writing a newsletter article template

How to Write A Newsletter: Step-By-Step Guide (With Real Examples)

Today I’m going to show you how to write a newsletter — Sumo-style.

In fact, it’s the same newsletter writing tips we used to make $1,846 monthly recurring revenue when we promoted  this blog post  to our email list:

Want to learn how to write an email newsletter for yourself? Then keep reading!

In today’s article, I share  how to write a newsletter, including tips, step-by-step instructions, advanced tactics, and even how to outsource it.  Here we go!

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4 tips on how to write a newsletter

Before we dive into the practical steps, here are the basics of what makes a great newsletter.

1. Make it something people want to read

This one should be obvious, but I get emails telling me someone’s life story or things I couldn’t care less about all the time. It’s a waste of my time.

And that’s still not the end of the email! (Sorry Jonathan, love your work, but this is just too much for me to read in my email.)

I’m not saying this to be harsh — I’m saying it because it’s true.

Your audience doesn’t care about your life or your problems. They only care about how you can help THEM with THEIR life and problems. 

It’s just human psychology.

By the same token, don’t only send ads to your list. (Unless that’s why they opted in for, then give them what they want.)

Ask yourself: If I got this email, would I care? It’s hard to be objective, but try.

2. Fix your open rates

Getting people to open your emails is half the battle.

MailChimp ran a study of their customers and found the average open rate across all industries on their platform is just 20.81%. [ * ]

In other words,  only a fifth of your subscribers will open your email.  Not great.

Luckily, you can improve that drastically by:

• Writing great subject lines.
• Building trust with your audience that your emails are worth reading.
• Using your name in the “From” address instead of a brand name.

Put another way, here’s an equation:

Interesting Subject Line + Audience Trust = Open Rates

If your audience trusts you as a person (or as a brand) and they trust your emails are usually valuable to them, they’ll probably open your email regardless of the subject line.

On the flip side, if they don’t know you well but your subject lines pique their curiosity or touch on something they really want, they’ll also open.

When you have trust AND a great subject line? Boom! High open rates.

3. Be consistent in your delivery

This one’s easy! Don’t send so many emails you annoy your audience, but don’t be a ghost, either. Find a schedule, and stick to it (within reason).

Don’t send three emails one week, then none the next. Stay consistent.

Send weekly emails every Friday? Great! Send biweekly or monthly emails? Awesome. Send emails daily or multiple times a day? That’s probably bad unless your subscribers knew what they were signing up for.

If you’re a statistics-driven person, note that a HubSpot study which shared open rate medians also looked at the median open and engagement rates based on the number of emails sent per month. [ * ]

Here’s what they found for impact on open rates for their customers:

And for impact on click rates:

It seems the sweet spot is between  16-30 emails per month  (an email daily or every other day).

“Note: Campaigns are defined as targeted, individual emails sent to a portion of a database — not an email blast to everyone.”

That said, you should always test different frequencies to see what works best for you. A best practice is to set expectations in your welcome email to tell people how often you’ll be emailing them.

4. Keep it short and simple

The final tip before we dive into the nitty-gritty:  Don’t tell your life story!

I already mentioned this in the first tip, but it’s worth mentioning again from another angle. People are getting busier every day. Nearly 3.4 million emails are sent  every second . [ * ]

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

So do yourself and your readers a favor, and make your emails short and sweet.

Keep your emails no longer than 3 to 5 paragraphs. Use short sentences and simple, easy-to-read wording. Try to write at a seventh-grade reading level or lower (you can use Hemingway Editor to check your content’s reading level).

5 steps for writing your first newsletter

Now that you’ve got those tips in your back pocket, let’s write your first email newsletter !

1. Decide what you want to share

The first step is to figure out what you want to say or share.

Some ideas include:

• New content you created (blog posts, videos, infographics, etc.).
• Other people’s content you found relates to things your list cares about.
• Projects you’re working on.
• New product launches.
• Discounts and flash sales (use sparingly).
• *Mini blog posts (emails that are written well enough to be a blog post on their own).

*Mini blog posts are the only emails I’d ever send that are fairly long, because they provide lots of value. For example, Kai Davis often sends his list mini blog post emails: [ * ]

Once you know what you want to share, it’s time to draft your newsletter!

2. Write a draft like you’re writing to a specific person

Whenever you write an email, you should always write as if you’re writing to a specific person. This could be a persona you made up to act as your ideal subscriber, or it can be someone you know.

Either way, write the email as if you’re writing to that person. This will help you make it more personal and interesting than if you just wrote to “everyone.”

Need some inspiration? Click the button below to get my email newsletter swipe file with five awesome examples.

GET THE NEWSLETTER SWIPE FILE

3. Review the draft

After you finish your draft, don’t forget to review proofread it. Make sure it sounds interesting, you haven’t forgotten to finish a sentence, and you don’t have spelling and grammar errors.

I highly recommend you read the email out loud at least once. Reading your words out loud makes it easier to catch typos helps you see if you’ve written in an interesting, conversational tone.

If you’re feeling lazy, you can copy and paste the email into a text-to-speech tool like Natural Readers or even Word to have it read it to you.

While you’re at it, have someone else read the email. Try to find someone who resembles your audience, if possible. Otherwise, a friend or family member will do in a pinch. They’ll help you further refine the email.

4. Send to a portion of your list first

Before sending your newsletter to all of your subscribers, consider sending the draft you just proofread to a small chunk of your list (10-15%). This will help you see what kind of open rates the email gets, and make sure everything works OK.

If you don’t have a large enough list to do this, follow our  guide to growing your email list so you can get more subscribers!

5. If all is well, send to everyone

Finally, if everything sent OK and you didn’t get any warnings or people emailing you back saying something is broken or doesn’t make sense, send it to your entire email list

Give yourself a pat on the back! You wrote and sent a newsletter.

3 advanced tips for a newsletter your subscribers will love

Feeling the itch to improve? I’ve got you covered! Here are three advanced tips to take your newsletter to the next level:

1. Segment your list for better engagement

Segmenting your email list means separating your subscribers into different “segments” or “buckets”. It looks like this:

Segmented lists perform far better than non-segmented lists. MailChimp found segmented lists receive 14.31% more opens and  double  the clicks compared to non-segmented lists. [ * ]

There are a few ways to segment a list:

• Based on what they opted in for on your website (i.e., guide to email marketing versus guide to SEO).
• Based on which emails they open (i.e., email about email marketing versus email about SEO).
• Based on which links they click within the emails (i.e., link about email marketing versus link about SEO).

