a quickstart checklist that highlights audience building and sending your first message.
The dashboard’s Quick Actions and checklist turn setup into a practical workflow: create newsletters, build forms and landing pages, and add autoresponders. Live chat support and on-platform resources keep help within reach as you learn.
This short guide focuses on the essentials you should explore first—templates, forms, and audience tools—so you gain momentum and avoid common slowdowns. By prioritizing these key areas, you can streamline your setup process and enhance your marketing efforts. Additionally, for those new to email marketing, the GetResponse form builder for beginners offers an intuitive interface that simplifies the creation of impactful forms. This tool will empower you to effectively engage your audience and increase your conversion rates right from the start.
Key Takeaways
- Sign up grants a free trial with premium features and a welcoming dashboard tour.
- Follow the quickstart checklist to import contacts and send your first message fast.
- Use Quick Actions to build templates, forms, and landing pages efficiently.
- Rely on live chat and on-platform resources when you encounter friction.
- Focus on repeatable steps to move from single campaigns to automated workflows.
Why this GetResponse tutorial matters for beginners in the United States
This guide focuses on three things that compound fastest: build an audience, send value-driven messages, and keep a steady cadence.
The onboarding tour highlights audience building, sending messages, and store promotion. The quickstart checklist walks you through importing contacts, creating your first message, and welcoming new subscribers.
Live chat support is responsive — testers note a helpful chatbot and in-session help so you keep momentum when a setup question appears.
- The central dashboard groups services like newsletters, forms, and landing pages to reduce context-switching.
- Clear data and information practices help U.S. users collect only the fields they need to stay compliant.
- You’ll find where tutorials and in-app guidance live, letting you self-serve answers fast.
| Onboarding Item | What it does | Why it matters | Expected time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Audience setup | Import contacts & map fields | Build segmentation-ready lists | 10–20 min |
| First message | Create & send a welcome | Starts engagement and feedback loops | 15–30 min |
| Quick Actions | Launch forms, popups, landing pages | Lower friction; faster testing | 5–15 min |
To learn more about ownership and platform background, see this overview and review.
Sign up and set up your GetResponse account from scratch
Open the GetResponse homepage, enter your email address, and click Create a free account to start a no-credit-card free trial that unlocks premium tools.
Check your inbox and click the confirmation link. This verification protects your account and establishes a verified sender identity.
Provide company and location details
After verification, add required country and address details. You can also add an optional company name and phone number to tailor regional recommendations.
Save initial settings to save time later
Follow the welcome flow or skip to the dashboard. Then set a default From name and From address so messages stay consistent with your brand.
- Record preferred sender identities now if you’ll manage multiple domains later.
- Set your time zone and measurement preferences so scheduling and reports match local time.
- Create a clear naming convention for lists and assets to reduce confusion as your library grows.
Review the quickstart checklist to see the next steps and avoid repeating tasks as you proceed through this tutorial.
Navigating your GetResponse dashboard like a pro
Your control panel puts day-to-day tools front and center so you spend less time searching and more time executing. The dashboard uses Quick Actions to surface the tools you need to build and run campaigns quickly.
Quick Actions: one-click access to core tasks
Use Quick Actions to launch newsletters, forms and popups, landing pages, add contacts, or set up autoresponders without digging through menus. This saves clicks and reduces setup friction.
Customize your homepage to match your workflow
You can reorder, add, or remove widgets so frequent items sit at the top. The quickstart checklist appears in the bottom-right to guide importing contacts, composing your first email, and sending a welcome message.
Tips and Tricks: concise learning inside the app
Explore embedded video lessons and help-center resources that show steps in context. Compact tutorials answer common questions while you work, keeping you focused.
Live chat support and getting unstuck fast
When a setting or step is unclear, open live chat. The responsive chatbot and agents help you resolve issues in real time so you keep momentum. Track any changes to settings and capture basic data so your team can replicate configurations.
- Create a quick dashboard habit: check top actions and set a single goal before leaving the app.
- Document changed settings like default sender and time zone so results are consistent.
Build your first contact list and organize your audience
Start by organizing contacts into a single, searchable list that matches how you plan to run campaigns.
Navigate to Contacts and click “Create list.” Choose a clear, descriptive name that encodes source or intent like US-Newsletter-2025. A consistent taxonomy makes reporting and segmentation faster later.
Create a list with a clear, searchable name
Pick names that are short and searchable. Include date, source, or purpose so team members can find the right list quickly.
Upload methods: one-by-one, CSV file, integrations, and signup forms
Add contacts manually for small batches. Use CSV upload for bulk imports from Excel or Google Sheets. You can also sync via integrations like WordPress or Shopify, or capture subscribers from signup forms and popups.
CSV prep: email address only vs. richer data
If you use CSV, clean columns and follow the in-window CSV formatting guide provided by getresponse to avoid import errors. You may upload just an email address or include first name, last name, and company to enable personalization later.
- Import only opted-in contacts to protect deliverability and sender reputation.
