How to Write an Excellent Newsletter Email

Emails are an excellent way to communicate with your customers.

They aid in the establishment of a personal connection with your subscribers at scale, fostering community and reminding them that you are present.

Because it’s all about being top of mind and building organic relationships, it’s pretty much the best way to market.

Still, before we get into how to write a newsletter email, it’s important to understand why we’re doing it in the first place.

Because if you understand why newsletters are so important to your company, you’re already halfway there (and one step ahead of many of your competitors).

Consider the newsletters you receive: which ones do you read regularly? Why?

You’ve probably got a mix of newsletters from brands you admire, newsletters from brands you use, and newsletters from brands you’ve been too lazy to unsubscribe from but never open.

So, with that in mind, let’s break down exactly what an effective newsletter does:

• Readers are informed of important information about your company/products/services.
• Provides them with free value in the form of usable content.
• Relates to your readers’ lives by providing solutions to problems they are aware of (or are unaware of) having.
• Creates brand loyalty by establishing quality and timing expectations.

Doesn’t that sound great? Yes, it is. It can, however, be quite difficult. Consider all of the email lists you’ve been meaning to unsubscribe from. That’s exactly the feeling you want to avoid.

You don’t want your customers to feel as if they are selling their souls by providing you with their email addresses.

But keep in mind that standing out and getting those openings is more difficult than ever. It’s okay if your newsletter isn’t for everyone. It is far more valuable to have a clear concept that appeals to a specific audience than to try to be everything to everyone.

So, how do you go about writing this thing?

Begin by considering your audience and who they are, and then write to them. What motivates them to visit your website and make a purchase? What issues are you attempting to resolve?

You should write about them.

Some pointers:

• Maintain a relaxed tone.
• Write as if you were speaking.
• Don’t include as many links as possible — try to keep as much information as possible inside the newsletter so that the CTAs you do include stand out.
• Don’t try to be too corporate — you don’t need an amazing, beautifully designed template; instead, make it feel like you’re sending them an email from a friend.
• Send it from someone’s email address and in the first person.

What are the benefits of having a newsletter for your business?

The truth is that your company should have a newsletter because if you send these emails frequently enough, you will be able to generate consistent revenue from them.

After your automated emails are up and running, it’s time to consider one-time newsletters as part of your overall email marketing strategy.

If social media helps you raise awareness, your newsletter should focus on the next steps: consideration, decision, and, finally, retention.

The fundamentals of an email newsletter

While the structure of the best newsletters varies from business to business, here are some elements of an email newsletter to get you started:

Attractive subject line

Subject lines should not be more than 10 words long as a general rule (any longer and it will get cut off).

Draft your subject lines as if they are your only chance to catch your reader’s attention, but they must also be relevant to the content of the email.

Remember that effective subject lines take practice, but once you get into a rhythm, it won’t be long before you figure out what works for your audience.

Here are some more subject line guidelines to help you get more opens:

• Instill a sense of urgency (promotion ends tomorrow, for the next 10 hours, first 25 responses…)
• Inspire curiosity by attempting to pique your readers’ interest in what’s inside, by asking a question, or by using impressive statistics.
• Have a good time! Experiment with puns and jokes.

Text preview

That’s the text that comes right after your subject line.

And this is your second opportunity to get that open. Consider it a sneak peek into what’s inside. Use your best content or the most surprising thing in the email; you can also include some numbers or highlight a special offer.

If you’re torn between two subject line ideas, use the preview text to include both!

Title

Now we’ll talk about what’s inside your newsletter. This isn’t strictly necessary, but it’s a good way to keep your content interesting and encourage your readers to continue reading. You can create a header or title for your email that summarizes the rest of the message. You can even use the same format every time, such as:

[Business Name] Weekly: Everything You Need to Have a Great Summer While in Quarantine.

Or, if you’re highlighting a few of your best-sellers, why not make that clear?

Featured material

You can also choose to feature the location you want to send your readers to near the top of the page. You can highlight a blog post, landing page, or special product at the top and make it your first Call to Action (CTA).

Excellent content

You can have a fantastic subject line, a killer product, and something that your subscribers may genuinely want.

However, if the content in your newsletter isn’t fantastic, you’ll never get them to click and visit your store. Or, more importantly, close the deal!

Pictures/GIFs

Including images isn’t required, but it does help.

This is your chance to express yourself through GIFs or memes, as well as cool images that showcase your brand and products.

CTAs are clear and few

Your call to action (CTA) is the action you want your readers to take.

If you’re promoting a brand-new product, you probably want them to visit your store to check it out.

You want them to read your new blog post if you share it with them.

However, keep in mind that your CTAs should be extremely clear and visible. And you don’t want too many in the same newsletter (more than two is probably excessive!).

Buttons for social sharing

Social share buttons are rarely used…but including them isn’t a waste of time. Keep them small and at the bottom of your page so your readers know which platforms you’re on and can go directly to them.

Unsubscribe button

And, of course, you must include an unsubscribe link in the footer. Don’t try to hide it; make it visible. People should open and read your newsletter because they enjoy it, not because they are unable to unsubscribe.

Six best practices for creating email newsletters 

Let’s take a step back for a moment.

We understand the purpose of email newsletters: providing free value, posing problem solutions, promoting your products, engaging with your community, remaining relevant, and building loyalty.

Now that we’ve covered the fundamentals, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of how to write email newsletters.

1. Set a tone and stick to it.

Your newsletter should reflect your brand voice, even if it is coming from a specific person.

It must be consistent with your tone across all of your advertising channels. Because your subscribers joined your list because they like you, give them more of what they want.

2. Avoid using technical jargon.

If you’re selling complicated products, emphasize the solution and benefits rather than how it works or what features it has.

Your customers are probably unconcerned; all they want to know is how it works and how it will benefit them.

3. Write as if you were actually talking

Maintain a relaxed tone. Emojis, short sentences, white space, and bullet points should all be used.

Assume you’re writing an email to your mother. What words do you think you’d use?

When appropriate, use humor, and use your messaging to build rapport. You can ask questions, express your opinion on current events, share true stories, and even get personal by briefly sharing details about your life if they are relevant. Consider yourself in their shoes.

4. Keep your emails short

You’ve gone too far if you have to click view more inside the email.

Consider what people do when they are reading a newsletter from their favorite brand.

They’re usually on their phone while watching TV, sleeping, or taking a short break from work.

Because their attention isn’t entirely focused on your email, you need to make sure you get to the point quickly and keep it short and sweet.

5. Include links to the most important information.

Links should be used sparingly. The more links you have, the more competition you create for yourself in your own email.

So consider where you truly want them to go and point them there without too many other distractions.

6. Include as much information as possible in the email.

Keeping your emails informative and entertaining becomes much easier when you’re not so concerned with click-through rates and more concerned with what’s inside. The rest will happen on its own.

Avoid making grammatical and punctuation errors

When you send an email with your company name, you are not only communicating with your audience, but you are also representing your entire empire. Because the first impression is always seen as a lasting impression, don’t try to ruin it in front of your audience with minor errors.

Send flawless, high-quality emails to your target audience. Numerous free grammar-checking tools available online can help you identify and eliminate errors. Furthermore, it will assist you in maintaining the standard of a native speaker. Furthermore, it will make your email content readable, understandable, and clear content.

Level up your newsletter email and engage customers with Thank You Email Marketing Tool by Autoketing

Thank You Email Marketing Tool simplifies this aspect of automation, and you can begin your free trial today to begin sending out impactful welcome emails.

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