Ideally, you’d want to segment based on all three.

For example, if someone opts in to your content upgrade about how to lose weight, send them articles about exercise, nutrition, and supplements.

Depending on which emails or links they click, send them more emails about the topic they’re most interested in. So if they’re most interested in exercise, send them more emails about exercise.

To start segmenting in  Sumo List Builder , go to the  Success  section of any form.

Then use the dropdown under  Add Subscribers To Group  to select a group to put them in.

To use this successfully, you need to segment them by how they opt in on your site.

So if they opt in for a certain content upgrade or discount, put them in a group that sends emails related to that upgrade or discount.

2. A/b test your email subject lines

The next “advanced” technique I want to talk about is split-testing your email subject lines. (I put “advanced” in quotes because it’s actually pretty simple.)

Split testing, or A/B testing, means sending two or more variants of your subject line to see which one performs the best (i.e. gets the highest open rate).

You can also split-test the content itself, such as the email copy, type of discount, etc., but we’ll stick with subject lines for the sake of simplicity.

To A/B test your subject lines, first brainstorm some ideas. Come up with 5-10 ideas, then pick the two most promising to test.

Many email providers, such as ConvertKit , allow you to do this automatically. Click the  A/B  button next to the subject line.

3. Survey your audience to see what they want

My final advanced technique is the least technical! Surveying your audience is easy, quick, and gives you some great insight into what they want.

You can create a survey to figure out what kind of content they want to see more of, what they like or dislike about your product(s), how often they want to receive emails, and more. The sky’s the limit!

Here’s how it’s done:

• Decide what questions you want to ask (use what I said above to brainstorm ideas).
• Create a free Typeform account or use a Google Form (they both work great).
• Add the questions with choices to your survey. You can choose from multiple choice, short text, long-form text, etc..

• Copy the URL for the survey. Write up an email to send to your list and include the URL for your audience to take the survey.
• Wait for the results and review!

Here’s an example survey email you might send to your list:

Hey, [name]…

I need your help.

You see, we’re trying to [mission, such as teach a million people make $100 through Facebook ads]. But we can’t do that without you!

We want to make sure our [content/product] is the best it can be. To do that, we need you to tell us what you need so we can provide it.

Please take 60 seconds to fill out this ultra-quick survey and help us send you better [content/product]: URL

Thanks so much!

Keep crushing it, [Name]

The survey might then have questions like:

• What struggles are you having with Facebook Ads? (Long-form answer)
• Which part of the advertising process are you most stuck on? (Multiple choice)
• How many emails would you like to receive every week? (Multiple choice)
• Is there anything else you’d like us to know? (Long-form answer)

Easy-peasy!

How to outsource your newsletter

Let’s say you’re not too keen on writing newsletters every week. Is it possible to hire someone else to do it for you? If so, how?

It is, and you have plenty of options:

• Hire someone from a freelance site like FreeeUp, Fiverr, or UpWork.
• Hire someone locally or someone you know and train them to do it.
• Hire an agency that specializes in email marketing.

The first two options are cheaper but time-consuming. The third option takes virtually no time at all, but can be extremely expensive.

If you opt to hire someone as your virtual assistant or newsletter writer, here are a few tips to help smooth out the process:

• Try to find people with raving reviews. Testimonials speak a thousand words.
• In your job listing, be as thorough as possible. Explain the exact skillset you need, what your business is about, a little about you if it makes sense, and your expectations in terms of the results you’re after.
• Always give your job applicants a test. This could be a trial newsletter written in your tone and style, for example.

On average, it costs anywhere from $10 to $100 per newsletter, depending on who you hire and how involved you want your newsletters to be.

MARKETING INSIGHTS

15 brilliant newsletter examples (and why they work)

• Lena Sernoff
• Nov 26, 2023
• 15 min read

When creating email marketing campaigns , newsletters are one of the most effective ways to connect your business with your audience. That's because email newsletters can help nurture customers, build brand loyalty and drive traffic and conversions when you create a website .

In order to reap the benefits of your newsletter, your emails need to be engaging, insightful and visually appealing. It might seem challenging to follow all these best practices in one email, but it can be done. In this article, we've gathered 15 outstanding newsletter examples for your inspiration. They've been categorized accordingly so that you can find the best example for your type of business and your specific marketing strategy .

What is an email newsletter?

An email newsletter is a regularly sent email that informs subscribers about the latest news and updates about a product or brand. It's a valuable tool for businesses to stay connected with their customers, promote new products and services and build brand awareness.

Newsletters can be sent weekly, bi-weekly or monthly, depending on the frequency of updates and the preferences of the subscribers. They typically include a variety of content, such as:

Company news: Announcements about new products, services or initiatives

Industry news: Updates on trends and developments in the industry

Thought leadership: Articles and blog posts on relevant topics

Promotions and discounts: Special offers for subscribers

Customer stories: Case studies and testimonials from satisfied customers

Newsletters are a great way to nurture relationships with customers and keep them engaged with your brand. They can also be a powerful tool for generating leads and driving sales.

What makes a good newsletter?

Before you make a newsletter , you should know what separates the good from the great. Here are some of the best practices to keep in mind as you craft your own newsletter:

Set clear goals: We recommend you have a clear mission and message behind every newsletter . You can segment your email list based on goals set for certain groups, whether it's to generate awareness or drive sales. Segmentation is important because it helps you send the most relevant content in correlation to where the user is in their customer journey.

Use a range of newsletter ideas: To keep your readers’ attention, you can change up your content using different newsletter ideas . From success stories and listicles to guides, these types of content engage users so that they look forward to your next outreach.

Be visual with your design: Your newsletter design should aim to be eye-catching and intriguing. The best newsletter examples include illustrations, photos or videos. Whichever you choose, your newsletter design needs to stand out.

