How can I email new WordPress blog posts to subscribers and restrict post access?

Hi! The simplest low-cost setup is usually (1) use your email marketing service to send an automatic “new post” email via RSS/automation, and (2) use WordPress (a membership/content restriction plugin) to actually enforce subscriber-only access—because an email subscription by itself doesn’t reliably “lock” content on your site.

Here’s a clean approach that works well for most WordPress blogs:

1) Auto-email new posts (excerpt/preview) — do this in your email service

Most email marketing platforms can pull your blog’s RSS feed and send an email when a new post is published. This is typically the cheapest/easiest “set-and-forget” method.

How it usually works:

• You connect your blog’s RSS feed (often yoursite.com/feed/ in WordPress).
• You choose a template that includes title + featured image + short excerpt.
• The system sends automatically when a new post appears in the feed (immediately, daily digest, weekly digest, etc.).
• You can segment who gets it (all subscribers vs. a “Blog Updates” segment).

Deliverability note (worth doing): whichever email service you use, set up domain authentication (SPF/DKIM, and ideally DMARC) so your newsletter doesn’t land in the spam folder as your list grows.

2) “Subscriber-only” content — do this in WordPress (not email)

If you want “only subscribers can read X,” you need an access control mechanism on the website—typically meaning accounts/logins. Your email list is great for marketing, but it’s not an authentication system.

You have three common options, from simplest to more robust:

Option A (simplest): Restrict entire posts/pages to logged-in members

Use a membership/content restriction plugin and mark certain posts as “members only.” Many plugins let you:

• Hide full posts from non-members (or show a teaser/excerpt)
• Protect categories/tags (e.g., everything in “Premium”)
• Show a “Join / Log in to continue reading” message

If you want low-cost, look for a plugin with a free plan that supports basic content restriction (paid plans add payments, subscriptions, advanced rules, etc.).

Option B (nice middle ground): Tease publicly, lock specific sections (partial gating)

If you want most of the post public but only a section locked, choose a plugin that supports partial content restriction (e.g., a block/shortcode that hides just part of the post). This is great for:

• Public intro + members-only “download / checklist / steps”
• Public summary + locked “templates / code / full tutorial”

Option C (lowest effort but not ideal): Password-protected posts

WordPress has built-in password protection for posts. It’s cheap and quick, but it’s clunky:

• The password can be shared
• No real “subscriber management”
• Not a great long-term “member experience”

What I’d recommend for “simple + low cost”

A solid, low-friction setup is:

1. Email marketing: Turn on an RSS/new-post automation to send a short excerpt + “Read more” link whenever you publish.
2. WordPress gating: Install a content restriction/membership plugin and require login for:
   • specific posts, or
   • a “Premium” category, and optionally
   • only certain blocks/sections within a post
3. Connect the two (optional): If you want “email subscriber = site member,” you can:
   • Use the same signup form to create a WordPress user, or
   • Use an automation (tag someone as “member” in your email platform when they register on the site, and vice versa)

That last step is optional—many people keep it simple: the email list drives traffic, and WordPress controls access.

Quick clarifying question (so I can point you to the cleanest path)

Do you want subscriber-only access to be free (just email signup), or paid (true memberships/subscriptions)? The best plugin choice depends heavily on that.