Free plans on Mailerlite Classic will be deactivated on February 1, 2024.
If you are using the free version of Mailerlite Classic right now, you have two choices: Upgrade to a paid plan to continue using Mailerlite Classic or migrate from Mailerlite Classic to New Mailerlite to keep your plan free.
At some point, I have a feeling Mailerlite will even make the paid Mailerlite Classic plans migrate to the New Mailerlite, so even if you’re on a paid plan, keep this blog post bookmarked.
Prepare the migration in Mailerlite Classic
Like every move, the migration will go more smoothly if you prepare it in an orderly fashion.
Here’s your checklist of things to do before you migrate:
- Clean up your subscriber list: If there’s enough time before you have to move to New Mailerlite, I suggest cleaning your list so you are not migrating inactive subscribers. Do a reengagement campaign and unsubscribe subscribers who remain inactive afterwards. To do that, go to “subscribers” and then click “clean up inactive.” You will see a list of subscribers who have received more than 10 emails from you (total) but haven’t opened any of them in at least 6 months. Now click the little arrow next to the “unsubscribe inactive” button (do not click the button itself!) and click “save as segment.” Then give that segment a name, e.g., “inactive subscribers.” Then you can send the people in that segment an email, asking them if they want to keep receiving your newsletter. Or you could create an automation with a series of reengagement emails. In the first email, ask them if they are still interested in hearing from you and have them click a button if they are. In the second email, sent to anyone who hasn’t open email 1, include a cool giveaway that gets people to click. In the third email, give them one last chance to stay on your list. Unsubscribe anyone who hasn’t clicked a link in any of your reengagement emails after a reasonable time.
- Export your subscribers: Your groups are supposed to migrate, but it’s a good idea to back them up anyway. Export the subscribers in each group as a CSV. To do that, go to “subscribers” in the menu bar, then click “groups,” and click on the first group you want to export. Click on “toggle columns” and select all the information about your subscribers that you wish to export. Click the little arrow above the list of names and emails and choose “select all” (NOT “select visible”). Click on the “export” button and then “export CSV.” It takes a minute to create a CSV file, which you can then download by clicking on the link. Rename that file with the group name. Then repeat the process for all of your other groups.
- Make a list of your segments: Segments won’t be migrated. Make a list of or take screenshots of your segments and how you created them so you can re-create them in the New Mailerlite. Caveat: Open rates and click rates won’t be migrated, so you will lose all segments based on subscriber behavior. If you have segments based on open rate, click-through-rate, time of inactivity, etc., create a group from that segment—since groups will be migrated. To do that, go to “subscribers” in the menu bar, then click on “segments.” Click on the segment you want to turn into a group. Above the list of email addresses, click on the little arrow and then “select all.” Click the “actions” button and then “add to group.” Enter the name of a new group, then click “add.” All the subscribers in that segment will now be part of a new group.
- Write down open & click-through rates: If you are interested in tracking performance data of your groups, forms, and automations: Write down the stats (open rates & click-through rates) of each group, of each of your automations, your landing pages and forms. That data won’t be migrated.
- Turn important campaigns into templates: Campaigns won’t migrate. If you have important campaigns you sent in the past that you might want to use as a template for future campaigns, save them as a template. To do that, go to the “campaigns” page and click “copy” next to the campaign. That will place a copy of the campaign in the draft folder. Go to the draft folder and click “content” on the campaign you want to save as a template. Once the newsletter opens, click the “actions” button in the top menu and then “save as a template.” Enter a name for the template and click “save.” Caveat: Be aware that templates are no longer free to use in the New Mailerlite!
- Save your RSS campaign as a template: If you have an RSS campaign for your blog, save it as a template too. Take screenshots of your RSS campaign settings so you can recreate them in the New Mailerlite. Caveat: Be aware that templates are no longer free to use in the New Mailerlite!
- Back up your automations: Automations are supposed to migrate, but just to be on the safe side, take screenshots of your automations. Copy and paste the text of your welcome emails into a MS Word document so you have a backup. Important: Only the automations themselves migrate, not the people who are in the queue of an automation. Subscribers will complete their automations in Mailerlite Classic.
- Record subscribers who are in the queue of an automation: Make a list of subscribers who are in the middle of your welcome sequence or another automation. Write down with step comes next for them and when. While they will continue the automation in Mailerlite Classic after you migrate, if you replace the DNS records in your domain account with those of the New Mailerlite, your Mailerlite Classic account will no longer be authenticated, so those emails might not be delivered. It might be better to set up a new automation for them in the New Mailerlite.