Include a CTA: Incorporate a strong call to action (CTA) button somewhere in the newsletter that leads to a relevant business page. If you have not yet done so, creating a website will allow you to maximize your newsletter’s traffic, elaborate on your offer and best drive conversions.

Keep it mobile-friendly: Since most emails will be read on a smartphone, you should make sure your newsletters are mobile-friendly. For instance, readers will only be able to see the first 30 characters of your subject line when opened on a phone. With this in mind, write your copy considering these space limitations.

According to Dor Cohen , Content Distribution Specialist for Wix.com,

"The optimal newsletter frequency depends on your audience's preferences and engagement levels. Monitor metrics like open and click-through rates to find the sweet spot - too often can lead to burnout, while too infrequent may cause loss of interest. A/B test different variables and adjust based on what maximizes readership and conversions."

Best newsletter examples:

We Are Travel Girls

Foreign Policy Design Group

AIGA Design

Deakin University

Tech Will Save Us

Passion City Church

Holiday newsletter examples

01. skillshare.

Subject line: Honoring Juneteenth

Online learning community Skillshare celebrates Juneteenth, an annual holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. In its newsletter, the company interviews its own Black artists and creators and shares their stories about what Juneteenth means to them.

Readers of the email newsletter received compelling images and powerful quotes that brought this complex topic to life. We believe this is a strong newsletter example because Skillshare successfully connects a historical moment to its own users in a unique and engaging way.

Why this newsletter example works:

Ties a national holiday back to their business

Showcases users in an effective way

Incorporates interviews and quotes

02. John Lewis

Subject line: Perfect gifts for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a big holiday, especially for retail brands. As a business owner, or someone starting a business , you’ll need to know how to make your email newsletters stand out on this important day.

Take John Lewis’ email example as a model to base your next holiday campaign. Readers are greeted with a clear and concise Mother’s Day message in the subject line and an easy to find link to the company’s gift guide.

The brand also uses storytelling to help promote its products. For example, there is an image of breakfast being served in bed, accompanied by a text about letting your mother enjoy her favorite morning treats in her new John Lewis pajamas. After all, people want to buy products with great stories associated with them. And this newsletter example perfectly carries out that concept.

Has a clear subject line

Adds value with a holiday shopping guide

Uses narrative storytelling to drive interest in their products

Home decor newsletter example

Subject line: June newsletter + floral styling tips for beautiful home

MiMOKO sells beautiful handmade ceramic planters and vases. Although the company is primarily an online store , MiMOKO does not merely focus on promoting products and sales in its newsletter. Instead, they use many high-quality photographs to give inspiration for the product’s use.

In this newsletter example, you can find tips for styling tall vases, including using flower diversity, varying heights, and different forages in one vase. MiMOKO is able to introduce subscribers to new concepts relating to their products. Furthermore, their email helps solve a reader's pain point and puts the focus on the customer and not the business.

Emphasizes on photographs, thus letting the “images speak for themselves”

Offers helpful design tips that are embedded in the newsletter

Solves a pain point and puts the customer first

Food and restaurant newsletter examples

04. allplants.

Subject line: New Dish Alert! Tempeh Rendang Curry

Instead of inviting users to open their wallets, the company opens its readers’ appetites with mouth-watering photos and detailed descriptions that foodies won’t be able to resist.

A vegan food delivery service, Allplants’ email newsletter is a great example to follow. With it, the company is able to update users about new dishes on offer, as well as ingredients and nutritional information.

Allplants also hosts a giveaway campaign for its users on their next order. Using a free incentive, like a promotion code, can be a strategic way to get people to take immediate action on your newsletter.

Writes descriptive text

Uses a promotion code

Creates strategic content

Subject line: New on the Resy At Home Hit List: Cassava, Miss Ollie’s, Z Zoul, and More

Not all reservations are created equal, which is why Resy, a restaurant website , is on the mission to reinvent the way we book our reservations.

In its newsletter, Resy cooks up a selection of 10 local restaurants it recommends that month. This list is displayed using an off-balance symmetry and different-sized numbers that culminate into a truly engaging experience.

Furthermore, the newsletter content is accompanied by strong CTAs, displayed in a consistent blue font. Resy also drives people to download their mobile app with the large font that reads, “Don’t have the Resy App? Get instant access to the best restaurants.”

Visual way to use numbers in a listicle

Consistent and clear CTAs

Drives users to download an app

Travel newsletter example

06. we are travel girls.

Subject line: Wanderlust Wednesday (June 30th, 2021)

We Are Travel Girls is a community that inspires, connects and empowers female travelers. Their newsletter below includes diverse and helpful content, including travel book recommendations, travel news and relevant product suggestions.

As a best practice for newsletter layout, they’ve included numbers, images and clear CTAs. You’ll also want to consider ways to diversify your own newsletter content, where each section continually adds value for readers.

We Are Travel Girls’ email subject line is always “Wanderlust Wednesday,” with the date added at the end. This is in reference to a day recognized in the online community in which people share travel tips, tricks and trips. The group strategically sends out its newsletter on this day. Can you think of a day of the week or month that your brand might be most relevant and take advantage of it?

Diversifies content

Beautiful layout and design

Is sent on a relevant day of the week for its target audience

Design newsletter examples

07. foreign policy design group.

Subject line: Foreign Policy Design: Memo

By turning its newsletter into a memo, Foreign Policy Design’s marketing emails show to be artistic and undoubtedly creative. At the top of their email, they use a checklist, acting as a captivating teaser. Also, their typewriter font adds to their signature look. Keeping this in mind, consider adopting some consistent design in your campaigns that will enable users to immediately recognize your emails in their inbox.

The group's layout isn't the only reason we included Foreign Policy Design in our newsletter examples. We also admire this newsletter's implementation of a survey as part of its email marketing strategy. Asking your readers directly what they want will help you create a tailor-made and relevant newsletter. As a result, you can expect higher open rates and better engagement.

Uses a memo layout instead of the traditional newsletter format

Has a consistent font and design to create its signature look

Surveys its readers directly to improve content relevancy

Subscribe to the Wix blog newsletter  for a weekly dose of web design tips and trends.

08. AIGA Design

Subject line: Big Data’s Biases, and the Artists and Designers Filling in the Blank Spots

Professional association for design AIGA knows exactly who its audience is and speaks directly to them in its Eye on Design newsletter. The organization chooses a story from its website each week and highlights what makes it so exciting.

