I would like a place for people to subscribe to receive email notifications when new posts are published.
1 Answers
Hi Kristen,
Excellent question. It's important to note that out of the box, WordPress does not include support for email subscriptions. In order for your visitors to receive email notifications whenever you publish a new post, you'll first need to choose an email subscription service (like Mailchimp or ConvertKit).
These services enable you to create an email list so you can send regular newsletters, in addition to your new posts.
Once you've selected an email provider, set up your account, then look for their WordPress subscription plugin. Most modern email providers these days include a WordPress plugin that enables you to easily add an email sign-up form to your website, usually as a widget.
The Jetpack plugin also includes a super-simple Subscription module that lets visitors to your site sign up to receive notifications of your latest posts and comments. You can't send email newsletters to that list, but your visitors will receive simple notifications whenever you publish new content on your site, inviting them to visit your site and read your latest post.
The Jetpack plugin is probably the easiest method for adding a subscription box to your website, and it doesn't require a subscription to an outside email newsletter service.
Hope this helps!