Migrate from Mailerlite Classic to New Mailerlite
Once you have prepared the big move, here’s how you migrate to the New Mailerlite:
- In your Mailerlite Classic account, click the SSO icon in the top menu—that’s the four little white squares.
- On the “welcome” page that appears, click “new version” on the left.
- Click “new account” because the New Mailerlite is a new platform so you have to create a new account.
- Choose an account name, e.g., your pen name. You could add “NEW” so you know this is the new account. Then click “save.”
- You are now on a dashboard page. In the gray field “Already have a Mailerlite Classic account?”, click the gray button that says “migrate account.”
- An API key box pops up. Click the green “API key” link. It takes you to your Mailerlite Classic account, where you click “copy” to copy the API key of your Classic account.
- In the tab of the New account, paste the API key you just copied into the API key field. Click the “migrate & confirm” button.
- The New Mailerlite account you created is a free plan. If you have fewer than 1,000 subscribers, you don’t need to upgrade and can keep using the free plan. If you do have more than 1,000 subscribers, you will have to upgrade before you can import all your subscribers. If you are on a paid annual Mailerlite Classic plan, contact Mailerlite before you upgrade and let them know you want to transfer the annual credits from the Classic plan to the New plan. Your Classic plan will then deactivate.
- Click on “account settings” on the left to double-check if all your account settings, e.g., your website URL and your address, has been migrated correctly.
- Once your plan is upgraded (or if you are on a free plan), click on “account settings” and then on the “Migration” tab.
- Next to “subscribers,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate your subscribers. You can either choose the option to migrate your entire list (all your subscribers) or pick specific groups you want to migrate.
- Next to “files,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate your files (images, logos, etc.)
- Next to “custom templates,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate your templates.
- Next to “automations,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate your automations.
- Next to “forms,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate your signup forms.
- Next to “landing pages,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate your landing pages.
- Next to “web pages,” click “proceed” and then “start migration” to migrate any web pages you might have set up via Mailerlite.
Things you need to take care of after migrating to the New Mailerlite
After you migrated to the New Mailerlite, there are things you need to take care of before the New Mailerlite will run exactly—or better—than your Mailerlite Classic. Here’s a list:
- Authenticate your domain for the New Mailerlite: Since the New Mailerlite uses different DNS records, you’ll have to redo the domain authentication and alignment. Check out my blog post on how to authenticate your domain. In your domain provider account, you’ll have to replace the old Mailerlite DNS records with the new ones.
- Redo your integrations: Anything that is connected to Mailerlite with an API needs to be redone since the API key has changed. That means the newsletter signups on your website, for one thing. Go to “integrations” in Mailerlite, then “generate new token.” Enter a name, e.g., “WordPress” or “website.” Copy the API key and replace the old one in your website. You might also have to redo your Bookfunnel integration.
- Replace your forms code: The codes for your forms are different in the New Mailerlite, so you’ll also have to replace the Javascript or HTML code of any signup form embedded in your website. If you don’t replace them, subscribers will be added to Mailerlite Classic instead of your New Mailerlite account. Go to “forms” and click the “overview” button on your form to find the HTML code.
- Replace landing page links: Replace the links to landing pages that you might have used on social media, on your website, or in the backmatter of your ebooks.
- Create new segments: Recreate your segments from the list you wrote down during your preparation.
- Double-check your automations: Note: There will be no subscribers in these automations. Only once a new subscriber signs up after the migration will they be added to the New Mailerlite automation.
- Create new automations: If you have subscribers who haven’t finished theirs automations in the Mailerlite Classic account, you might want to create a new automation and add those subscribers to the automations.
- Move new subscribers over: On the “migration” page, you can click “re-sync” to move subscribers who signed up via a Mailerlite Classic form after you migrated to your New Mailerlite account.
- Send a test email: Send a test newsletter to just yourself to make sure everything works. Also add yourself to one of the automations to check it that works too.
- Cancel Mailerlite Classic: If you were on a paid version of Mailerlite Classic, you will have to cancel the Classic plan once you migrated everything. That won’t happen automatically.
I hope this helps!
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Have you already migrated from Mailerlite Classic to the New Mailerlite? How did it go? Did I miss any helpful advice?
Do you still need to migrate?