In the email newsletter example we've chosen below, you can see how AIGA does an excellent job summarizing a complex article about big data. You'd think a piece written about such a topic would be dry or possibly daunting to follow in an email. However, by using clear headings, images to break up text, and even a quote excerpt, the whole article becomes exciting and easy to read.

Another factor that stood out to us is that the whole newsletter consists of three: colors pink, black and white. This simplistic yet stylish email allows for a clear newsletter layout.

Highlights a story each week

Makes long-form content digestible

Is simple and stylish

Technology newsletter example

09. wetransfer.

Subject line: We say it best when we say nothing at all

Sometimes it's good to think outside the box. WeShare's whole newsletter is image-based which makes a statement about the file-sharing app. Knowing its users are primarily designers and creators, this newsletter example is “eye candy” to them. We can learn that you do not have to be traditional in your email newsletters. In fact, going against the stream can help you stand out and send the right message.

At the bottom, WeTransfer writes “bring your ideas to life,” and links to their products. They've thereby connected the dots between the newsletter's focus on art and its tool that allows you to share your creativity and files.

Goes against the norm with an image only newsletter

Knows its exact audience and caters to them

Bridges between the newsletter and the company’s products

Blog newsletter example

10. wix blog.

Subject line: The dos and don'ts of great logo design

When you subscribe to the Wix Blog newsletter , you're updated with tips and guides across website design, business growth and marketing to help you succeed online. We assign themes to our weekly newsletters to help readers focus and go in-depth into a specific topic.

We also support each niche topic using three closely related blog posts. Looking at the example of our logo-focused newsletter below, you can find one article about dos and don'ts of logos, a second one analyzing logo colors and a third post showcasing the best logos.

On top of content depth, we also find it helpful to add a product link to the landing page where users can take action and begin their creation journey. In the case of our example, you can go directly to the logo maker from the Wix Blog newsletter to get started.

Creates weekly newsletter themes that go in-depth into one topic

Strong CTA’s for each blog post

Includes a link to the end product to help readers get started

Looking to start a blog ? Get started with our blog maker.

Banking newsletter example

Subject line: Your Account is Still Waiting

While the color green might make you think of money, it also represents sustainability. In the case of Ando bank, the group is fighting climate change and wants clients to know that all its investments support green initiatives.

Since a lot of thought goes into where we deposit our money, Ando is wise to include that as part of its mission: "Banking with purpose" and "Banking for a more sustainable tomorrow" to help build a brand that's authentic and generates trust.

Additionally, Ando uses powerful repetition in its subheadings like "Banking for balance," "Banking with clarity," and "Bank with confidence." There is a good rhythmic feel to this text that also informs readers and establishes trust. Then, at the bottom comes the CTA "open my account" to convert the lead.

Educates readers about the bank’s values and mission

Is well-written content

Uses strong CTAs to drive conversion

Education and school newsletter examples

12. deakin university.

Subject line: Congratulations, you made it!

Who said school newsletters have to be dull? Deakin University welcomes its accepted students with a celebratory greeting, "Congratulations, you made it!" The bright design sets the tone for an exciting future ahead upon opening the email.

Each section in this newsletter example is sectioned off with a different neon color—courses in yellow, upcoming events in pink, scholarships in blue, and preferences in purple. This type of organization method greatly enhances the user experience and makes it effortless to find what you need.

Friendly subject line

Well organized color coding of categories

Exemplifies that long newsletters can still be intuitive

13. Tech Will Save Us

Subject line: Prepare For The Future

The subject line "prepare for the future" helps contextualize Tech Will Save Us' newsletter. The education company promotes projects and games that help students prepare for future careers such as in AI, robotics and space travel.

Tech Will Save Us uses cartoon images, boasting oversized typography and solid colors that make the email playful and engaging. There are sticker-like overlays such as a power voltage, pencils and stars that encompass an educational tone.

Lastly, its included subscription prices make it easy for the reader to understand the different tiers that they can choose. The group also makes the wise choice to add pricing toward the bottom email, hoping to convert at the end of a user's scrolling journey.

Contextualizes its mission

Adds playful design and colors that align with the educational brand

Incorporates subscription tiers in an effective way

Church newsletter example

14. passion city church.

Subject line: Watch "The Long Way Up" streaming on YouTube now!

Passion City Church's newsletter comes in bright colors, providing a happy and cheerful tone. In this newsletter example, the church starts by prompting new videos which are uploaded to its YouTube channel. You, too, can use a video maker to create engaging video content for your email campaigns.

A church newsletter is also a great place to remind people of upcoming gatherings and important speakers. Passion City Church advertises its pastor series effectively with a CTA button where readers can learn more about him before the event. Just like Passion City Church, in your own newsletter, you’ll want to remind people of your church's gathering times and days.

Uses an inviting visual language

Promotes video content successfully

Shares the church’s gathering times and upcoming speakers

Health and beauty newsletter example

Subject line: Hey, you're in!

Multivitamin company Ritual is a good example of a company staying on brand throughout its email marketing efforts. If you go to its website, you can see the same font, colors, and logo present in Ritual’s newsletter, conveying a consistent professional look. Try to use the same visual language in your newsletter as you do in your website design .

This email newsletter example has an engaging product image above the fold that is sure to pique visitors’ curiosity. It also informs readers about the company’s mission, promise and products. Ritual has kept each section to just a few sentences that educates without overwhelming the reader.

Lastly, Ritual utilizes the bottom section of the newsletter to prompt readers to follow the company on social media. Driving people from their newsletter to their social media might have likely helped grow Ritual’s Instagram to 267,0000 followers, and counting.

Shows consistency in design and colors that align with its website design

Displays great use of a large image in the newsletter

Offers a strategic way to gain social media followers

What are the elements of an email newsletter?

An effective email newsletter blends engaging content with a visually appealing layout to capture subscribers' attention and convey the desired message. Here are the key elements of an email newsletter:

Compelling subject line:  The subject line is the first impression your newsletter makes, so it should be clear, concise and attention-grabbing. Use strong verbs and relevant keywords to entice recipients to open the email.

