What is a newsletter?
An email newsletter is a type of digital correspondence that is regularly distributed to a list of subscribers via email. The content of an email newsletter can vary widely but typically includes a mix of informational content, updates, and articles pertaining to a specific subject or area of interest.
These newsletters are sent out on a consistent schedule, which could be daily, weekly, monthly, or at another regular interval, and are designed to keep subscribers informed, engaged, and connected with the sender, which could be an individual, a business, or an organization. Email newsletters are usually crafted using email marketing software or services that allow for the design, distribution, and management of subscriber lists and email campaigns.
When creating a newsletter, it’s important to make sure that the content keeps your audience engaged and informed.
What are the benefits of newsletters?
There are a number of benefits to newsletters, which is why they are one of the most popular forms of email marketing. Some of the benefits include:
- Increased Engagement: When you send a newsletter, you are keeping your subscribers updated with valuable content on a regular basis. This increased engagement can help to keep them interested in your brand and encourage them to do more interactions with your content.
- Greater Reach: A well-crafted newsletter can help you reach a larger audience than you would be able to through other forms of email marketing. This is because newsletters are typically sent to a subscriber’s inbox, which is where most people check their email.
- Greater ROI: Because newsletters provide subscribers with valuable content, there are more chances of better result and a higher ROI than other forms of email marketing. In fact, some studies have shown that newsletters can have an ROI that is up to four times higher than other types of email campaigns.
- Increased Brand Awareness: When you send a newsletter, you are providing regular and up-to-date information with your subscribers about your brand and what you have to offer. This increased brand awareness can help to increase sales and encourage people to interact with your brand more often.
- Greater Customer Loyalty: When you send a newsletter that provides valuable content, it can help to increase customer loyalty and encourage them to stick with your brand or even refer it to their friends. This is because they will see that you are invested in providing them with valuable information and not just trying to sell them something.
What types of content work best in newsletters?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on the specific audience you are targeting with your newsletter and the type of content that will engage them. However, some general tips that may be useful include:
- Using stories or personal anecdotes to engage readers
- Including images or videos for visual stimulation
- Breaking up content with headings and sub-headings for easy scanning while reading
- Using lists to highlight key points
- Including quotes or statistics for added credibility
- Offering free and relevant resources or discounts to subscribers
- Including a call to action at the end of each newsletter
What are the best times to send newsletters?
Determining the best times to send newsletters can vary significantly depending on your industry, audience, and the individual habits of your subscribers. However, there are general trends observed across various studies that can serve as a starting point. It’s always best to test and refine these suggestions based on your own data.
Here are some general guidelines:
- Mid-Week:
- Tuesday to Thursday tends to see higher open rates compared to Mondays (when people are catching up from the weekend) and Fridays (when people are winding down for the weekend).
- Morning Send Times:
- Sending early in the morning, typically between 9 AM and 11 AM local time, can catch people as they start their workday or take their mid-morning break.
- Lunch Hours:
- 12 PM to 2 PM can also be effective, as people check their personal emails during lunch breaks.
- Late Afternoon:
- Between 3 PM and 5 PM can catch people as they are ending their workday and are more likely to have time to engage with non-urgent emails.
- Evening:
- Some audiences, especially B2C, may be more engaged in the evenings, around 8 PM when they are relaxing at home.
- Avoid Weekends:
- Generally, weekends have the lowest open rates for B2B audiences, though some B2C sectors like entertainment or retail might see engagement during these times.
- Consider Time Zones:
- If your audience is spread out over different time zones, consider segmenting your list and sending the newsletter in waves to hit the optimal local time for each segment.
The key to finding the best time to send your newsletter is to understand your audience and test different send times. Utilize A/B testing to send newsletters at different times and days to see which yield the highest open and click-through rates. Also, consider the following factors:
- Subscriber Behavior: Some email marketing platforms provide data on when subscribers typically open emails. Use this information to optimize send times.
- Content Relevance: If your newsletter content is time-sensitive, such as an event reminder or daily news roundup, timing can be critical to its relevance.
- Industry Norms: Different industries might see different engagement patterns. B2B audiences may prefer weekday mornings, while B2C audiences might engage more during evenings and weekends.
- Frequency: The best send time might change if you’re sending multiple newsletters a week versus a monthly newsletter. Avoid email fatigue by keeping a consistent schedule that doesn’t overwhelm your subscribers.
How can newsletters be optimized for mobile devices?
There are a few key ways to optimize newsletters for mobile devices.
Make sure that the newsletter is easy to read on a small screen. This means using a simple layout with large text and ample spacing between lines. You shouldn’t forget about using a responsive design that will automatically adjust to the size of the screen it is being viewed on.
Links and buttons within the newsletter should be easy to click on. People are more likely to click on a link or button if it is easy to reach with their finger. You may also want to consider using a touch-friendly version of your newsletter template so that people can navigate easily.
You can optimize newsletters for mobile devices by using shorter, more concise content. People are less likely to read long paragraphs of text on a small screen, so it is important to keep your content brief and to the point.
What are some common mistakes made in newsletter design?
There are a few common newsletter design mistakes that can really hurt your campaign. The first is not using an email marketing service. This may seem like an unnecessary expense, but an email marketing service will help you design and send your newsletters properly and track their success.
Other mistakes usually observed are:
- noring Mobile Responsiveness: With the majority of emails now opened on mobile devices, failing to design for a small screen can lead to poor user experiences, such as text that’s too small to read or call-to-action buttons that are hard to tap.
- Overcrowding with Content: Including too much information can overwhelm subscribers. Newsletters should be concise, scannable, and easy to navigate. Dense blocks of text and cluttered layouts can lead to high bounce rates.
- Using Too Many Fonts and Colors: Consistency in fonts, colors, and styles is key to professional-looking design. Too much variety can look chaotic and dilute brand identity. Stick to a limited palette that aligns with your brand and is easy on the eyes.
- Lack of Clear Hierarchy: The design should guide the reader through the content with a clear visual hierarchy, highlighting the most important information first. Neglecting this can result in readers missing key messages.
- Not Optimizing Image Use: Images should be compressed for quick loading times and should be appropriately tagged with alt text for accessibility and in case images don’t load. Using too many images, or images that are too large, can increase load times and potentially trigger spam filters.
- Forgetting Branding Elements: Your newsletter should be an extension of your brand. Failing to include your logo, brand colors, or other distinctive assets can be a missed opportunity for reinforcing brand recognition.
- Overuse of Calls to Action (CTAs): While CTAs are critical, too many can confuse the reader. It’s better to have a single, clear CTA, or a primary one with a secondary option, rather than multiple competing ones.
- Neglecting Accessibility: Not designing for accessibility can alienate a portion of your audience. Use alt text for images, ensure high contrast for text, and use a readable font size to accommodate all readers.
- Inconsistent Layouts Across Issues: While content will change, the overall layout should be consistent from one newsletter to the next. This helps with brand recognition and allows subscribers to become familiar with your content structure.
- Failing to Test: Different email clients can display the same newsletter in varied ways. Failing to test your newsletter across multiple email clients (like Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.) can lead to broken layouts for some subscribers.