Do you remember back in the day when coupons and newsletters were delivered to us in the mail? Okay, maybe some companies still use this method, but chances are, you get a lot more coupons and newsletters by email these days, right? This is solid proof that email newsletters aren’t going out of style anytime soon. For this reason, it’s super important that you, a strong business woman, know how to write a great newsletter that people will open, read, and act on.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Narrow your focus
It’s really important that you choose one thing to talk about in your email newsletter and focus on that. Too often, newsletters are cluttered and confusing because someone created them to act as an advertisement for their whole business. The way to write an engaging newsletter, however, is pick something that’s going on in your business that is newsworthy.
Are you having a sale? Do you have a new product? Maybe you just want to talk about current events, and you have something really important to share with your subscribers! Whatever it is, keep it specific and focused.
2. Offer something money can’t buy
Sure, everyone loves to save money. But if your newsletter’s #1 goal is to get people to buy, buy, buy, you’re going to lose their interest. Instead of always giving them something that is valuable monetarily, give them something that will make them value YOU as a person and/or as a company.
Educate your subscribers by offering insight to certain products or practices that you offer, bring light to something that is really important to you and your mission, you can even just share something that you think is interesting! Oftentimes, business owners and their clients have similar frames of mind. If you enjoy something, chances are, your clients are going to enjoy it, too.
3. Personalize your newsletters
When you receive a newsletter that you feel was literally written just for you, it makes you feel special – like the owner if the company themselves has sent you a personal email! Personalized emails work so well, in fact, that they have been found to have success rates that are 139% higher than emails that are obviously generic blasts.
A great way to personalize emails is to first address the email to someone’s name (obviously). But you can personalize emails even further by sending out a newsletter that was designed based on a client’s preferences or purchase history. These newsletters are generated by an algorithm that can be tailored to any and all of your subscribers!
4. Write a great email subject line
The very first thing that is going to get someone to open your email newsletter is the subject line. If you have a killer subject line, you’re going to have a higher click-through rate because your subscribers are going to be so intrigued, they just have to know more!
Writing a great subject like this doesn’t have to be hard. Many people tend to overthink it and assume it has to be SEO-friendly or summarize the newsletter just right. Throw that thinking out the window and write something creative, fun, and enticing. What would make you want to open an email? Check out these example headlines from CB2, a trendy retail company:
“champagne feels, prosecco budget”
“25% off BATH GOALS”
“U WANT THIS BED”
“ultimate bar setup: 30% off”
“summer sale + summer lookbook”
Notice how they included sales, deals, and coupons, but they also included quality information about things they know their subscribers will be interested in.
5. Keep the message short and the graphics sweet
It’s super important to keep your email copy concise and aesthetically pleasing. A cluttered newsletter can be confusing, intimidating, or just unattractive! You want to have a couple short paragraphs, and a few great images to grab and keep the reader’s attention.
While you do want people to read your newsletter, your ultimate goal is to get them to open it, read the awesome things that you have to say, and then follow through with the call-to-action. In addition, you want the call-to-action to be obvious. If the reader spends too much time searching for the link that they need to click for the rest of the newsletter, coupon, or website, you might lose them.
6. Be yourself!
Email newsletters are a great opportunity to let your personality shine. You built this amazing business and people deserve to know the woman behind the curtain (or screen)! Adding personal touches to your email newsletters will make subscribers feel closer to you and like you’re one of their friends. They’re also great opportunities to add a little bit of humour or spread some much-needed love.
For example, if you don’t want to use proper grammar (like in the CB2 example above) no one says that you have to! Use your slang, abbreviations, capitalizations, all-lowercase letters… whatever makes you, YOU. You know yourself and what your clients want so there’s no reason to feel the need to conform to a certain template
7. Stay consistent in your branding
This ties into the previous tip a little bit. Once you’ve got your brand’s personality down, it’s important to be unwavering in it. Keep your colour choices consistent, your logo exactly the same, and have a generally similar layout for each newsletter that you send. You want the reader to recognize who it’s from as soon as they open it and not confuse your brand with someone else’s.
Creating an engaging newsletter is all about what’s going to make people act. With these tips, you know how to present your information in an attractive way that will not only get clicks but will generate sales! Start implementing these tips today and watch your click-through rates rise and your sales soar. Follow us at @WeAreCandescent and let us know how things are going with your newsletters! If you have any questions or secrets that have worked for you, tag us so we can keep on lifting each other up to success!