How To Mail Merge In Gmail

Sending personalized PDFs to a large group can be very time-consuming. While Gmail is good for regular emails, it doesn’t have built-in tools for mail merge, especially with PDFs.

But there’s a solution! You can use smart tricks within Gmail or other tools outside Gmail to automate the mail merge process for your PDFs. Keep reading to learn all about how to do mail merge in Gmail.

What Is Mail Merge In Gmail?

Mail merge is a handy tool that automates the process of sending bulk communications while adding a personal touch to each message. With mail merge you can easily create personalized letters, mailing labels, mass email campaigns, emails, or documents for a large number of recipients.

You can find it in commonly used word processing software such as Microsoft Word and Google Docs.

How To Send PDF Files In Email?

For emailing PDF, first, you’ll need the PDF document that you want to send for sure. You have several options to mail merge PDF documents. Either you can use Microsoft Word, or Adobe, manually in Gmail, or even try out an app that automates the process. Ultimately the choice is yours.

How To Mail Merge PDF Documents With Word?

Regretfully, there isn’t a built-in function in Microsoft Word to mail merge and generate unique PDF documents for every recipient. But there are a few ways you can work around to get a similar result:

• Open Word and create a new document.
• Navigate to “Mailings.”

• Click on “Start Mail Merge.”

• Select document type from the drop-down menu.

• Choose the “Select Recipients” option, as well as select your data source (Excel File or CSV).

• Tap on the “Insert Merge Fields” option, then customize your document further if required.

• Select “Merge to Adobe PDF.”
• Name the PDF on your next screen.
• Choose “Automatically send Adobe PDF files by Email” in “Email Options.”
• Add your message in the “Message box” and press “OK” to send.

How To Mail Merge PDF Documents With Adobe?

Just like Word, even Adobe Acrobat doesn’t give an easy way to mail merge your PDFs. But you can use a plug-in to achieve it. Here’s how:

• Create an Excel Spreadsheet.
• Navigate to the “AutoMailMerge” tool in Adobe Acrobat.
• Go to mail merge settings and click on “Select Email Options.”
• Check the “Send emails to the recipients” option.
• Select “Email” under the “Data source field to use for email address” category.
• In the “Message” field, type your subject line and body text for the email.
• Click “Next” to navigate to the settings screen.
• Confirm security policies for each message if you use Windows, else no action is required for the default method.
• Uncheck the “Use simple MAPI protocol” box to avoid confirmation for each message.
• Select “Use SMTP Internet E-mail Server” and then “Next.”
• Have “SMTP server information” on hand to proceed.
• Click “Next” once you’ve configured your email settings.
• Hit “Send” in the end.

How To Mail Merge PDF Documents In Gmail (Manually)?

Gmail doesn’t have a native feature for merging PDFs. Alternatively, you can manually achieve a similar outcome using both Gmail and Google Sheets. Here’s a step-by-step guide to mail merge PDF documents in Gmail manually:

• Create a new Google Sheet or open an existing one.
• Create columns with headers like “Recipient Name,” “Recipient Email,” and “PDF Attachment Link.”
• In the “Recipient Name” column, list the names of your recipients.
• In the “Recipient Email” column, enter the email addresses of your recipients.
• Upload your PDFs to your Google Drive.
• Right-click on each PDF and select “Get shareable link.”
• Copy the link for each PDF and paste it into the “PDF Attachment Link” column in your Google Sheet.
• Open Gmail and start a new email draft.
• Personalize the email greeting by using placeholders like {{Name}} in the body of the message.
• Replace {{Name}} with a formula in your Google Sheet that pulls the recipient name from the corresponding row.
• Copy and paste email addresses from your sheet and attach the PDF using the link from your Google Drive.

How To Mail Merge PDF Documents Via External Services?

Several online mail merge services can handle PDFs and integrate with your Gmail account easily. So, research and choose a service that supports PDF attachments and integrates with Gmail. You can consider some popular options like Mailchimp, Moosend, or Benchmark Email (may require paid plans for advanced features).

• Sign up for an account with the chosen service.
• Upload your recipient list (including email addresses) to the service’s platform.
• Create your email template within the service’s interface. You can personalize the content using merge tags if offered.
• Upload your PDFs to the service’s storage or connect it to your Google Drive.
• Configure the Merge. Specify how the data from your list should be used in your email template and how the PDFs should be attached.
• Initiate the mail merge process within the service. It will send personalized emails with the corresponding PDFs to your recipients. Some services might offer additional features like email tracking or analytics also.

FAQs:

Conclusion

Finally, don’t settle for manually attaching PDFs in Gmail. Explore the options we’ve discussed above! Whether you choose a user-friendly Gmail add-on or a powerful external mail merge service, you’ll be well on your way to sending personalized PDFs efficiently.

Also, take some time to explore the tools that were mentioned and think about factors such as how easy they are to use, their cost, and the specific features you’re looking for. Remember, some services offer free trials, so you can experiment and find the perfect fit for your needs. With a little setup, you can send personalized PDF mail merges in no time, saving you effort and ensuring your recipients get the right documents.