If your readers let you into their inboxes, they expect you to bring them value. Don’t use your newsletter as an opportunity to sell, instead treat them like a friend and inform them of things they might want to know about.
Keep your content short and scannable by using headlines, snapshots, and takeaways. This helps your reader digest the information quickly.
1. Relevance
Emails are a great way to keep your audience in the know about what’s going on with your company, especially if you have big announcements and use software like Emails Nest. This is why it’s important to focus on delivering relevant content in your newsletter that will keep your audience interested.
For example, if you have a fashion newsletter, you may want to include articles about seasonal trends or what’s new with your line of products. Including this kind of information can keep your fashionista subscribers engaged with your brand and ensure they continue to open and read your emails.
Another great idea is to include the latest sales and discounts on your product. This will encourage your audience to continue to subscribe to your newsletter in order to stay informed about the best deals and promotions you have going on.
Additionally, you can incorporate thought leadership articles in your newsletter that will educate your audience on your industry or specific topic. This is a great way to demonstrate your expertise and establish yourself as an authority in your industry. This type of newsletter can also help increase your engagement and conversion rates, which is why it’s so important to make sure your newsletters are informative and engaging.
In addition to the content of your newsletter, it’s also important to have a clear layout and structure. Using bold headings, bulleted lists, and white space makes it easy for your subscribers to quickly get the information they need. This helps to avoid any visual confusion and makes your newsletter more digestible, especially on mobile devices.
You can also add some personalization to your email by using a personalized subject line and pre-header, which will encourage your readers to open and read your newsletter. Use a playful, questioning tone, a person’s name, or even emojis to draw your audience in and make them want to continue to receive your emails.
2. Concise Copy
People subscribe to email newsletters because they want to be informed about what your brand is up to. They want the latest curated content, sales and discounts, and contests that they can participate in. If you can get these things right in your email newsletter, it will make it easy for your audience to keep engaging with you.
Nailing a single aspect of your newsletter won’t guarantee that it will be a hit. However, if you can get several aspects right, you will significantly increase your chances of success.
The first thing to do is ensure that your subject line and preview text are catchy and compelling enough to entice people to open it. Then, it’s important to balance the newsletter content so that it is 90% educational and 10% promotional. This helps readers to feel like they are getting a good value out of your newsletter, and also prevents them from feeling like they are being spammed by your company.
Another great way to encourage engagement is to include an enticing call-to-action in the header or footer of your email. It’s a great way to help your subscribers take the next step, whether it’s clicking on a link, downloading an asset, or even sharing the newsletter with their friends.
One example of a great call-to-action is Scott’s Cheap Flights’, who encourage their email recipients to sign up for the premium plan to get exclusive travel deals. This simple call-to-action is placed in the header of their email, which makes it super easy for them to click on. This increases the likelihood that their audience will engage with them, and can help turn them into lifetime advocates.
3. Visuals
Email newsletters are a great way to keep your subscribers informed about your brand, but they’re also a great opportunity to add visual elements that can make them more captivating. Whether it’s a short video clip, GIF or illustration, use visuals sparingly but effectively. A largely image-based newsletter can have a negative impact on deliverability as some Internet service providers (ISP) block emails with large images, so aim for a healthy balance of text and visual content.
If you do opt to include a lot of visuals in your newsletter, make sure they follow your brand style guide. This will help your subscribers recognize the voice and tone of your company across all channels. And if you don’t have a design team on-hand, get the opinions of colleagues or friends to test out different options.
Ultimately, your newsletter should tell a story about your company, and be easy to read. A great way to do this is by breaking your news into brief blurbs and snapshots that are scannable. Additionally, if you have a particularly interesting piece of information that you don’t have room for in your newsletter, direct readers to your blog or social media to learn more.
Remember that you only have 51 seconds to grab the attention of your reader, so be smart about the way you organize and present your information. You can also add a touch of personality to your newsletter by using photos from your employees or customers. These can be great for adding an authentic, human element to your brand and can help build trust. Getting your subscriber list involved in your newsletter can also increase engagement and create a sense of community among your subscribers.
4. Social Media Links
Email newsletters are a great way to get your brand in front of people on a regular basis. If you can create compelling content and deliver it in a consistent way, you will be able to convert would-be customers into lifetime advocates of your business.
Make sure to include social media links in your email newsletter. This is a best practice that every email should have, as it helps your audience find you on the channels they use most. It also helps you increase the reach of your newsletter by encouraging people to share it.
Create compelling subject lines that will entice your recipients to open your newsletter. Using questions, emojis, or a teaser can add intrigue and value to your subject line, which will help you stand out in the inbox and boost click-through rates. If you can also incorporate your company name into the “From Name” or pre-header, it will give a sense of familiarity and trust to your recipients.
Newsletters can sometimes feel cluttered, especially in email clients like Gmail and Outlook that tend to compress images. This can cause an overwhelming feeling for the reader, so a few best practices for keeping your newsletter from looking cluttered include using minimal text, incorporating plenty of white space, and limiting the number of items in each column.
Emails that are overly promotional can come off as pushy and make readers question if they want to keep receiving your emails. While it is okay to plug your products in your newsletter from time to time, you should limit this and save any major promotions for dedicated promo-specific emails. Think of your subscribers as a friend they let into their home; if you turn them away with a sales pitch, they will be less likely to open the door again.
5. Call-to-Actions
When your email newsletter reaches a subscriber, it’s important to make sure they know who you are and what you have to offer. Including your name in the header and introduction of the newsletter is a good start. You can also add your company colors and logo to ensure your readers recognize you as the sender.
The first thing a subscriber will see in your email is your call to action. An effective call to action will direct them to the next steps they should take. This includes specific information like “sign up now” or “read more”.
An effective CTA should include a clear value proposition for the reader. If the benefits of signing up are not obvious, the subscriber will likely not do it. This is why it’s important to use words that are action-oriented, such as “buy,” “read,” or “download.”
In addition to a clear call to action, your newsletter should also provide additional value for subscribers. This could be in the form of an article or video. Video is known to increase engagement and conversion rates, making it a great way to attract and retain subscribers. It is also a good idea to incorporate customer promotion in your newsletter, as this will enhance brand recognition.
Creating an effective email newsletter takes time and effort. But if you follow these best practices, your email newsletter will be more likely to convert views into clicks and conversions. Be sure to test your email over time by testing subject lines, preheader text and even the color of your CTA button. Also, get a second opinion by having someone else read it and identify any areas that may need improvement.