For most marketing managers, a newsletter is much more than just a way to promote a brand. It is an essential tool to build relationships with customers, increase engagement, boost conversions and retain loyal customers. In addition, it can show new subscribers a complete picture of what your business or brand really is about. 

However, many newsletters tend to go into spam or remain unopened. This article helps you understand how to create a newsletter that attracts your audience.

There are five steps to follow for creating an effective newsletter: 

Value-added content 

The purpose of your newsletter is to inform your subscribers of the latest updates and news. So, using the same type of information in every newsletter can get redundant. Additionally, newsletters are an excellent way to give your new subscribers a recap of what you’ve been posting on your blog. Give small summaries or short snippets on your blogs, etc. 

As long as your newsletter provides valuable information to your subscribers, they’re going to be interested in reading it. Remember, it is a way of strengthening relationships with your customers, so think about what they might want to see or hear about. If you haven’t created customer profiles, this is a great time to do so. Creating customer profiles will help you identify and categorize your audience in segments so you can personalize content for each segment and add it to the newsletter. This ensures that the newsletter is relevant for all your subscribers, regardless of their age or interests. 

Browse email newsletter templates

One of the benefits of email marketing software is the templates these platforms provide. So do some exploring and choose the one that’s the best fit for your newsletter.

Using email marketing software to create and send newsletters is a brilliant way to explore a range of newsletter templates that you can choose from. However, using ready-made templates is better than creating your own design for several reasons:

• You can repurpose and re-use the same design for future newsletters without wasting much time on design development 
• Templates also allow marketers to alter, edit and make color changes according to the brand colors. You don’t have to worry about the significant design elements because most of the work has already been done for you 

One thing to remember, however, is your target audience. Choose an email template design type that is going to appeal to your masses.If most of your subscribers consist of teens and youth, a creative, colorful template would be preferable. On the other hand, a sleek, minimal, black and white template would suit a business newsletter. 

Which email service are you sending it from

As with any mail, your newsletter can also end up in your subscribers’ junk mail. So how do you ensure that does not happen? First, see which email address you’re sending it from. Avoid using banal addresses, like Yahoo!, Gmail or Hotmail, as they do not look very professional. Instead, consider sending your newsletter using PHP or email marketing software that can help you personalize your distribution and make your newsletter seem professional. 

How does a PHP platform make your newsletter seem professional? It allows you to personalize your headers for different audience segments. Headers are the most important part of your email and play a significant role in deciphering whether your mail may be considered spam or not. 

Frequency of the newsletter 

You need to be consistent and regular when sending out your newsletter to customers. If you’re sending them after long intervals, your subscribers will likely forget about you and might even unsubscribe. But if you’re sending out emails every day, they can mark your emails as spam.

To nail the frequency of your email newsletter, there are a few things to consider, for example, how often do you send out press releases or how often do you blog? If you have a weekly or bi-weekly blogging schedule, it would probably be best to send a monthly email newsletter.

Marketers often send out weekly, monthly or bi-monthly, depending on how often they have content that can add value to their subscribers. 

Test it

There is only one way to know whether your email newsletter is successful, and that is to test it! Send it out to your friends, relatives and colleagues, and ask about any potential flaws or content loopholes. Also, try opening the newsletter on different browsers and devices to ensure that it is mobile-friendly. 

Most marketers use A/B split testing to determine which version of a newsletter do the subscribers prefer more. The version with the most views and engagement is likely to be popular among your audience. Take feedback and incorporate improvements at every step.

To conclude

So are you ready to design your newsletter? Leverage email marketing software to get access to the best email templates so you can get started. 

Hopefully, this guide on newsletters can help you devise relevant and engaging content that is bound to get your customers waiting for your next newsletter.

About the author

Jay T. Ripton is a veteran freelance business, technology and marketing writer who’s been writing to inform, educate and provoke minds for about 10 years now. Jay went to USF for marketing and business admin, only to quit his first job out of school to start his own business, which he later sold. Afterward, he’s started some new ventures and has been a go-to consultant for some startups. Follow him on Twitter @JTRipton