But where do you start? How do you create an email newsletter that captivates readers and leaves a lasting impact? This article will guide you on how to create a newsletter through seven essential steps. You’ll also learn some key best practices along the way to boost your email marketing efforts. Let’s dive in!
What is an email newsletter?
An email newsletter is a digital publication sent to a phone number database subscribed audience via email on a regular basis – often weekly or monthly. Businesses use this email marketing tool to share valuable content, company news, and product updates.
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Why create an email newsletter?
Creating an email newsletter is an excellent move for several key reasons.
First, it allows you to build and nurture a community of engaged subscribers. Unlike social media posts or website updates, newsletters land directly in your subscribers’ inboxes, offering the opportunity for more personal and focused interactions. Research shows that over 30% of businesses believe newsletters are the best way to nurture leads.
Professional newsletters are also effective tools for driving traffic to your site. By including promotions, discounts, compelling calls-to-action, and relevant direct links, you can entice subscribers to click through and explore your offerings further.
Another advantage of an email newsletter is its cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Compared to other channels, it’s relatively low-cost and offers a high return on investment of up to 3800%.
Finally, email newsletters are one of the best ways to monetize your email list. Marketers, content creators, and publishers can make significant money through paid newsletters or by including paid ads in their emails.
So, how do you create an engaging newsletter? Let’s go over the key steps and best practices for creating an award-winning newsletter.
How to create a newsletter in 7 easy steps
A successful newsletter involves a strategic approach combining creativity, planning, and proper execution. Here are seven simple steps to help you create one that will impress your subscribers and grow your business.
1. Define your goals
Defining your goals is the crucial first step in creating an impactful email newsletter. Goals create a clear sense of direction and help you determine the key performance indicators (KPIs) to track and evaluate success.
When defining your email newsletter goals, start by determining the general purpose. Why are you creating it in the first place?
The goal of your newsletter could be to:
Inform and educate subscribers
Boost sales of your product or service
Drive traffic to your website or store
Build customer loyalty
Identifying your purpose will help you stay focused on your goals.
Example of an informative newsletter that shares informative articles, news, and job offers with its subscribers
Example of an informative newsletter that shares articles, news, and job offers with its subscribers
Next, consider who your target audience is. Understanding your audience’s needs, interests, and preferences is essential for creating relevant content that resonates with them. Define your ideal subscriber by considering demographics like age, location, gender, or psychographics like interests, values, and motivation. This will guide your newsletter’s tone and messaging to engage your readers effectively.
With your purpose and target audience sorted, go ahead and develop your SMART goals.
S – Specific
M – Measurable
A – Achievable
R – Relevant
T – Time-bound
A great example of a SMART goal for your email newsletter could be:
To increase website traffic by 20% within the next three months by driving more click-throughs from the newsletter to relevant blog posts or landing pages
This is also the perfect time to identify the key metrics you’ll use to measure your newsletter’s performance. Depending on your objectives, the metrics may include open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribe rates, or social shares. In the example above, it’s clear that the metric you’ll use to measure the success of your newsletter is click-through rates.
Read more: Guide to email marketing metrics
2. Choose an email marketing platform
Having the right email newsletter platform in your corner is essential for your email newsletter’s success. Remember, the platform you select will impact your email marketing campaigns’ functionality, deliverability, and overall performance.
So, here are the key features to consider when choosing your email marketing software:
Ease of use: Look for an email marketing platform with a user-friendly and intuitive interface. Ideally, you want a platform with drag-and-drop functionalities and AI-generative features. This will make creating, designing, and scheduling your newsletters easier without any advanced technical knowledge.
Email deliverability: Ensure the platform has a good email deliverability reputation. So look for features like authentication protocols and spam testing capabilities to maximize email deliverability rates.
Templates: The platform should provide a wide range of pre-designed but editable newsletter templates. You should also be able to create custom ones that fit your brand’s style and design.
List management and segmentation: Effective subscriber list management is vital for organizing and segmenting your subscribers based on demographics, interests, or engagement levels. Look for features that let you segment your audience easily and automate targeted campaigns for better personalization and engagement.
GetResponse is a great example of a platform with remarkable email marketing features. Our platform provides over 150 free email newsletter templates to choose from.
