What are the advantages of using an external service like Mailchimp for managing a growing newsletter list in PHP instead of a custom script?

Managing a growing newsletter list in PHP can be complex and time-consuming, especially as the list expands. Using an external service like Mailchimp can streamline the process by providing features like subscriber management, email campaign creation, and analytics tracking. This allows developers to focus on other aspects of their project while leveraging the expertise and infrastructure of a dedicated email marketing service.

// Example PHP code snippet using Mailchimp API to manage a newsletter list

require_once 'Mailchimp.php'; // Include Mailchimp API library

$apiKey = 'YOUR_MAILCHIMP_API_KEY';
$listId = 'YOUR_MAILCHIMP_LIST_ID';

$mailchimp = new Mailchimp($apiKey);

// Add a new subscriber to the list
$result = $mailchimp->post("lists/$listId/members", [
    'email_address' => 'example@email.com',
    'status' => 'subscribed'
]);

if ($result) {
    echo 'Subscriber added successfully!';
} else {
    echo 'Failed to add subscriber.';
}