An email distribution list lets you send one message to a whole group without typing each address. You can create one in two ways: as a contact group in your own email app (such as a Google Contacts label or an Outlook contact list), or as a shared group address on your mail server, such as team@yourbusiness.co.zw, that forwards to several mailboxes. A personal contact group suits one person’s use; a server-side group address suits a business, because anyone can use it and you manage members in one place.<\/p>\n
Apple Mail, Thunderbird and most other email apps have a similar feature under groups or lists in the address book.<\/p>\n
If your business email runs on cPanel, the simplest way to make a shared group address is with a forwarder:<\/p>\n
Some hosts also provide a mailing list tool in cPanel with subscriber management and archives. Check what your plan offers. If you have not set up mailboxes yet, see how to create an email account<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use names that describe the purpose, such as accounts@, support@ or board@. Avoid vague names like list1.<\/p>\n Add new staff on their first day and remove leavers on their last. Review each list every few months. Out-of-date lists send confidential messages to the wrong people.<\/p>\n When you email a personal contact group of people outside your organisation, put the group in Bcc. Otherwise everyone sees everyone else’s address, which can breach privacy expectations and data protection rules.<\/p>\n For large internal lists, such as all staff, decide who is allowed to send to them, and remind people not to reply-all unless everyone needs to see the answer.<\/p>\n Each group address should have someone responsible for its membership. Record this in your IT notes.<\/p>\n Group emails can land in spam if the sending domain is not set up correctly. Make sure your domain has SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, which tell receiving servers your messages are genuine. Avoid sending large volumes from an ordinary mailbox, as hosts set sending limits to protect their servers’ reputations. If messages still go to spam, follow why emails go to spam and how to fix it<\/a>.<\/p>\n Use a dedicated marketing platform if you are emailing customers or subscribers, sending to hundreds or thousands of people, or need sign-up forms, unsubscribe links and open statistics. Only email people who have agreed to hear from you, and always give them a simple way to unsubscribe. Sending bulk marketing through a normal business mailbox risks hitting sending limits and harming your domain’s reputation.<\/p>\n A distribution list delivers a copy of each message to every member’s own inbox. A shared mailbox is a single inbox that several people log in to, so everyone sees the same messages and who replied.<\/p>\n A server-side group address can receive email from anyone, like a normal address. A contact group in your own address book cannot, because it only exists in your email app.<\/p>\n It depends on your email app and your host’s sending limits. For very large audiences, use an email marketing service rather than a distribution list.<\/p>\n With a contact group, replies go to the sender unless people choose reply-all. With a forwarder, replies go to whoever sent the original message. That is normal behaviour.<\/p>\nManaging a distribution list well<\/h2>\n
Name lists clearly<\/h3>\n
Keep membership current<\/h3>\n
Use Bcc for external groups<\/h3>\n
Agree who can send<\/h3>\n
Assign an owner<\/h3>\n
Avoiding spam filters<\/h2>\n
When to use an email marketing service instead<\/h2>\n
Frequently asked questions<\/h2>\n
What is the difference between a distribution list and a shared mailbox?<\/h3>\n
Can people outside my company email a distribution list?<\/h3>\n
How many people can be on a distribution list?<\/h3>\n
Why do replies to the group only go to me?<\/h3>\n
Next step<\/h2>\n