Preheader text:  The preheader text is a brief summary that appears below the subject line. It provides additional context and encourages readers to open the email. Keep it concise and informative, highlighting the main points of the newsletter.

Header:  The header is the top section of the email newsletter, typically featuring your brand logo and establishing a consistent visual identity. Use a clean and professional design that aligns with your brand aesthetic.

Hero image:  The hero image is a large, visually striking image that captures the essence of the newsletter. Choose a high-quality, relevant image that sets the tone for the content.

Content sections:  Divide the newsletter into clear and distinct sections, each focused on a specific topic or theme. Use clear headings and subheadings to guide readers through the content.

Body copy:  The body copy is the main text of the newsletter, where you deliver your message. Keep it concise, informative and engaging. Use a clear and readable font, and break up the text with bullet points, numbered lists or short paragraphs.

Call-to-action (CTA):  The call-to-action is a prominent button or link that tells readers what you want them to do next. Use clear and actionable language, such as "Shop Now," "Sign Up" or "Learn More."

Unsubscribe link:  Include an unsubscribe link at the bottom of the newsletter, allowing subscribers to opt out if they no longer wish to receive your emails. This is required by law and demonstrates respect for your audience.

Footer:  The footer provides additional information about your company, such as contact details, social media links and copyright information. Keep it concise and professional.

Remember that the layout of your email newsletter should be visually appealing and easy to navigate. Use a consistent color scheme, ample white space and a responsive design that adapts to different screen sizes.

How to make a newsletter

Creating an engaging and effective newsletter involves planning, designing and writing content that resonates with your target audience. Here's a step-by-step guide to crafting a compelling newsletter:

1. Define your goals and audience

Start by clearly defining the purpose of your newsletter. What do you want to achieve with it? Are you aiming to inform, educate, promote or simply connect with your subscribers? Once you have a clear goal, identify your target audience. Who are you trying to reach with your newsletter? Understanding their interests, preferences and online behavior will help you tailor your content effectively.

2. Choose an email marketing platform

Select an email marketing platform that aligns with your needs and budget and that provides tools to manage your email list and analyze campaign performance. Wix Email Marketing is a built-in email marketing platform that seamlessly integrates with your website. It offers a user-friendly drag-and-drop editor, a variety of designer-made templates and advanced data analytics to help you create, send and track email campaigns effectively.

3. Design a visually appealing template

The layout and design of your newsletter play a crucial role in capturing attention and conveying your message effectively. Choose a template that matches your brand identity and use visuals strategically. Consider using high-quality images, consistent branding elements and a clear hierarchy to guide readers through the content.

4. Craft compelling subject lines and preheader text

The subject line is the first impression your newsletter makes, so it's critical to craft a concise, attention-grabbing line that entices recipients to open the email. Use strong verbs, relevant keywords and a sense of urgency to pique curiosity. The preheader text provides additional context and encourages readers to open the email. Keep it concise and informative, highlighting the main points of the newsletter.

5. Write engaging and informative content

The content of your newsletter should be informative, valuable and relevant to your target audience. Use clear and concise language, break up text with bullet points or numbered lists and personalize the content whenever possible. Include a mix of content formats, such as articles, blog posts, tips, customer stories and event announcements.

6. Incorporate a clear call-to-action

Every newsletter should have a clear call-to-action (CTA) that tells readers what you want them to do next. Whether it's visiting your website, signing up for a webinar or making a purchase, make your CTA prominent, easy to find and actionable. Use strong verbs and enticing language to encourage clicks.

7. Proofread and test your newsletter

Before sending your newsletter, thoroughly proofread the text for any grammatical errors or typos. Ensure that all links are working correctly and that your newsletter displays well across different email clients and devices. Consider sending test emails to yourself or colleagues to check the overall look and feel.

8. Send and track your newsletter

Once your newsletter is ready, schedule it to send at a time when your audience is most likely to be engaged. Use email marketing platform analytics to track open rates, click-through rates and unsubscribe rates. Analyze this data to identify what resonates with your audience and make adjustments to future newsletters.

9. Continuously improve and adapt

Newsletter marketing is an ongoing process, so it's essential to continually monitor your results and adapt your strategy accordingly. Gather feedback from subscribers, experiment with different content formats and CTAs and stay updated on email marketing trends to keep your newsletters fresh, engaging and effective.

Thank you, Really Good Emails , for providing some of the images for the newsletter examples in this article.

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How to Write a Newsletter: A Comprehensive Guide to Creating Engaging Newsletters

Table of contents

Want to turn your newsletter from 'meh' to a 'must-read'?

What if I tell you there are surefire ways to harness the full power of email marketing through engaging newsletters?

Buckle up! We're about to get on a journey to craft different types of newsletter content that'll make your readers interact more with your brand.

According to a study published by Hubspot , 77% of marketers have seen a major increase in email engagement in a duration of 12 months. And all of them confirmed newsletters had played an instrumental role in connecting with their audience, driving engagement, and fostering brand loyalty.

Ever wondered what it takes to create a newsletter so enthralling that the target audience can't resist sharing it?

The answer lies in learning how to write a newsletter that stands out from the crowd and keeps your subscribers coming back.

Here, we have created a comprehensive guide on the strategies you must follow to write compelling newsletters. Follow this to create welcome and promotional letters, blog updates, event recaps, interview newsletters, etc.

Also, we'll introduce you to Writesonic's cutting-edge email Writing tool and Chatsonic, which will revolutionize your newsletter creation process.

What’s more, this blog will help you understand how to write an extraordinary newsletter article that leaves a lasting impression.

Let's unravel the mysteries together.

Table Of Contents

What are the key elements to consider while writing an engaging newsletter.

Writing a captivating newsletter copy is often about choosing the right words. As a successful email marketer, you must understand the key elements contributing to its success.

This section will discuss the crucial factors you should take care of as you learn how to write a newsletter that resonates and brings the desired results.

1. Define Your Target Audience

You can create content that caters to your subscribers' needs and interests only when you understand your target audience well.

As the first step towards crafting engaging emailers, establish a clear profile of your target audience.

Then craft content that speaks to their pain points, offers valuable insights, and establishes a stronger connection with your brand.

