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A good newsletter fosters connection and trust with your audience, boosts ROI, and gets conversions. Most of all, an effective e-newsletter strategy creates a meaningful relationship with your target audience. There’s a lot more to good newsletter writing than just a list of what’s new on your site. Here are some foolproof tips for creating an engaging newsletter that people will look forward to reading!

The Right Subject Line

Everyone is busy and nobody has the time to click every email they get. Many email campaigns will be deleted or forgotten without even being opened, so it’s important to have a subject line that makes people pause and want to click your newsletter in the first place. You need your subject line to inspire curiosity and entice people to click. Here are some quick tips to help write attention-getting subject lines:

  • Stay within 50 characters so people can read the entire subject line. Longer ones will get cut off in email inboxes.
  • Use an emoji (where appropriate) to stand out visually.
  • Make it personal—use “you” (“3 Things You Need to Know About Planting Spring Bulbs,” “How You Can Make Time for Self Care Today,” etc.) so the reader knows they are going to get something they can use.

Know Your Readers

Make sure you know who your readers are and write your newsletter to them specifically. Maybe you have a website on cooking, so obviously people who cook are interested but you need to know the specifics. Are your readers professional chefs or DIY foodies? Do they live in urban areas and cook in a tiny kitchen, or do they live on an acreage and use home-grown produce in their recipes? If you’re not sure who your target audience is, ask them! Send an email campaign with a survey or feedback request to get to know your readers better.

Valuable Content

Your readers have to get something out of the newsletter that they can use, whether it’s valuable information, a special offer that they want, a freebie, etc. Don’t just send them one long advertisement, give them something they will actually benefit from. A list of tips, a recipe or DIY, or an exclusive offer are all examples of useful content that will engage the reader and build trust for your brand.

Avoid the Junk Folder

Certain words get tagged as spammy and make it more likely that your email campaign will end up in the junk folder. Avoid words like “free,” “discount,” “contest,” and “win.” If you really need to include these words to get your message across, consider making an image that contains the words (for example, have an image of a product with the words “win a free [product]!” right in the image) and make it clickable.

Make it Flow

Organize your content so that it flows naturally and is easy to read. Use dividers, headings, and bold type to break up different sections and highlight the most important messages. Be sure to double check all of your links as well—it is super easy to insert the wrong link, so make it a habit to check every link before sending out your newsletter.

Polished Writing

Nobody is going to take your email—and by extension your brand—seriously if it is full of spelling mistakes. If possible, hire a professional to write your content or if you are writing your own newsletter be sure to edit multiple times. Spending the extra time it takes to choose just the right words and get the grammar right will pay off in the long run.

Visual Interest

Your e-newsletter needs to look nice and never boring. This doesn’t mean you can’t keep your design simple, just give some care to little details like font and CTA buttons. Make sure you have visuals that pop and colours that are pleasing. Branding is important here—show off your personal style.

Exclusive Content/Offers

You want your subscribers to feel like they are part of an exclusive club when they receive your newsletter. Give them access to content and offers that nobody else can get, and make sure you’re telling them that. People will feel special if they have access to something exclusive and are more likely to take advantage of it.

Include CTAs

If you want your readers to do something, it’s best to simply ask them to do it. Include a clear call to action that stands out visually and tells the reader exactly what you’d like them to do (“Buy Now!” “Visit Our Blog,” etc.). You’ll be surprised by how effective it is to just ask for what you want!

Make it Easy to Connect

Include your social icons at the bottom of every newsletter so it’s easy for readers to engage with your brand by following you on social media and sharing your content. The goal of a good e-newsletter campaign is to build relationships and trust with your customers, and if you are doing that effectively they will want to follow your social accounts.

Don’t Flood Inboxes

Make sure that your newsletter doesn’t come out so often that you’re cluttering up peoples’ inboxes. Once a week is the absolute most you should send out newsletters, and bi-weekly or monthly are also good strategies. You might think that a daily newsletter sounds like a good idea, but it’s just going to annoy people and not give you enough time to come up with quality content. Give your readers—and yourself—a pause between newsletters to avoid inbox overwhelm.

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