The ABC's of Writing a Great Newsletter
The kids may be the ones back at school but they’re not the only ones that need a little post-summer refresh – for business owners, your homework is likely creating engaging content to hit those year-end goals.
In business, a well-crafted newsletter can act as a powerful tool to connect to your customers, promote your products, and brand your business.
However, cutting through the noise to deliver a newsletter that your audience will be keen to read calls for a mix of creativity, focus, and strategic thinking. And that’s exactly where the ABC’s come in; to guide you down the road of creating a send-out that is memorable, engaging, and distinctly you.
A - Audience
Understanding your audience represents the first step towards creating a successful newsletter, as customer insights guide your content, design, format, and delivery. Start by developing a comprehensive audience persona – this means understanding your readers demographics, preferences, reading habits, and pain points. Each newsletter that you create should be tailored to engage, inspire, and appeal to your viewers.
B - Brand Consistency
A newsletter is part of your brand ecosystem; hence, it should maintain a consistent tone, style, and visual identity that resonates with your brand. This uniformity bolsters your unique image, helping your audience to instantly recognize your newsletters even before they start reading your content. Remember to consistently incorporate your logo, tagline, color schemes, and typography that align with your overall brand identity.
C - Content
You’ve likely heard this before but it’s true: content is king, so make it relevant, valuable, and engaging. A great newsletter strikes a balance between promotional and informational content, delivering valuable insights, actionable tips, industry trends, or inspiring stories besides highlighting your products or services. Remember, if your audience finds your content valuable, they’re more likely to share your newsletter within their networks, expanding your reach significantly.
D - Design
A well-designed newsletter is attractive, easy to read, and impactful. Using a clean layout, incorporating captivating images, and breaking your content into digestible parts make it more appealing to readers. You’ll also want to make use of headings, subheadings, bullet points, and infographics to improve readability, and ensure that your design is accessible across various devices.
E - Engaging Subject Line
Getting your audience to open your newsletter starts with an engaging subject line that hooks their interest. It should be persuasive, intriguing, and on point so that readers know what they’re going to get once they click inside. Consider using action words, asking questions, or invoking curiosity to increase your open rates.
F - Frequency
Consistency and regularity are paramount when it comes to newsletters. Choose a frequency - be it weekly, fortnightly, or monthly - and stick to it. Regular, predictable newsletters not only keep your brand top of mind but also strengthens your credibility and trust with your target audience.
G - Goals & CTA
Every newsletter that you send out must have a clear goal. Whether it's driving website traffic, promoting a new product, or raising awareness about a cause, your purpose should guide your content creation. Once you've defined your goal, incorporate strong Calls to Action (CTA) to guide your readers on what to do, and where to go, next.
H - Hone Your Voice
Every brand has a unique voice - a distinct way of communicating with its audience. Ensure that your newsletter reflects your brand's voice be it formal, casual, funny, or inspirational. This will help to develop a strong connection with your audience via your distinctive tone and digital presence, especially when done consistently.
I - Incorporate Analytics
Lastly, integrate digital analytics to track your newsletter's performance and tweak your strategies accordingly. This can typically be done through the platform you’re using to send out your newsletters, such as ConstantContact or MailChimp, which monitor open rates, click-through rates, and engagement levels. This data will give you valuable insights into what’s working, what’s not working, and guide your future newsletter strategies for more targeted success.
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When executed correctly and consistently, newsletters can elevate your brand, deepen your connection with your audience and, ultimately, boost your business growth.
Whether you’ve been thinking about starting a newsletter for your business, need a refresh on your current send-outs, or would like help getting content out more consistently, our Descriptive team would be happy to help!
Reach out to us to chat about your goals or book in to schedule a complimentary 30-minute brainstorm – we’d love the opportunity to connect with you!
P.S. If you’re wondering about what happened to the rest of the alphabet… stay tuned! We hear J-Z will be making an appearance in upcoming blog posts 😉