Publishing

Name your publication

Give your newsletter a name and a look before your first post. Set the name, tagline, and logo under Settings → Publication identity. They appear in every email your template prints them in, on the public pages readers see, and in the confirmation email new subscribers get.

All three are optional, and you can change them at any time. How they appear in each email comes from your email template, which you can edit.

When to provide a mailing address

If your newsletter is mostly your own writing, you probably don’t need one. If an email is mainly selling something, add one.

US law (CAN-SPAM) asks for a postal address in commercial email. The FTC treats a newsletter people subscribed to as a relationship message instead, even with a few ads in it. An email whose main purpose is to sell, such as a launch, a sale, or a sponsor’s promotion, is commercial. Canada’s law (CASL) asks for an address more often (Government of Canada guidance).

A P.O. box or a registered private mailbox counts, so you never have to publish your home address. To add one, choose Add a mailing address under Settings → Publication identity. The built-in templates print it in the email footer and keep it off your public pages.

This is general information, not legal advice. The FTC’s CAN-SPAM compliance guide has the detail, and Sending rules covers the rest of what the law asks of a newsletter.

Who sets the From name and address

The From name and address your emails come from are set when Kestrel is deployed, so Settings → Email sender shows them read-only. To change them, follow Connect Amazon SES.