Five tips for creating an email newsletter that people will want to read

Would you like to build the credibility of your business? Develop trust with your clients? Generate more leads for your business?

Email newsletters can help you achieve these goals by:

• driving traffic to your website
• promoting your products or services
• increasing your social media presence
• connecting you with your customers
• raising the visibility of your business.

But an email newsletter can only work if people actually read it. Here’s some tips on how to create an email newsletter that people will want to read.

1. Write a subject line that hooks your audience

The words in your email’s subject line are the first words your audience sees so it’s important to make these words count. These are the words that will determine whether or not your reader opens your email so it’s important to make sure your subject line is:

• clear
• brief
• positive

Here are four ways you can create an effective subject line:

1. Ask a question. ‘Time to make a will? Here’s how to ensure your will is valid.’
2. Include a call to action. ‘It’s tax time again. Find out what expenses you can claim.’
3. Use numbers or lists. ‘5 top conveyancing tips for first-time buyers.’
4. Talk about what’s in it for your audience. ‘We can help you build the house of your dreams. Here’s how.’

Remember: to build trust with your audience, you need to meet their expectations so whatever you say in your newsletter content needs to deliver on what you’ve promised in your subject header.

2. Organise your content so it’s easy to take in

To make it easy for your audience to read your email newsletter on a screen, it needs to be scannable.

• Use short blocks of text so the reader is not overwhelmed by too much information.
• Use bulleted lists so your information is easy to read and retain.
• Use subheadings so your key messages stand out.

Tell your reader what to do next

Once you have your reader’s interest, tell them what they can do next. Here are some examples:

• If you recommend a particular service to your reader, tell them how they can contact you to access that service.
• If you provide some short commentary on newly released research about your industry, provide a link to the full report.
• If you are part of social media networks, then include links to those networks in your email.

3. Give your audience content they value

When you share content you know your audience will care about, it builds trust and makes them want to keep doing business with you. This approach also helps them see you as a trusted adviser and an expert in your field, both of which build your credibility.

Here are some ways you can give your audience useful content they will value:

• Share dates your audience may need to know.
• List industry events that may interest them.
• Provide commentary on the latest news in your industry.
• Include conversations with experts from your industry.
• Answer commonly asked questions.

4. Make sure the newsletter looks good

You want your readers to take you seriously and keep doing business with you, so it’s important to ensure your newsletter looks good. You can do this by:

• structuring the information so it’s easy to read
• using colour to make your key messages stand out
• including high-quality images and illustrations that relate to your content
• incorporating videos (but only if they enhance your message, not for their own sake).

Your newsletter needs to be mobile-friendly

You’ll need to make sure your email newsletter formats properly on devices such as smartphones and iPads. Research has found that the number of people using devices to access email continues to grow. This is particularly evident among younger people with 59% of people aged between 25 and 40 years of age primarily using their smartphone to check email.

5. Be consistent

On top of creating content for your email newsletter, you’ll need to consider how often you will send it out and when. Whatever you decide, keep it consistent. Your clients or customers will grow to expect your email at a particular time so it’s important you meet their expectations. Being consistent in the way you communicate with your clients builds your credibility and trust with them. Here are some tips to help you decide on the timing of your email newsletter:

• Build the curiosity of your audience, but don’t make them wait too long. If your newsletters are too infrequent, your clients may not remember you. So pick a frequency that works for you and stick with it.
• Research has found that weekdays achieve the highest email open rates with Tuesday achieving the highest open rate. Open rates drop on weekends.
• Research shows that subscribers are more likely to read your email either after they arrive at work or when they are catching up on emails after lunch.
• Almost 22% of all email campaigns are opened in the first hour after sending. If you are sending time-sensitive information, think about when your reader is likely to open their email. (GetResponse, Email Marketing Benchmarks Report, 2020)

What else do I need to know?

When it comes to email newsletters, there is always more to learn about how you can better understand and segment your audience, what products you can use to create and distribute your email newsletters, and how you can let people know your newsletter exists. If you’d like to learn more, please get in touch with us. We’d love to talk to you about your business and how an email newsletter or other marketing tactic could work for you.