- Spot-check a few records after import to confirm data and field details.
Map fields and set up personalization that powers better campaigns
Correct field mapping turns raw lists into usable audience attributes you can trust.
After you upload a CSV, align each column to the matching platform field. Make sure first name maps to first name, email to email, and company to company.
Accurate field mapping for names, addresses, and company
During import, map first name, last name, company, and email carefully. This prevents data pollution and keeps audience attributes accurate when you segment later.
Segmentation foundations for future targeting
Start with simple segments like source list or product interest. Use merge tags for first name in subject lines and the preheader to boost opens without harming deliverability.
- Verify key attributes before using dynamic design blocks so content renders correctly.
- Save preferred field settings to speed repeat imports and keep your data model consistent.
- Run periodic hygiene checks for missing values or malformed addresses to protect reporting accuracy.
Tip: If you want a quick walk-through on how to send an email, see this how to send an email guide that pairs well with these settings.
GetResponse email marketing tutorial for beginners: create your first campaign
Begin the creation flow in Email Marketing by clicking Create newsletter. You’ll choose a path: build from scratch, customize a template with the drag-and-drop editor, or try the AI email generator for fast ideation.
Choose your creation path
Start from scratch when you want full control. Pick a template to speed up visual design.
The AI email generator can spark copy ideas and layout suggestions. Note that the free trial limits AI use to three sessions, which is useful for initial inspiration but not long-term reliance.
Sender settings, subject, and preview
Set a consistent From and Reply-to email address so recipients recognize you. Craft a concise subject line that clearly states the value of your first email.
Design options and testing
Browse 150+ templates, or switch to HTML when you need pixel-perfect control. Use the drag-and-drop editor to add images, buttons, and social links while keeping brand colors and typography.
- Send test messages to multiple inboxes to check rendering.
- Select recipients, schedule delivery, and save the layout as a reusable template.
Send with confidence: testing, scheduling, and timing
Confirm rendering and timing so your campaign reaches the right people at the right hour. Run a final check that covers layout, links, and the send window before you schedule.
Send test emails and inbox previews
Always send tests to multiple inboxes to confirm formatting on desktop and mobile.
Use inbox previews to spot truncated headlines, broken images, and CTAs that fall below the fold.
Schedule by date and time for your audience
Pick a specific date and time that matches your audience routine and your local time zone settings.
- Send tests to varied providers before scheduling your first email campaign.
- Finish scheduling from the final confirmation step—don’t leave the draft open on the homepage.
- Verify subject clarity, sender name, reply address, footer and unsubscribe links as a QA gate.
- Start with a conservative send window and keep content focused on one primary outcome.
- Include a short plain-text version to aid deliverability and reader preference.
Measure what matters: analyze, learn, and improve
Start by turning numbers into decisions: review core delivery and engagement signals after your first send. The dashboard and quickstart checklist track outcomes from actions like importing contacts and creating your first message.
Key metrics to watch on your first newsletter
Look at delivery rate, opens, clicks, and unsubscribes to understand end-to-end performance.
- Compare engagement by segment or list source to spot your best audiences.
- Use link-level click data to see which content drives action.
- Track time-based patterns to find peak engagement windows.
Turn insights into better content, design, and send times
If a campaign underperforms, consult platform resources, video guides, and tutorials to diagnose causes like subject relevance or design clarity.
Build a simple testing roadmap: change one variable at a time—headline, hero image, or CTA—then document outcomes and hypotheses in a shared space.
Use services like live chat to validate interpretations and plan the next test. Over time, small, measured wins compound into reliably better campaigns.
Tools, tutorials, and resources to keep leveling up
A compact learning hub sits inside the app and surfaces quick videos and step-by-step guides when you need them.
On-platform help: videos, help center, and checklist
Use the Tips and Tricks area for short how-to clips and focused tutorials. These solve common roadblocks right where you work.
The quickstart checklist highlights essential things: importing contacts, creating your first message, and welcoming new subscribers. Follow it to keep progress steady.
When to use live chat vs. self-serve guides
Default to self-serve articles and videos when you’re exploring a feature or estimating setup time. They show exact UI flows and save trial-and-error.
If you hit a blocker, open live chat via the chatbot for rapid troubleshooting. Use agents to confirm settings or resolve delivery and compliance questions.
- Keep a team playbook of favorite guides to speed onboarding across your business.
- Consult tutorials before adding new services so you can map dependencies and time estimates.
- Revisit a getresponse tutorial when shifting creation methods to reduce mistakes.
Conclusion
, Wrap up by standardizing your sender name and list naming so recipients recognize you fast.
Confirm company and address details, test your first email, and schedule the campaign at a time your audience checks their inbox. Keep each send focused on one clear outcome.
After each send, make one small improvement — a sharper subject line or a clearer CTA — and save the layout that worked as a reusable newsletter template.
Use this getresponse tutorial and in-app help when you adopt new features. Measure opens, clicks, and list growth so every campaign teaches you something useful.