6 Best Practices for a Perfect Newsletter

1.One Prominent CTA

Many times, newsletters have a variety of different topics to cover. With multiple topics, things can easily get lost in the shuffle. Before you put your newsletter together, make sure that you have one clear topic that if someone were to breeze through the newsletter, they would come away with at least one main takeaway. Aside from the hundreds of other emails we are competing with on any given day, we also are competing with the target readers’ precious time. Not everyone has time to read through a lengthy email, so make sure they take away one main point.

Check out the best newsletter call to actions ever written, here.

2. Utilize White Space

 White space can work wonders in newsletters. Instead of feeling the need to cram everything into one small space, make sure to utilize white space wherever you can. This will help to alleviate a cluttered feel as you are introducing multiple topics in one email. Not only will this be more pleasing to the eye, but it will also translate much better onto a mobile platform.

3. Keep Design and Content Minimal

While you want to make sure your newsletter looks good and feels current, don’t over do it. In this setting, less is more. Overly designed images and heavy text = information overload. Take advantage of “Read More” buttons. Links or buttons will allow you to minimize the content you share, and will also give you the opportunity to take someone from the email into your website (aka sales tool)!

4. Make it Uniform Throughout

Again on the topic of design, while you will want to make sure to keep design minimal, a little bit can really go a long way. While sharing multiple articles, make sure that the image you use for each is sized the same, it makes for a much smoother transition down your screen. This also really helps to keep the newsletter looking clean.

5. When in Doubt, Ditch it

If you are up in the air on including something in your newsletter, ditch it. Make a priority list of what is going to be shared and stick to it. The last thing you want is to end up with a hodgepodge of useless information...instead, give the people what they want.

6. A/B Test Email Send Times

If your open rates are just not where they need to be, and you’ve already done a redesign of your newsletter with minimal metric improvements, you should do some exploring around your send times. Depending on the industry you are in, certain days of the week and times of the day might resonate better with your prospects. Split your distribution list evenly and try different times for each list. For the next newsletter you send out, utilize that winning time, and add a new one into the distribution. You will continue to get smarter on what works best for your target audience. There are additional things you can A/B test in your newsletter, like subject line, email send name and a few others found here.

Revamping your newsletter can be a daunting task. If you’ve been distributing one for years, odds are it’s become a messy, over-complicated project that you dread compiling monthly. Don’t be afraid to completely throw it out and start from scratch. If you build it out as a template, you can make life much easier each month or quarter by just plugging in the new information.

Is your company newsletter successful? Share in the comments what you do that contributes to the success of your newsletter.