If you manage a website, a blog, or an e-store, you know a newsletter is an important communication tool for you to develop and maintain a link with your customers in a targeted manner. Interestingly, 81% of B2B marketers also favor email newsletters after social media content, blog posts, and short articles.
But if you are just starting out and want to ensure you get it right with your first newsletter, Don’t worry if you are new to email marketing or have no idea how to make a newsletter, we have got you covered.
Before we offer you all the best practices to create an effective and engaging newsletter, let’s quickly cover the basics.
A newsletter is an email (in text format or with a graphic design) sent via email to a list of subscribers. Newsletters are your unique opportunity to build a personal relationship with your audience. Here’s another interesting fact: your audience will thank you with higher open and click rates if you stick to no more than five newsletters a week.
Let’s explore the best practices for creating an effective newsletter that resonates with your subscribers.
Developing Your Email Newsletter Strategy
By now, we have convinced you of the usefulness of newsletters for any marketing strategy. Not only do they help you maintain the relationship with your contacts by sharing news, offering promotions and good deals for more loyalty, or highlighting new products, but also allow for segmenting your subscriber list based on preferences, buying behaviors, and demographics for a more relevant and engaging experience.
Now, we will explain everything you need to know to set up your email newsletter strategy:
1. Identify your newsletter’s target audience and their needs
For anyone wondering about how to start a newsletter, the initial step in formulating your strategy is to set forth a precise and very clear scope of who you want to reach through your message.
First things first, you should know who you want to reach out to. Be as precise as you can by thinking about factors like demographics, country, and interests. You will need this information to create buyer personas and tailor the content to address their interests and pain points accordingly.
Even if you send a one-size-fits-all e-newsletter, the perfect approach is to tailor the message to fit a broader audience.
2. Set clear goals for your newsletter
Once you’ve identified your audiences, you will then decide on the objectives of sending the newsletter. Cater to questions like, “What do I want to achieve?” and “What is the newsletter’s purpose in the wider plan of activities?”
Companies launch newsletters to increase their website’s traffic, increase sales of their e-stores, or get new registrations for an event. Setting one or more clear goals gives your campaign direction and helps you measure its success.
Then, you should map out the KPIs. If you are unsure where to start, stick to the basics: track newsletter subscriptions, open rates, number of clicks, spam reports, errors, and unsubscribe reports.
3. Determine content type
How to create an email newsletter that resonates? Let’s examine the heart of your newsletter content—the text itself—in detail. A newsletter’s content is essential to its success. Your readers crave useful information, relevant advice, and exclusive offers.
It goes without saying that it should be aligned with your goals. You may have received insights from surveys or got inspired by other newsletters, but plan your message carefully so it resonates with your audience. Decide on the tone, editorial style, and stories you want to share.
Include blog posts, guides, client endorsements, promotions, case studies, upcoming events, and new products, but avoid overloading your readers. Keep it brief—your main information should appear at the beginning, as most people will scan and hardly ever read past the first CTA.
4. Decide on the frequency of newsletters
People have been getting newsletters in their emails for years. With the rise of digital marketing, most of these go unread. There are a variety of reasons: overloaded inboxes leading to email fatigue, lack of relevance, poor subject lines, busy schedules, spam, design and readability issues, and most importantly, frequency, which is often overlooked when creating a newsletter.
Businesses like to send emails regularly, but email overload is a real thing. Finding a perfect balance in the sending schedule is the key—weekly, biweekly, or monthly—choose a pace that works for both you and your readers. And what’s the best time and day to send them to maximize their impact? We have an interesting answer to this popular question:
Source: GetResponse
And what’s the best day to send email newsletters?
Check out this article: The Best Time to Send Marketing Emails: Insights for Higher Conversion in 2024
5. Value proposition
Make your newsletter worth opening, not a chore. Ensure your newsletter adds value to your subscribers by sending them personalized deals, helpful resources, or exclusive content. Personalization is the linchpin of present-day marketing. Use what you know about them to send stuff they’ll actually love and feel appreciated for. Offer personalized deals, tailored offers, and useful tips they won’t find anywhere else. Knowing your audience is key here.
Selecting the Perfect Newsletter Tool
Choosing the perfect software for your email marketing goals is very important for your newsletter’s success. Software tools such as Mailchimp, Constant Contact, GetResponse, and HubSpot include many features to assist you in efficiently designing, sending, and analyzing your newsletters.
