What This Screen Does

This is where you compose and schedule a newsletter to send to your members. Think of it like writing a group email with a built-in design tool — you pick who receives it, write your content with a drag-and-drop editor, attach files if needed, and choose exactly when it goes out. You can also create a newsletter targeted at a specific event, membership type, or your leads.

How to Get There

Open the dashboard.
In the left-hand menu, click Newsletter.
Click the + New button (or follow a link from an event, membership type, or leads page).
You are now on the Create Newsletter screen.

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Enter the Subject

Field	Required	What to Enter
Subject	Yes	The subject line of your newsletter. This is what recipients see in their inbox, so make it clear and attention-grabbing.

2. Use Placeholder Variables (optional)

Below the subject field you will see a list of variables you can use inside your newsletter content. These are automatically replaced with real data for each recipient when the newsletter is sent.

Variable	What It Becomes
`##{{FULL_NAME}}`	Full name of the member
`##{{FIRST_NAME}}`	First name of the member
`##{{LAST_NAME}}`	Surname of the member
`##{{CHAIN_NAME}}`	The name of your box / gym chain

You can type these variables directly into your email content.
They work in the drag-and-drop editor as well as in text blocks.

3. Design the Email Content

Below the variables table you will find a drag-and-drop email editor.
Use it to build your newsletter visually — add text blocks, images, buttons, columns, and more.
You can drag elements from the right-hand panel into the canvas.
To add an image, the editor will upload it automatically through the system’s image service.
If you are editing an existing newsletter, your previous design loads automatically.
The editor needs a moment to initialize. The Create button stays disabled until the editor is ready.

4. Add Attachments (optional)

Below the editor, click or drag files into the Attachment upload area.
Accepted file types: PDF, Word documents (.doc, .docx), OpenDocument text (.odt), and plain text files.
There is a maximum file size limit per attachment. If your file is too large, the system will show an error.
To remove an attachment, click the delete icon on the file.

5. Select Gyms

Field	Required	What to Enter
Available in gyms	Yes (at least one)	Choose which gym locations should receive this newsletter. Defaults to your currently selected gym. Check all that apply.

Open the dropdown and tick the gyms you want to include.
You must select at least one gym or the form will not submit.

6. Set the Release Time

Field	Required	What to Enter
Release time	Yes	The date and time when the newsletter should be sent. Uses a 24-hour clock format.

Click the field to open a date-and-time picker.
Pick the day first, then set the hour and minute.
The default is the current date and time. Adjust it to schedule the newsletter for the future.

7. Choose a Sending Category

You must select exactly one of the three options below. They control which members receive the newsletter. Toggling one option automatically turns the others off.

Toggle	Required	What It Does
Is critical	No (but one must be selected)	Sends to any member with an active membership or a membership on hold, regardless of whether they have allowed newsletters. Use this only for essential communications.
Is marketing	No (but one must be selected)	Sends only to members who have allowed newsletters, even if they do not have an active membership. Good for promotional content.
Is general	No (but one must be selected)	Sends only to members who have allowed newsletters and have an active membership or a membership on hold. This is the default and the safest choice for regular updates.

Important: At least one of these three toggles must be turned on. If none are selected, the form will show a validation error.
Is general is turned on by default.

8. Save / Submit

Click the Create button at the bottom-right of the form.
The button is disabled while the email editor is still loading. Wait until it becomes clickable.
The system will:
1. Validate all your inputs.
2. Export the email design as HTML and JSON.
3. Create the newsletter record (including any event, membership type, or lead targeting).
4. Upload your attachments (if any).
5. Navigate you back to the previous page.
You will see a green “Create success!” notification at the bottom of the screen.

What Happens Behind the Scenes

You click "Create"
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Form validates all fields (Yup schema)
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Email editor exports HTML and JSON design
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API call: NewslettersService.create({ body: formData })
  (includes subject, html, json, sendingTime, gyms,
   category flags, eventId/membershipTypeId if applicable,
   and lead emails if this is a lead newsletter)
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Newsletter record is created, server returns the new ID
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(If attachments were added)
API call: NewslettersService.uploadAttachment({ id, files })
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Success notification appears ("Create success!")
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You are navigated back to the previous page

Troubleshooting

“The Create button is greyed out and I cannot click it”

The email editor needs time to load. Wait a few seconds until it finishes initializing.
If it stays disabled for a long time, try refreshing the page. A slow internet connection can delay the editor.

“I get a validation error saying at least one option has to be selected”

You need to turn on one of the three sending category toggles: Is critical, Is marketing, or Is general.
Check that at least one is switched on. They are mutually exclusive — turning one on automatically turns the others off.

“The form says ‘Please select at least one gym’”

Open the Available in gyms dropdown and select at least one location.
If no gyms appear in the list, your account may not have any locations set up yet. Contact your administrator or create a gym under the Gym settings first.

“My attachment upload failed or was rejected”

Make sure your file is one of the accepted types: PDF, Word (.doc/.docx), OpenDocument (.odt), or plain text.
Check that the file does not exceed the maximum allowed file size.
Try a smaller file or a different format. If the problem persists, contact support.

After clicking Create, the system navigates you back automatically. Go to the Newsletter list from the left-hand menu to find it.
Make sure you are looking at the correct gym — the newsletter only appears for the gyms you selected.
If the sending time is in the future, the newsletter is scheduled but not yet sent. It should still appear in the list.

“The placeholder variables are not being replaced in the preview”

Variables like ##{{FIRST_NAME}} are replaced only when the newsletter is actually sent. They will show up as raw text while you are editing.
Make sure you type the variable exactly as shown, including the double curly braces.

When you navigate to the create screen from an event or membership type, the system passes the link automatically through the URL.
If you manually typed the newsletter URL instead of clicking the link, the event or membership type connection will be missing. Go back and use the link from the event or membership type page.

“I got an error after clicking Create”

A red error message will appear. Read it carefully — it usually tells you what went wrong.
Common causes: missing subject line, no gym selected, no sending category selected, or a server timeout.
If the error is unclear, try again. If it keeps happening, contact support with the error message.

“I want to send to my leads but they are not included”

Lead newsletters are created by navigating from the Leads section. The URL must contain leads=true for the system to include lead email addresses.
If you opened the newsletter create screen directly, it will not automatically include leads. Go back to the Leads page and use the newsletter action from there.

“The email editor images are not uploading”

Images are uploaded through the system’s image service. If the upload fails, check your internet connection.
Try a different image format (JPEG or PNG work best).
If the problem persists, the image service may be temporarily unavailable. Try again in a few minutes or contact support.

Create a New Newsletter