Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#1

Post by bialecki » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 4:05 PM UTC

Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates
klaviyo.com

Re: Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#2

Post by nodesocket » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 5:15 PM UTC

How is this different than just using Mandrill with templates, and sending content/HTML into placeholders?

Re: Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#3

Post by kt9 » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 5:15 PM UTC

Looks cool! How do you differentiate from all the other email services - MailChimp, MailGun, SendGrid etc?

Re: Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#4

Post by slake » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 5:17 PM UTC

Wow. Isn't this pricey for a pretty straightforward API?

Re: Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#5

Post by bialecki » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 6:03 PM UTC

nodesocket wrote: post #2

How is this different than just using Mandrill with templates, and sending content/HTML into placeholders?

From the sound of it, I'm guessing they're similar, but I haven't had a chance to use Mandrill's templates. This started as an internal API we created and just decided to open up.

Our templates use a Django-like syntax, which let's you use loops and conditions in a easy to use way. Mandrill's might be the same or better. We done a lot with Django so that feels comfortable.

We're trying to focus on the experience of creating a new transactional or triggered email, so it's easy to go from "I have an idea for an email" to "I'm actually sending it." We use this internally with a simple Python script to send formatted summary emails of product usage each night and it's easy to set up -- write the script to fetch the data, create the email template and you're done.

Re: Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#6

Post by bialecki » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 6:05 PM UTC

kt9 wrote: post #3

Looks cool! How do you differentiate from all the other email services - MailChimp, MailGun, SendGrid etc?

We're not trying to compete with them, we're using them. They solved the hard problems of delivering email, we're just trying to make it easier to send good looking emails through them.

Re: Show HN: API for Rendering and Sending Transactional Email Templates

#7

Post by bialecki » Wed, Jan 30, 2013, 6:07 PM UTC

slake wrote: post #4

Wow. Isn't this pricey for a pretty straightforward API?

The pricing will probably change, but the reason we're charging at all is to ensure we can provide reliability.