Consider factors such as features (including email creation tool responsiveness, analytics and reporting, easy template customization, A/B testing, and list segmentation), ease of use, pricing, and support when making a choice. You can also manage your subscriber list, design engaging templates, and track performance by using email marketing software.
Building and Growing Your Newsletter Email Lists
The next tip in our best practices guide on how to make a newsletter email is all about sharing awesome content and building a loyal fanbase. Nurturing your email lists is key for a successful newsletter.
Opt-in lists matter for deliverability and compliance
Focus on people who have explicitly opted in to receive because they really want to receive your newsletters. These folks are more likely to open your emails and engage with your content. It will also positively impact deliverability rates (your emails will actually reach their inboxes) and ensure compliance with regulations like the GDPR and CAN-SPAM Act.
Say no to purchased lists
Don’t buy email lists, as it is like trying to make friends by handing out business cards to strangers. You’ll end up with a list if people who don’t care much about your content, which often
leads to high bounce rates (emails that can’t be delivered) and low engagement. You can make it super easy for people to sign up on your website by placing signup forms in multiple places and explaining why they should join. Go for a double opt-in signup process, as it confirms subscribers’ intent, reduces spam complaints, and helps you keep a higher-quality email list.
Keep it clean
Use automated tools to tidy up your email list regularly and remove inactive or invalid email addresses. A clean list maintains your sender reputation and ensures better deliverability.
Integrating an Email Signup Form on Your Website
Make it easy for visitors to subscribe to your newsletter.
- Strategic placement: Place signup forms prominently on your website, such as in the header, footer, or sidebar.
- Clear value proposition: Explain the benefits of subscribing to encourage signups.
- Incentives: Offer incentives like discounts, free ebooks, or exclusive content to boost signups.
Boosting Your Newsletter Subscriber Count
When it comes to your online presence, it’s never too much. There are two things that matter to you: the first is to create interesting content, and the second is to grow your contact list. But the question is, how? Here are a few tips to help you with this:
- Simplify the subscription process: When you add signup forms to your website, this is about this—you could be producing great content, but people won’t be fighting to get your latest newsletter (except maybe your family and friends). If you also make it difficult for them, then you are in a mess. Also, avoid annoying pop-ups that can disrupt browsing.
Consider subtle options like slide-ins or embedded forms. Everything must be done to encourage the visitors to subscribe.
- Strategic pop-ups and live chat: Pop-ups are effective, but using them carefully is what matters the most. There is no point in hitting users with pop-ups immediately.
Similarly, live chat is a great method to gather email addresses. The key is to engage visitors in conversation and encourage them to subscribe.
- Lead magnets and promotion: Offer lead magnets—free ebooks, discounts, or exclusive content—as incentives for signing up.
Leverage your blog and social media channels to promote your newsletter. Show your existing audience the value they’ll get by subscribing.
Crafting Your Newsletter Design
So, we have talked enough about the content; let’s now talk about how to design an email newsletter.
It is important to offer a neat/pleasant aesthetic with a qualitative message; for that, you have to choose the right newsletter design!
Think about this:- your newsletter is your brand’s calling card. So, a consistent and uncluttered layout and a spacious, simple, and well-organized design matter. Plus, don’t overwhelm your audience with too much text.
Here are some tips to create a successful newsletter design:
- Few people really take the time to read the entire newsletter, so choose colors, visuals, and fonts that are recognizable at first glance.
- Remember, a picture is worth a thousand words. Images stay in the memory longer, so play on the visual along with accompanying text (as some services block image display depending on settings).
- Colors have an impact on the mood of readers. Pay attention to the hues, images, background colors, fonts, and call-to-action buttons and always test the final rendering of your newsletter on the various existing messaging services (Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, etc.).
- The newsletter should evoke emotions: joy, sadness, courage, etc. Connect with your readers on an emotional level.
Testing and Performance Tracking
Before hitting send, test your newsletter across devices and email clients. Check links, images, and formatting.
Track key performance indicators (KPIs):
- Open rates: How many read your email.
- Click-through rates: How many clicked on links in the newsletter.
- Conversion rates: Measure actions (e.g., purchases, signups).
To Sum Up
There you have it—a comprehensive guide on how to create a newsletter in your hands. Your audience already receives many email newsletters. If you want to have a chance to be read, you need to deliver a clear, enjoyable, and quality message.
We hope these tips help you show the best version of your business and make your recipients want to read you through your content. We can’t wait to see what it looks like when you apply these best practices to make a newsletter.