Creating Engaging Newsletters: Your Go-To Guide

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Creating engaging newsletters isn’t as complicated as you might think. “Yeah, right” is what you’re thinking. After all, email marketing is what I do for my day job. But believe me when I say that you can make your newsletters engaging.

And when people love what you send them, magic happens. They look forward to receiving your emails. They start to trust you as the go-to expert. And they buy from you.

Yes, email marketing takes work. What in life doesn’t? But you don’t have to make it complicated.

Let’s break this down, so you can create your own engaging newsletters!

1. Who Are You Talking To?

First things first. Who is on the receiving end of your emails? Your readers aren’t just names on a list. You should think of them as friends. People you want in your community (yes, your community).

That means tailoring your content to what interests them.

I signed up for a webinar once (bear with me here.) It was targeted at coaches (tick), who wanted to earn more money (tick) and would share a system to help them (tick.)

I logged on eager to hear the advice. The speaker lost me about halfway through because all his examples and references were to cars.

I love my car; I’ve had Ruby since 2010. Just because I have a car doesn’t mean I’m a petrolhead.

The presenter didn’t consider his audience. He didn’t know who he was talking to and lost me.

When they followed up with me to book a free session with the speaker (where their CTA would be for me to buy a service), I was honest when I declined. If I didn’t feel a connection with him on a webinar, how would I on a one-to-one session?

Do you see what I’m saying here?

2. Your Subject Line Needs Love!

Do you write your subject line in less than 30 seconds? If you’re nodding here, you’re making a huge mistake! Creating engaging newsletters isn’t only about the email content.

It starts with a humdinger of a subject line. Why? Because you want people to open your emails. Your subject line is your first hello.

These days, “monthly newsletter” just doesn’t cut it. Don’t get me wrong, you don’t have to be Ricky Gervais.

But you do have to write subject lines that entice people to open your emails. You need to hook into some emotions.

Be cheeky, be intriguing, but most of all be you!

Need help with your subject lines? Get my cheat sheet.

3. It’s Showtime: Your Content

Jazz hands 👐🏽

You’ve got people to open your email, now what?

Even the most serious industry can have an engaging newsletter. It all stems from mixing up your content.

Share some wisdom – we’re all thirsty for knowledge. We sign up for emails to learn something.

Maybe you have a funny story related to your business. (I have one about an evening event where I was the presenter. One of the male attendees asked me, in all seriousness: “If you’re here, who’s cooking your husband’s dinner?” I can laugh at it now!)

Look at what your readers are clicking on. That is telling you what they like. They’re sending you a message.

Creating engaging newsletters means making your readers the centre of what you write… 80% of the time. For that remaining 20% you can ask them to buy/register/download that thing.

And they’ll be happy to because of the value you give them.

4. Design Matters

Look, I’m not saying you should spend ages on your newsletter making it look pretty. But here’s the thing…

That email is representing you and your brand. So, right out of the gates, it needs to look like it’s yours.

You have brand colours, use them! I would say don’t use more than three.

(I had a colleague at Constant Contact who would say “Using too many colours on your email is like a rainbow spit up on it!” She’s American and spit up means threw up!)

Add your logo, or if your newsletter has a name, have that at the top. If you’re using a logo, put it in the top left or in the middle. That’s best for when reading on a screen.

Use your fonts. Most email tools now have a range of fonts. Find yours or the closest one to it. It also needs to be web-safe, which means it will look the same for everyone. Stick to two fonts at the most. You can always change the sizes and use colour to add differentiation.

Creating an engaging newsletter only needs to take 15 minutes or less. Read this.

5. What’s the Goss? Share It With a CTA

Every good conversation ends with a “So, what’s next?” You’re making those dinner plans, you’re buying those gig tickets, you’re booking that holiday. That’s a call to action – even in your personal life!

The same goes for business. It’s inviting them to check out my online course “Small Business Email Marketing”.

It’s asking them to join The Marketing Morsel Club.

It’s asking them to _________________ (fill in the blank.)

Whatever you’re asking them to do, it needs to stand out. Don’t bury it somewhere deep amongst the text of your email.

Use a button (we all know what to do with those!) and make that button a contrasting colour so it stands out.

Use action words on the button so people know what to do.

6. Make It Mobile-Friendly

So many people read their emails on their mobiles these days. There’s no getting away from it. You want to create engaging newsletters? You need to make sure they’re mobile-friendly.

Your emails should be readable on any device.

I know that most of my emails are opened on desktops. But I still design for mobile.

Here are a few things to help you:

• Use a single-column template.
• Make your titles at least 24 point in size.
• Use at least 16 point for your main text.
• Optimise your images and try not to use more than three.
• Put your call to action above the scroll. That means high up in your email.
• Link your main image to the same place as your call to action.

7. A Little Experiment Never Hurt

Don’t let things get stale. Test things so you can keep your emails fresh and appealing to your list.

Maybe mix up your subject lines. Did I mention how important they are? You should spend time crafting them, so they stand out in your readers’ inboxes. Want help? Try Subject Line to rate yours.

Run A/B tests on your subject lines. That means you use two different subject lines. Each one is sent to a proportion of your list. The winning one gets sent to the remainder.

Figure out the best time to send for YOUR list. Do that by running a send A/B test, or better still, ask your readers.

Remember to only test one thing at a time. Otherwise, you won’t know what worked.

It’s like finding a cake recipe you love and tweaking it a bit at a time to create your signature bake!

8. Stay legal

We have data protection laws, and you need to stay on the right side of them. Compliance isn’t a choice. It’s a requirement.

Familiarise yourself with ours (still GDPR) and make sure you know what you need to do to stay on the right side of them.

That means:

• Having a privacy policy on your website.
• Explicit consent to send emails (another reason to use an email service provider, like Constant Contact.)
• A simple way for people to unsubscribe (again, an email service provider will manage these for you.)

If you’re stuck and want help, go to The ICO. They have everything you need to stay compliant with GDPR.

Crafting Newsletters That Captivate and Convert

Creating engaging newsletters that sparkle with personality isn’t just about sharing what’s new; it’s about building a connection, a community, and, dare I say, a little fan club.

If you’re itching to dive even deeper into the email marketing pool, why not check out my course? It’s packed with all my secrets to email success, and I’d love to share them with you.

So, there you have it. My top tips for newsletters that not only catch the eye but steal the heart. Let’s make your email list the place to be, shall we?