2. Decide Your Newsletter's Goals and Objectives

Once your target audience is defined, it's time to set proper goals and objectives. Are you looking to generate leads, drive traffic to your website, or simply engage and inform your audience? You must set your primary goals and objectives depending on what you want to achieve with the newsletter.

For example, a newsletter that aims to generate leads can show subscribers its product value proposition, case studies, or success stories, as Writesonic did in its newsletter AI Chronicles - that talks about all AI tips, tactics, and tools for marketers.

Whereas, while writing an email newsletter, if your goal is to drive traffic to one of your blogs, you can theme your email around the blog topic and add a link to the blog.

Once you define the newsletter's purpose, you can create content that aligns with your objectives. Eventually, resulting in your readers staying engaged and motivated to take action.

3. Find Inspiration from Good Newsletter Examples

It's always helpful to seek inspiration from successful newsletter examples. As you learn how to write a newsletter, you must study the best. Find out popular and creative newsletters from businesses worldwide that people love receiving and engaging with.

Then thoroughly study the newsletters to understand the practices and creative approaches the content creators are using. It will provide you with many ideas and help you understand what makes a newsletter stand out.

Analyze the following elements in high-performing newsletters' to refine your approach and elevate your content.

Want to know some newsletter hacks that really work? Here are 5 email marketing tips to drive more conversions .

Here are a few good newsletters I personally follow

1. Alex Cattoni - For modern marketing & copywriting wisdom.

2. The famous - Lenny’s Newsletter for building products, driving growth, and accelerating career.

3. John Bonini’s Some Good Content newsletter explores the ideas, tactics, frameworks, and processes that make good content.

4. AI Chronicles by Manvi Agarwal for AI-powered writing insights, tips, and tool reviews.

Now, we know what elements to look into while writing your newsletter.

But the main thing - how do you actually write one? Let’s get on it!

How to write a newsletter: Key components and best practices to write a good newsletter

1. choosing the right subject line.

We all know the importance of a compelling subject line in increasing open rates. According to a survey published on Zippa , 47% of email users decide whether to open an email based on the subject line alone.

Writing an engaging subject line requires creativity, strategic thinking, and a knack for capturing readers' attention. When it comes to writing subject lines that boost your email open rates taking help from generative AI tools can be beneficial, as you will never be out of ideas.

E.g. Chatsonic , a ChatGPT alternative from Writesonic, can help you generate captivating subject lines that pique curiosity and entice readers to click open. You can experiment with different variations, explore creative angles, and watch your newsletter's open rates rise.

It’s super easy to use Chatsonic for generating email subject line ideas. All you need to do is open Chatsonic and ask the generative AI tool to create captivating newsletter subject lines on the topic of your interest.

2. Picking a relevant topic for your audience

As you delve into how to write a newsletter, one of the most critical aspects you'll encounter is selecting the right topic. The topic you choose to address can significantly affect your newsletter's success – it can be the difference between an email that gets opened and read and one that gets sent straight to the trash bin.

Let's discuss how you can pick topics that resonate with your audience.

• The first step to picking a relevant topic is understanding your audience. What are their interests, needs, or challenges? How can your business help them? You can conduct reader surveys, use feedback forms, or analyze engagement on your website and social media channels to gain insights into your audience. The more you understand your audience, the better equipped you'll be to choose topics they care about.
• Next, figure out what you want to achieve with your newsletters. Are you trying to promote a product or event? Or maybe you're sharing company updates or thought leadership pieces. Each goal will drive different topic choices. It's also helpful to keep an eye on industry trends. What are the hot topics in your field? What are your competitors talking about? Stay updated with industry happenings to ensure your newsletter content is current and relevant.
• Finally, remember to balance your audience's needs with your business's needs. The best newsletters provide the reader value while aligning with the objectives.

Picking the right topic is an essential step in creating successful newsletter content. With some research and understanding, you can choose topics that will engage your audience, increase your open rates, and help you achieve your newsletter goals.

3. How to write a newsletter introduction?

The introduction is your very first opportunity to make an impression on your readers’ minds. So, you have to make it count. Your introduction should be interesting and encourage them to read further.

Here are the 5 elements that your newsletter introduction should have,

• Attention-grabbing opening: Start with a captivating hook to immediately grab the reader's attention and make them curious about the newsletter's content. Suppose you are writing a newsletter to give your users easy hacks to boost their productivity. A perfect attention-grabbing opening for the newsletter content can be like this, "Discover the secret to boosting your productivity by 200% with just one simple technique...”
• Concise and clear purpose statement: Clearly state the purpose of the newsletter in a concise and straightforward manner. Tell readers what they can expect from the newsletter and why it is relevant. For example, suppose your newsletter aims to help your audience achieve new heights in their businesses. In that case, you can start with something like, "Welcome to our monthly newsletter, where we share expert tips, industry insights, and exclusive offers to help you grow your business. In this month, we are going to discuss the unique ways of creating and distributing newsletters as part of your marketing strategy.”
• Personalization and connection: Address the readers directly and make them feel personally involved. Use inclusive language and consider referencing their interests or pain points to establish a connection. Let’s say, for example, you share recipes and culinary experiences with your audience as newsletters. And a new user named ‘Sam’ has joined your email list. A nice personalized onboarding email like the following will really help you build a connection with him. "Hey Sam, we're excited to have you on board! As a passionate foodie, we know you'll love the mouthwatering recipes, culinary hacks, and exciting restaurant recommendations we have in store just for you.”
• Value proposition: Highlight the benefits or value readers will gain by reading the newsletter. Clearly communicate what unique insights, information, or resources they will receive. Suppose you run a business consulting firm, and your newsletter helps businesses with distinct marketing strategies, valuable insights on the market, business analytics, etc. As part of showing the value proposition in your newsletter introduction, you can start the conversation with your subscribers: "Get ready to unlock a wealth of knowledge! In this edition, we'll dive deep into proven marketing strategies, share case studies from successful entrepreneurs, and provide exclusive access to free resources that will propel your business forward.”
• Anticipation-building: Tease upcoming content or features that will be covered in the newsletter to create a sense of anticipation and encourage readers to continue reading. Let’s suppose you are running a fashion brand and use newsletters to inform your audience about the latest fashion trends, industry news, new launches, etc. If your brand is supposed to launch its new collection and the goal of your newsletter is to create some traction around it, you can start the newsletter like the following, "Discover the latest trends, must-have fashion tips, and exclusive sneak peeks at our upcoming collection in this edition. Trust us; you won't want to miss what we have in store for you!”

