On WordPress.com’s built-in newsletter, the setting under Jetpack → Newsletter → Settings decides whether subscribers receive the full post or an excerpt. A custom post excerpt and a More block serve different jobs. They are not interchangeable.
Choose Full text when the email should contain the entire post. Choose Excerpt when the email should send a shorter opening with a link to the post on your site. Once Excerpt is selected, the post’s own excerpt field can supply the opening copy. If that field is empty, WordPress.com uses the beginning of the post instead.
The More block controls a different editorial choice: where the opening portion of a post stops before a “continue reading” link. It is useful when you want readers to see the beginning of the published post, then continue on the site. A custom excerpt lets you write separate email-facing copy that does not need to appear in the post itself.
WordPress.com documents both behaviours in its newsletter email appearance guide.
Start with the newsletter-wide email setting
The first decision is made at site level, not inside an individual post.
Open the WordPress.com dashboard, then go to Jetpack → Newsletter → Settings. Under Email content, select either Full text or Excerpt. Save the settings from the section that also contains sender options.
Full text means subscribers receive all post content in the notification email. That setting suits short announcements, compact tutorials, or posts written to be consumed in an inbox.
Excerpt sends less text and directs readers back to the post. WordPress.com describes this format as an excerpt followed by a link to the full version on the website. It suits posts where the site page contains the full experience, such as embedded material, related links, comments, or a longer sequence of sections.
This choice affects the main content of post notification emails. It does not decide whether a new post is emailed at all. The separate “Email new posts to subscribers by default” setting controls automatic notifications for newly published posts. A post can still have its email disabled individually before publication.
When to use a custom excerpt
A custom excerpt is the right tool when the opening sent to subscribers needs wording that differs from the article’s visible opening.
With Excerpt selected in Newsletter settings, write the email opening in the post’s excerpt setting. WordPress.com says this custom text does not have to be part of the post itself. That gives an editor room to write a concise lead for subscribers while keeping the article’s opening focused on the page reader.
For example, a post may begin with a detailed scene, a long quotation, or a section heading that works well on the site. Its custom excerpt can state the practical point first. The email then has a clear opening without forcing the site article to start the same way.
Use a custom excerpt when you need control over:
- the first message subscribers see in their inbox;
- the length and wording of that message;
- a different opening from the one displayed in the post;
- an email lead that directs readers to the full article.
The excerpt field is also useful when a post starts with material that makes a poor email opening. A large image, a heading-only opening, or a highly contextual first paragraph may leave subscribers without enough information to decide whether to click. Custom excerpt copy can solve that editorial problem without changing the post body.
A fictional example makes the distinction clearer. Suppose a post opens with: “The draft sat untouched for three days.” That line may work as a narrative hook on the website. A custom excerpt could instead say: “Three editing checks can help you decide whether to publish, revise, or discard a draft.” The first sentence stays in the post; the second becomes the newsletter opening.
This is a writing choice, not a promise about performance. WordPress.com’s documentation explains how the text is selected, not whether one style will produce more opens or clicks.
What happens when no custom excerpt exists
WordPress.com supplies fallback text when the site uses the Excerpt option but the post’s excerpt field is blank.
The newsletter settings guide states that, in that case, WordPress.com uses the first 55 words of the post. The email appearance guide describes the same fallback more broadly as the opening lines of the post text.
That fallback makes the beginning of every post matter. If your posts begin with a useful, self-contained explanation, the fallback can be enough. If they begin with a title-like sentence, a long preamble, or content that only makes sense after an image, write a custom excerpt instead.
Do not treat the 55-word fallback as a target length for your own excerpt. It is a fallback rule. A custom excerpt should contain the amount of text needed to identify the topic and give the reader a reason to open the post. Some posts need one tight sentence. Others need a short paragraph.
The fallback also does not turn the More block into a custom excerpt. If you want separate email wording, enter it in the post excerpt setting while the newsletter uses Excerpt.
What the More block does
The More block splits a post into an opening section and the remaining content. WordPress.com documents it for the “opening text only” email format: place the More block where the email text should stop, and WordPress.com adds a “continue reading” link.
Use the More block when the beginning of the post itself should appear in the email. The email opening and the post opening remain the same text. The block simply marks where the visible preview ends.
This works well when the first section already gives readers enough context. An article may open with two paragraphs that explain the issue, then move into steps, examples, or supporting detail after the More block. Subscribers receive the same beginning as site visitors and can open the post to continue.
A fictional post about editorial calendars might open with a brief explanation of why publication dates slip, followed by a More block. The rest of the article could contain the calendar template, examples, and a checklist. The email preview then mirrors the post’s opening rather than using separately written copy.
The More block is less suitable when the email needs a different message from the page. It cannot replace a custom excerpt for that purpose. It marks a boundary inside the post body. A custom excerpt is separate text entered in the post’s excerpt setting.
Custom excerpt and More block side by side
| Editorial goal | Use | What subscribers receive |
|---|---|---|
| Send the entire article by email | Full text | The full post content |
| Write a separate opening for the email | Excerpt plus a custom post excerpt | The custom excerpt and a link to the post |
| Use the post’s own opening, then stop at a chosen point | More block | Opening post text up to the More block, then a continue-reading link |
| Leave the excerpt field empty while using Excerpt | Excerpt with no custom post excerpt | The opening of the post, with a documented 55-word fallback |
The practical rule is simple. Write a custom excerpt when email copy needs independence from the post. Insert a More block when the email should reproduce the post’s opening and stop at a precise point.
Preview before publishing
WordPress.com provides two checks in the post editor: Preview email and Send test email.
While writing the post, click the Newsletter icon in the editor’s upper-right corner. It looks like a paper airplane. Open the Email section. The preview and test controls work before publication whether the “Send this post to subscribers” toggle is on or off.
Preview email shows how the message looks on desktop, tablet, and mobile. Use it to check whether the selected format matches the post. A More block should end the visible email text where you intended. A custom excerpt should display as the separate opening you wrote. The fallback should be reviewed whenever no custom excerpt exists.
Send test email sends a test to the address shown in the field. WordPress.com fills that field with your own address. The guide says that changing it to another address requires permission to manage subscribers; without that permission, the field cannot be edited and the test goes to your own address.
Both tools require the WordPress.com account to be connected to the site. If the editor shows a “Connect your account” link, complete that connection before trying the preview or test again.
Previewing matters because the editor alone cannot show every email-specific result. A post can look fine in the editor while its automatic fallback begins at an awkward sentence, or while its More block cuts after a paragraph that lacks context.
A reliable editorial check
Before publishing a post that will reach subscribers, check four points:
- Confirm whether the site newsletter uses Full text or Excerpt.
- If it uses Excerpt, decide whether the post needs a custom excerpt.
- If the email should reuse the post opening, place the More block after a complete and useful section.
- Open Preview email, then send a test if you need to inspect the delivered message.
Those checks keep the newsletter setting, the post excerpt, and the More block in their proper roles. Full text sends the whole post. A custom excerpt supplies separate email copy. A More block chooses where the post’s own opening ends. When no specific excerpt exists, WordPress.com falls back to the opening post text.
Does this post need different email wording from its on-page opening? If not, where should the reader encounter the “continue reading” link?
