How to do a mail merge with google sheets

Mail merge! A powerful technique to automate the process of sending personalized emails or documents to a large number of recipients. Google Sheets makes it easy to perform a mail merge using its built-in functions and add-ons. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started:

Prerequisites:

1. You have a Google Sheet with a list of recipients and their corresponding data (e.g., names, email addresses, addresses, etc.).
2. You have a template document or email that you want to send to each recipient.

Method 1: Using Google Sheets' built-in functions

You can use Google Sheets' built-in functions, such as JOIN and REGEXREPLACE, to perform a simple mail merge.

1. Create a new sheet in your Google Sheet and name it "Mail Merge".

2. In the Mail Merge sheet, create a table with the following columns:

   • Recipient Email
   • Recipient Name
   • Document Template (the template document or email you want to send)

3. In the Document Template column, use the JOIN function to concatenate the recipient's data with the template document. For example:

   =JOIN("Dear " & A2 & ",\n\n", A1:A10) & "Best regards,\n[Your Name]"

   Assuming you have a list of recipient names in column A, this formula will create a personalized email for each recipient.

4. Use the REGEXREPLACE function to replace any placeholders in the template document with the actual recipient data. For example:

   =REGEXREPLACE(A1, "%%NAME%%", A2)

   This formula will replace any occurrences of %%NAME%% in the template document with the recipient's name.

5. Copy the formula down to the rest of the cells in the Document Template column.

Method 2: Using a Google Sheets add-on

There are several add-ons available in the Google Sheets store that can help you perform a mail merge. One popular option is the "Mail Merge" add-on by Form Publisher.

1. Install the Mail Merge add-on from the Google Sheets store.
2. Create a new sheet in your Google Sheet and name it "Mail Merge".
3. In the Mail Merge sheet, create a table with the following columns:
   • Recipient Email
   • Recipient Name
   • Document Template (the template document or email you want to send)
4. Configure the add-on by selecting the template document or email, and specifying the recipient data columns.
5. Click the "Merge" button to send the personalized documents or emails to each recipient.

Tips and Variations:

• Use Google Sheets' FILTER function to filter the recipient list based on specific conditions.
• Use Google Sheets' QUERY function to query a database or spreadsheet and retrieve the recipient data.
• Use a third-party add-on, such as "AutoCrat" or "DocRPT", to perform more advanced mail merges.
• Use Google Apps Script to automate the mail merge process and send the documents or emails programmatically.

I hope this helps you get started with mail merging in Google Sheets!