You can use a captivating question, a surprising fact, or a thought-provoking statement to engage your audience right from the start.

4. Crafting an engaging email newsletter body

Your newsletter’s body is the portion that can eventually keep your readers engaged. What you need is to provide them with valuable and informative content that addresses their needs and interests. Here are a few tips to help you create captivating content for your newsletter:

• Keep it concise and to the point: Readers appreciate brevity, so ensure your content is clear and concise without sacrificing substance.
• Use a conversational tone: Write as if speaking directly to your audience, making your content more relatable and engaging.
• Incorporate storytelling: Share real-life examples, case studies, or personal anecdotes to make your content more memorable and impactful.
• Be informative but also entertaining: Strive to strike a balance between providing valuable information and keeping your content enjoyable to read.

5. Utilizing storytelling and effective writing techniques

Storytelling and effective writing techniques can make your newsletters more appealing to your readers. Effective storytelling can evoke emotions and make the content memorable. It can humanize your brand and build a deeper connection with the audience. Also, stories are easy to digest. So, you can use storytelling techniques to share complex information in more easily understandable forms.

For example, suppose you are a tech product company and have recently launched new product features. Now, when it comes to explaining this to your audience, you can take different approaches.

One where you use heavy technical terms and professionally explain the features to your audience. And there is another way where you use a more interactive approach and share the story that leads your company to the feature update and how the new feature will help resolve your users' problems.

Of course, the second approach will get much more traction as your audience can connect with the story easily.

Not only storytelling but the writing techniques you use in your newsletter has to be effective to bring engagement. You must use clear and concise writing to ensure your audience can understand your message. Also, using dynamic language and an active voice creates a good impression and establishes much-needed authority while building a connection with the readers.

As we are talking about utilizing effective writing techniques, see how you can improve your writing skills !

6. Crafting a strong call-to-action for your newsletter

CTAs are vital because they tell your readers about the next step. Whether visiting your website, downloading a resource, buying a product, or sharing your content, a CTA prompts your readers to act, making your newsletter more interactive and effective.

Crafting Your CTA

The best CTAs are clear, concise, and action-oriented. You want to leave no ambiguity about the action your readers should take. For example, instead of a vague phrase like "Learn more," try a more specific CTA like "Download our Free E-book Now."

Furthermore, ensure your CTA aligns with your newsletter's content. If you've been discussing a new product, your CTA might be "Buy Now" or "Learn More About Our New Product." The CTA should flow naturally from the content, leading the reader seamlessly toward action.

Location of the CTA

Placement also plays a significant role in the effectiveness of your CTA. Generally, it's good practice to include your main CTA near the end of your newsletter, but it can also be effective to place a CTA above the fold – that is, visible without scrolling down.

A/B Testing

Finally, remember that crafting a successful CTA often involves testing. Use A/B testing to try out different CTA texts, placements, and designs and see what works best with your audience.

Want to create call to action that converts? Here is a guide to crafting compeling CTA .

7. Formatting and structuring your newsletter article for easy reading

Want to showcase your content effectively? You must select the right format for your newsletter! Consider your audience's preferences and the type of content you're sharing when deciding on a format.

Some popular formats include:

• Single-topic newsletters: Focus on one primary topic or article, ideal for in-depth exploration of a subject.
• Curated content newsletters: Feature a collection of handpicked articles, resources, or news items from various sources, perfect for sharing industry updates and insights.
• Multi-section newsletters: Include various sections or categories, allowing you to cover multiple topics in a single newsletter.

8. Utilizing newsletter templates for efficient design

A visually appealing and well-designed newsletter template catches the reader's eye. Also, it enhances the readability and overall experience of your readers. To create a stunning template, focus on the following primary objectives and create stunning email newsletter templates:

• Use a clean and simple layout: Avoid clutter and effectively use white space to ensure your content is easy to read.
• Incorporate your brand identity: Reflect your brand's colors, fonts, and logo in the design to create a consistent and recognizable experience.
• Opt for eye-catching visuals: Use high-quality admirable images , illustrations, or infographics to support your content and make your newsletter more engaging.

9. Tips for creating a mobile-friendly newsletter

Optimizing your content for mobile viewing is crucial, with a significant portion of your audience likely reading your newsletter on their mobile devices. Here are a few tips for creating a mobile-friendly newsletter:

• Use responsive design: Choose a template that automatically adapts to different screen sizes, ensuring a seamless experience for all readers.
• Opt for larger font sizes: Make your text easily readable on smaller screens by using larger font sizes and appropriate line spacing.
• Keep your content concise: Lengthy content can be overwhelming on mobile devices, so aim to keep it clean without sacrificing the true essence of your message.

How to write a newsletter for a company?

When it comes to creating newsletters for a business, you must follow a pre-defined strategy. A successful newsletter strategy involves adapting your approach to suit various industries' unique needs and expectations. Let's dive into the essential steps to create an engaging and effective company newsletter that stands out:

1. Ensuring brand consistency and alignment

Brand consistency plays a pivotal role in email marketing. It helps to build trust and improve brand authority among customers. According to a study published on Marq , around 68% of the respondents said that brand consistency has contributed 10% to more than 20% of their revenue growth.

Therefore, you must follow a consistent strategy while creating a company newsletter. All the elements in your newsletter should echo your brand's identity. For example, if your brand uses a vibrant, lively color palette, ensure your newsletter mirrors this. The copy should also reflect your brand's tone of voice. If you're a tech start-up and use casual, conversational language, it should also be evident in your newsletter.

2. Providing company updates and news

Customers love to stay informed about their favorite brands. That’s why informing your customers of the latest company updates and industry news is a great way to showcase a customer-first attitude. A study published on SproutSocial says that 40% of respondents feel a stronger connection to the brands that share content highlighting the latest trends in their industry.

Hence, sharing important company updates and industry news through newsletters is a great way to engage your customers. Whether it's a recent award, a new partnership, an exciting project, or even leadership changes, you can communicate these updates effectively through your newsletters. However, you must provide this news with context so your readers understand why this is important and how it aligns with your company's objectives.

