You have something to say.
You want to share it with the world (or at least your niche audience, school, or organization).
But you don’t want to just put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and start typing away.
You want your newsletter to be successful.
In this guide, we’ll break down the steps to getting started crafting a killer newsletter, as well as some expert tips to make sure it doesn’t just end up in the trash bin.
The Who, What, When, and Why of Your Newsletter
Before you start writing, you need to answer some key questions about your newsletter.
These will help you determine the content, style, and format of your newsletter.
You need to have a clear understanding of your purpose.
- Who are you writing to?
- What do you want to say?
- When will you send it out?
Steps to Writing a Newsletter
If you’re struggling to know where to start, follow these steps to help take your newsletter from an idea to a successful reality.
Offer Your Audience Value
Your newsletter should offer value to your audience in some way.
Whether it’s educational, inspirational, or just plain entertaining, make sure your newsletter provides value that your audience will appreciate.
The key is to know your audience and what they want.
Beyond the content itself, you can also offer value in some other ways:
- Providing discounts, coupons, or offers to subscribers
- Including insider information or exclusive interviews with experts in your chosen topic or niche
- Offering opportunities to connect with yourself and other readers through comments or chat features
- Hosting contests or giveaways
Set Your Goals
It’s important to set goals for your newsletter from the start.
Not only will this help you determine the content and style, but it will also help you measure the success of your newsletter down the road.
Your goals should be SMART: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
For example, a SMART goal for your newsletter might be to increase web traffic by 10% over the course of the next year.
- What do you want your newsletter to achieve?
- Do you want to boost sales for your business?
- Drive traffic to your blog?
- Increase engagement with your brand?
Once you’ve determined the purpose behind creating your newsletter, you can set SMART goals to keep you on track.
Pick a Topic and Structure
Your newsletter should have a focus.
Trying to cram too many topics into one newsletter will only overwhelm and bore your readers. It’s important to have a focus for each issue of your newsletter.
You can always have different sections for different topics, but make sure each section supports your overall focus.
There are a few things to consider when choosing a topic for your newsletter.
First, you need to make sure it’s relevant to your audience.
Second, it needs to be something you can write about on a regular basis.
Once you’ve chosen your topic, you need to determine the structure of your newsletter.
For example, if your newsletter is focused on the latest news in the world of fashion, your sections might be New York Fashion Week, Celebrity Style, and Trending Now.
But if you don’t have a clear focus, your sections might be all over the place, which will only confuse and lose your readers.
You should also think about the format of your content: Will your newsletter be primarily text-based, or will you include images, videos, and other forms of media?
Tips for Writing a Newsletter
Writing a newsletter can be overwhelming, even after you’ve followed the steps above.
Follow these tips for even more help with writing your newsletter.
Are you looking to monetize your newsletter? One great way to do so is through affiliate marketing. Check out our guide to the best paying opportunities out there.
Hook Readers with Your Subject Line
Your subject line is the first, and maybe only, chance you have to grab your reader’s attention.
Make sure your subject line is clear, concise, and to the point. It should give your readers a good idea of what they can expect from your newsletter.
You can also use your subject line to tease upcoming content or offers.
Here are a few examples of compelling newsletter subject lines:
- 5 Ways to Wear the Latest Trend
- The Best Kept Beauty Secrets
- New Arrivals: Your Favorite Brands
- Spring into Action: A Seasonal Guide
- There’s No Place Like Home: A Look at the Latest Design Trends
As you can see, these subject lines are all clear, concise, and to the point.
They give the reader a good idea of what to expect from the newsletter, without giving too much away.
Be Consistent (But Not Annoying)
The key to a successful newsletter is consistency.
You need to be consistent with both the frequency and the quality of your content.
If you only send out a newsletter when you feel like it, or if you let too much time lapse between issues, your readers will quickly lose interest.
On the other hand, you don’t want to be so consistent that you become annoying.
Consistency is also important when it comes to specific elements of your content.
For example, if you offer a discount code in every other newsletter, your readers will come to expect it and be more likely to take advantage of it when they see it.
A common strategy is to create a content schedule for sending out your newsletter once a week.
You can use online services like Mailchimp to help you schedule and deliver your newsletters automatically to make sure you stay on schedule.
Write to One Person
Your newsletter should be written as if you’re speaking to one person, instead of a vague, general audience.
This will help you avoid sounding like a faceless organization and make your newsletter feel more personal.
When you’re writing to one person, it’s important to use a friendly and personable tone.
You should also avoid using jargon, or industry-specific language that your readers might not understand.
Include Visual Media
Including visual media in your newsletter is a great way to break up the text and keep your readers engaged.
Images, videos, and infographics are all great options to consider.
You can also use GIFs to add some personality to your newsletter and make it more fun to read.
Just make sure the visuals you choose are relevant to your content and add value for your readers.
Don’t forget to use alt text and captions for any media you include to make your newsletter fully accessible and optimized.
Don’t Sound Spammy
Your newsletter should never sound like spam.
In addition to using a friendly tone, you should also avoid using too many exclamation points, all caps, or other types of formatting that would make your newsletter look like spam.
You should also avoid using too many links, or adding links that don’t add value for your readers.
If you’re not sure whether your newsletter sounds like spam, ask a friend or colleague to read it and give you their honest opinion.
Maintain Connection with Your Audience
Your newsletter should be a two-way conversation.
In addition to promoting your content and offers, you should also use your newsletter to get feedback from your readers.
You can do this by including a survey or poll in your newsletter, or by simply asking for feedback in the comments section.
You can also use your newsletter to stay connected with your audience by responding to comments and questions and interacting with subscribers on social media.
Close it Out
Your newsletter should always end with a call-to-action (CTA).
This could be a link to your website, a landing page, or a specific offer.
Your CTA should be clear and concise, and it should be easy for your readers to follow through.
You can also use your CTA as an opportunity to increase engagement by asking your readers to share your newsletter with their friends or social media followers.
Track Your Results
It’s important to track your results so you can see what’s working and what’s not.
There are a number of different metrics you can track, including open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribe rate, and bounces.
You can also track how many people are sharing your newsletter on social media, and how much traffic your website is getting from your newsletter.
A lot of newsletter software automatically keeps track of these metrics for you, but you can also use third-party tools to take your analysis further.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know how to write a newsletter, it’s time to put your knowledge into practice.
Keep these tips in mind as you create your next newsletter, and you’ll be sure to impress your readers.
Got any tips you think we missed? Feel free to share them in the comments below.
