E- Mail newsletters are an essential building block in your marketing mix. The subscribers to your newsletter have made a conscious decision to remain in contact with your company.
In order for your newsletter to be opened and read, the content must be correct. We give you 8 tips for creating a great newsletter.
1. The first impression: sender, preheader, and subject
According to studies by MailChimp and Newsletter2Go, a newsletter is opened by an average of 20 to 25% of the recipients. Sender, Preheader, and Subject. These three pieces of information are displayed as the very first impression in the inbox of smartphones and mail programs.
The sender
Senders of a newsletter (shop, company, association) should be clearly recognizable. This is how serious email newsletters stand out from spam newsletters. Recognizable senders create trust and serve the need for security.
If I appreciate the brand that sends me a newsletter, this also has a positive effect on the opening rate. A strong, well-known brand can (once again) play an advantage here.
Many companies combine their company name with a real contact person to suggest a personal connection as well as trustworthiness and closeness.
The subject
The most important message of the newsletter belongs in the e-mail subject. It should not be formulated in a general but concrete manner, create an incentive to read and may have an advertising effect.
Emojis, questions, and calls to action can have a positive impact on open rates.
So that the subject is also fully displayed on mobile devices and is not truncated, 30 to 40 characters is the optimal length.
The Preheader
The preheader is the preview line that is displayed in many e-mail programs in addition to the subject line. The line is in the newsletter above the actual mailing or is highlighted in the code.
The preview text is displayed in the inbox directly under the sender and subject and is usually in a different color.
The text should complement the subject thematically and can, since the order is always the same, also refer directly to the subject.
A call-to-action, a shortage (“only 48 hours left”, “last chance”, …), a question, or a personalized text (“Josh, discover now…”) can have a positive effect on the opening rate.
Most email clients will display up to 100 characters.
2. The correct greeting in the e-mail newsletter
How newsletter readers are addressed depends on the brand identity and the target audience. First of all, clarify whether the newsletter uses the first or first name.
The newsletter should be based on the company’s usual way of communicating. Are there guidelines? And how is this question dealt with on the website and in printed materials?
As a rule, it will be the same in the e-mail newsletter. On the other hand, if the newsletter only addresses a specific target group (young people are to be informed about training opportunities), the salutation may deviate from the company norm.
Secondly, the question arises as to how you specifically want to address your readers. There are different variants:
Personalized salutation: “Hello Josh!, “Hello Mr. Anderzon!”, “Hello, Josh Paul!”
Non-personalized salutation: “Hello!”, ” Dear readers”
If sufficient data such as first name and surname are available, personal salutation is preferable. In any case, attention should be paid to addressing gender appropriately.
3. The key statement is “above the fold”
What is this about exactly? A short intro helps users to get the gist of the newsletter. The central message should be “above the fold”, i.e. in the visible area of the mail. This means: Users must be able to grasp the core of your message without having to scroll for it.
The decision “Do I stay tuned in or do I close the e-mail -Newsletter again?” is made in a matter of seconds. A short text that gets to the heart of the message and reveals what readers can expect further down the mail has the best chance of keeping them engaged. So write as concisely as possible!
4. The focus is on the target audience
When creating the text, you should always ask yourself: “Who am I writing this text for?” This also applies to the content of your newsletter. When creating the text, focus on the recipients and their needs – in a very practical way: Make your readers the subject of the sentence.
“Today we present our new collection of shoes” becomes “In this newsletter, you will get to discover our new shoes “.
5. Advertising in the newsletter is allowed, but in moderation
A common point of contention in newsletter content is advertising content. Can advertising for the product portfolio be included in the newsletter? As is so often the case, the answer is a clear yes!
Advertising content is permitted. But they shouldn’t take up more than 20% of newsletter marketing. So either 20% of each individual newsletter or about every fifth newsletter may be purely advertising, the rest useful information.
6. Pictures in the e-mail newsletter
The sentence “A picture says more than 1000 words” may seem a bit outdated, but it remains true. Photos and videos, also called visuals, have an attractive effect on people. Strong visual communication can decide whether a brand gets noticed or not.
How much space the visuals take up depends on your product or service. A fashion label will certainly place many photos in its newsletter. The text here is more of an accessory. It may look different with a product that requires explanation and has a B2B target group.
The following applies to the selection of images for all companies:
- Avoid the so-called text-image-scissors, where the content of the image and the text contradict each other or do not fit together.
- Stock photos that are only intended to attract attention but do not fit the topic have no place in your advertising material.
- Whenever your product is concerned, use your own photo and image material and refrain from using stock photos.
- Show your face – They appear lively and give your customers an emotional connection to the product. Balance all age groups and genders that are part of your target audience.
- Many images are allowed in your email newsletter, but remember that they affect the loading time.
7. Writing well and correctly: the newsletter text
The most beautiful visuals and an appealing subject line will ultimately bring nothing to your e-mail newsletter if your texts are poorly worded and your readership jumps off after the first three lines. You may even find it difficult to write. Then the easiest way to achieve your goal is to first create a text structure and then formulate the points.
Here is a checklist for legible texts:
- Structure your text by inserting paragraphs and highlighting important passages.
- Write specifically: Instead of “Many people” rather “One in three Americans”
- Use active formulations and do without passive ones formulated sentences.
- Use descriptive adjectives sparingly.
- Use vivid and figurative verbs.
- Write short sentences and avoid convoluted sentences.
- Avoid unnecessary filler words.
- Be careful with foreign words.
- Avoid modal verbs (can want, should).
- Avoid nouns, because they seem cumbersome.
8. Ask yourself: What do I actually like?
If you don’t consume at all, it’s difficult to produce. That’s why, as always in marketing, it’s worth taking a look at your own behavior when dealing with e-mail newsletters. Take a look at your inbox. Which newsletters do you like? What subject lines do you jump to? What emails do you open?
Create a collection of newsletters in which you collect elements from e-mail newsletters that you particularly liked. There you can also save the best subjects that particularly appealed to you. Because all of these are valuable insights that will help you advance.
You will find that consciously looking out for good e-mail newsletters already trains the ability to form associations and creativity. After just a few weeks, you will come up with good subject lines and appealing content much faster yourself.
Summary: 8 Tips for Your Email Newsletter
- First impressions count: Pay attention to the sender, topic, and subject.
- Choose a greeting appropriate to the target audience.
- Set the core statement so that it can be read immediately after opening.
- Always focus on your target group.
- Allow ads to only flow in moderation.
- Use appropriate images.
- Write attractive texts.
- Observe closely what you like yourself.
If you internalize these 8 tips, you are well on the way to finally exploiting the great potential that an e-mail newsletter holds. Your readers will definitely thank you!
