diff --git a/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/notification.jsx b/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/notification.jsx
index a7fef6194b..5a277c0627 100644
--- a/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/notification.jsx
+++ b/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/notification.jsx
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ class NewsletterListNotification extends React.Component {
       // force refresh of listing so that groups are updated
       this.forceUpdate();
     }).fail((response) => {
-      MailPoet.Notice.error(MailPoet.I18n.t('postNotificationActivationFailed'));
+      MailPoet.Notice.showApiErrorNotice(response);
 
       // reset value to actual newsletter's status
       e.target.value = response.status;
diff --git a/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/welcome.jsx b/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/welcome.jsx
index 50bc3f26b0..89a0145cf3 100644
--- a/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/welcome.jsx
+++ b/assets/js/src/newsletters/listings/welcome.jsx
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ class NewsletterListWelcome extends React.Component {
       // force refresh of listing so that groups are updated
       this.forceUpdate();
     }).fail((response) => {
-      MailPoet.Notice.error(MailPoet.I18n.t('welcomeEmailActivationFailed'));
+      MailPoet.Notice.showApiErrorNotice(response);
 
       // reset value to actual newsletter's status
       e.target.value = response.status;
diff --git a/lib/Models/Newsletter.php b/lib/Models/Newsletter.php
index a3f052bbb1..9a87b184ce 100644
--- a/lib/Models/Newsletter.php
+++ b/lib/Models/Newsletter.php
@@ -344,6 +344,17 @@ class Newsletter extends Model {
   }
 
   function setStatus($status = null) {
+    if ($status === self::STATUS_ACTIVE) {
+      if (!$this->body || empty(json_decode($this->body))) {
+        $this->setError(
+          Helpers::replaceLinkTags(
+            __('This is an empty email without any content and it cannot be sent. Please update [link]the email[/link].'),
+            'admin.php?page=mailpoet-newsletter-editor&id=' . $this->id
+          )
+        );
+        return $this;
+      }
+    }
     if (in_array($status, [
       self::STATUS_DRAFT,
       self::STATUS_SCHEDULED,
diff --git a/tests/integration/Models/NewsletterTest.php b/tests/integration/Models/NewsletterTest.php
index a1258cf243..dd606d2c26 100644
--- a/tests/integration/Models/NewsletterTest.php
+++ b/tests/integration/Models/NewsletterTest.php
@@ -899,6 +899,7 @@ class NewsletterTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     foreach ($newsletters_with_activation as $type) {
       $newsletter = Newsletter::createOrUpdate([
         'type' => $type,
+        'body' => '["x", "y"]',
       ]);
       $task = ScheduledTask::createOrUpdate([
         'status' => ScheduledTask::STATUS_PAUSED,
@@ -914,6 +915,17 @@ class NewsletterTest extends \MailPoetTest {
     }
   }
 
+  function testBlocksActivationOfEmptyNewsletter() {
+    $newsletter = Newsletter::createOrUpdate([
+      'type' => Newsletter::TYPE_NOTIFICATION,
+      'body' => '[]',
+      'status' => Newsletter::STATUS_DRAFT,
+    ]);
+    $newsletter = $newsletter->setStatus(Newsletter::STATUS_ACTIVE);
+    expect($newsletter->status)->equals(Newsletter::STATUS_DRAFT);
+    expect($newsletter->getErrors())->notEmpty();
+  }
+
   function _after() {
     \ORM::raw_execute('TRUNCATE ' . NewsletterOption::$_table);
     \ORM::raw_execute('TRUNCATE ' . Newsletter::$_table);