Outlook is set to revolutionize how organizations create and distribute newsletters with an upcoming feature designed for seamless newsletter creation and management. Currently in preview for select Microsoft 365 work or school account users enabled via PowerShell, this highly anticipated update is expected to roll out publicly by the third quarter of 2025. This step-by-step guide will walk you through what to expect, how to access the feature, and how to efficiently create and manage newsletters within Outlook.
What’s New?
The new newsletter capabilities in Outlook bring a web-based newsletter dashboard integrated into the Outlook environment, simplifying the entire newsletter creation process. Because it’s web-based, it’s accessible across devices through Outlook on the web (OWA) or the new Outlook app interface. However, it’s important to note that the feature is designed for internal distribution within organizations, meaning newsletters can only be sent and received inside your company’s Microsoft 365 tenant.
Getting Started: Accessing the Newsletter Feature
Once your organization enables the feature via PowerShell, you will notice a Newsletter icon in the left navigation panel of the new Outlook interface (currently not available in classic Outlook). Alternatively, newsletters can be accessed directly through outlook.off.com/newsletters.
Upon launching the newsletter dashboard, you will find these sections:
- Explore: Browse featured newsletters available within your organization or ones you have access to.
- Drafts: Manage newsletters currently in draft status.
- Profile: Quickly access newsletters you own or contribute to.
- Admin Tab (for Global Admins): View all newsletters, group owners, and status details.
Creating Groups and Collections
Organizing your newsletters is easier with Groups, which act like collections for newsletters centered on specific topics or departments (e.g., HR Thrive Zone).
How to create a group:
- Click on Create a page to launch a new group creation window.
- Add a Cover banner and a Logo — you can upload images or select from suggested options. Just avoid transparent backgrounds as they display incorrectly (black background).
- Name your group and provide a description.
- Set privacy options:
- Private: Restricted access only to specified members.
- Unlisted: Only accessible via direct links; not visible to others.
- Public to Organization: Anyone in your company can find and subscribe.
- Optionally add a custom distribution list.
It’s recommended to assign at least two owners to a group for better management and continuity.
Creating Newsletters
Newsletter creation is flexible. You can choose from:
- Start from Blank
- Use a Predefined Template
- Use a Custom Template you’ve previously saved
How to create a newsletter:
- Click Create a newsletter from the dashboard.
- Name your newsletter.
- Select a group (collection) to associate the newsletter with, or keep it personal.
- Customize the newsletter by adding a banner and adjusting the image size and focus.
- Add contributors who can edit the newsletter and receive notifications.
- Use the rich text editor to format content, insert tables, images, emojis, and other advanced formatting.
A standout feature is the ability to add Jump to Section links, essentially a table of contents for easier navigation through long newsletters. The newsletter editor supports components similar to wiki pages, allowing you to add and configure predefined text and image blocks.
You can even assign editing permissions per section, so different contributors manage their content independently.
Preview and Send
Before sending, preview your newsletter to see how it will appear to subscribers and to review any comments from contributors.
When ready to send:
- The newsletter will be sent from the creator/organizer’s email by default.
- You can specify a different reply-to address if needed.
- Contributors are automatically added to CC, and subscribers receive the newsletter as blind carbon copy (BCC).
- Newsletters are sent internally only, so external recipients cannot receive these mails.
Final Notes and Feedback for Microsoft
While the feature is promising, early users have provided feedback such as:
- Templates could have their own dedicated access point to improve discoverability.
- The transparent logo background issue needs addressing.
- Overall, the creation flow is intuitive but could benefit from small UI enhancements for first-time users.
Conclusion
Outlook’s new newsletter creation feature set to launch in 2025 is a powerful tool that simplifies internal communications and content distribution within organizations. With easy group management, customizable templates, contributor roles, and excellent formatting options, Outlook newsletters promise to streamline sharing updates and stories within corporate environments.
As Microsoft rolls out this feature more broadly, users will find it an essential part of their communication toolkit. By mastering this upcoming Outlook newsletter process now, you can be ready to take full advantage of efficient and engaging internal newsletters as soon as they become widely available.
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