3. Promoting products, services, and events

Promoting products, services, or events subtly in your newsletter can be beneficial. Engage with your readers with persuasive and informative writing while making them understand how the particular product or service can help. Remember, the goal here is to inform your readers, not to oversell. Thus, maintaining a balance in your tone is extremely important.

You can take an example of the AI Chronicles newsletter from Writesonic. Writesonic recently launched Article Writer 5.0. The tool can write factually correct, SEO-optimized blogs in seconds. So, our email marketing team took the leverage to introduce it to our audience with captivating newsletter content that our audience will love to read about.

4. Celebrating milestones and highlighting employee achievements

Adding that human touch to your newsletters is important. You can craft your newsletter content to celebrate your company's milestones, successful project completion, employee achievements, etc. It will help you to build a strong connection with your readers.

For example, suppose your company recently celebrated its 10th anniversary; you can create a newsletter to share some highlights of the journey, including pictures of celebrations or quotes from your team. Similarly, if an employee has achieved something significant, sharing their story can be a good way to create engaging content for your newsletter.

Planning and distributing your newsletter

Once you've mastered how to write a newsletter, the next vital step is to plan the distribution effectively. Having a solid strategy for who receives your newsletter and when they receive it is key to maximizing engagement and ensuring your message gets seen.

Let's explore how you can build your email list and decide on your newsletter's ideal frequency and timing.

1. Building your email list and growing your audience

Building and expanding your email list is a crucial first step in planning your newsletter distribution. But remember, it's not just about the number of subscribers - the quality of your audience is just as important.

Here are some proven strategies:

• Start by adding a simple sign-up form to your website, ideally at multiple locations: in the header or footer, within blog posts, or as a pop-up. Ensure the sign-up process is easy, requiring minimal information – typically, just a name and an email address will suffice.
• Offer incentives to subscribers. This could be early access to your products, exclusive content, discounts, or a helpful resource like a free ebook or guide.
• Promote your newsletter on your social media platforms. This can help you tap into your existing follower base and attract subscribers who are genuinely interested in your content.
• Lastly, always assure subscribers that their data will be kept secure and won't be shared - maintaining trust is paramount.

2. Deciding on the frequency and timing of your newsletter

Deciding how often and when to send your newsletter can significantly impact its success. Too frequent, and you might annoy your audience; too infrequent, and they might forget you.

There are three basic factors that you must consider when it comes to deciding the ideal frequency for sending newsletters.

• First and foremost, consider your audience's needs.
• Then, your content generation capacity.
• And lastly, the nature of your industry.

A monthly newsletter might work for a B2B company, while a fashion retailer might need to send weekly updates.

Now, coming to timing, various studies suggest different 'best' times to send emails. However, the golden rule is to know your audience. Analyze your email metrics to understand when your subscribers are most active. Initially, try the trial and error method by sending your newsletters on different days and times and tracking engagement.

Remember, regularity is key. Once you've decided on a frequency and timing, stick to it. Your readers should know when to expect your newsletter in their inboxes. With strategic planning and execution for your newsletter distribution, you can ensure that your newsletters reach the right audience at the right time, maximizing their impact.

3. Leveraging Chatsonic to find people to collaborate with and generate new ideas

Using new ideas and collaborating with industry experts may intrigue your audience. Trying different approaches and asking experts to collaborate with you will add more value to your content.

However, from finding the right people to collaborate with to creating content on interesting topics, things might initially seem overwhelming. But the Chatsonic generative AI tool from Writesonic can greatly help you.

You can find interesting topics for the newsletter and get suggestions on people to collaborate with.

For example, suppose you are creating newsletters on everything AI. The content you create talks about recent AI tools, updates, and AI trends. You can ask Chatsonic to find out already established newsletter creators in the niche and then approach them for collaboration.

Measuring the success of your newsletter

Once you've learned how to write a newsletter and have a distribution plan in place, the next crucial step is understanding how to measure its success. Tracking your newsletter's performance and making data-driven adjustments can significantly enhance its effectiveness.

Let's delve into the key metrics to track, how to analyze and optimize your performance, and the importance of continuous improvement through feedback and iteration.

1. Key metrics and benchmarks to track

There are several essential metrics you should monitor to evaluate the success of your newsletter:

Open Rate: This is the percentage of recipients who open your newsletter. It's a vital indicator of the effectiveness of your subject line and the overall interest in your content.

Click-Through Rate (CTR): This measures the percentage of recipients who clicked on at least one link within your newsletter. A high CTR suggests that your content is engaging and relevant.

Bounce Rate: This is the percentage of emails that could not be delivered. A high bounce rate may indicate issues with your email list. The bounce rate is very useful for keeping your email list organized and tracking deliverability.

Unsubscribe Rate: This is the rate at which people opt out of your newsletter. A high unsubscribe rate can indicate content irrelevance or excessive mailing frequency.

Device Statistics: Understanding what devices your audience uses to read your newsletters (desktop, mobile, tablet) can help you optimize your content layout and design for those platforms. For example, ensuring mobile-friendly design would be crucial if a significant portion of your audience reads your newsletters on mobile.

Spam Score: Spam score shows the chances of your newsletter ending up in the spam folder. High spam scores can drastically reduce your email reach, so it's important to use a trusted email service, avoid spam-triggering words in your subject line, and always include a clear way for recipients to opt out.

Conversion Rate: This is the percentage of readers who completed a desired action, such as purchasing or filling out a form. It's a key indicator of your newsletter's effectiveness in driving business goals.

2. Analyzing and optimizing your newsletter performance

Regularly analyzing these metrics can identify trends and areas that need improvement.

For example, experiment with more compelling subject lines if your open rates are lower than industry benchmarks. If your CTR is low, it might be time to re-evaluate your content and call-to-action placement.

Moreover, running A/B tests can help optimize your newsletter. You can create two versions of the same newsletter with one key difference (such as the subject line or CTA placement). Then send each version to a subset of your subscribers, and analyze which performs better.

3. Continuous improvement through feedback and iteration

Finally, remember that improvement is a continuous process. Encourage feedback from your subscribers and constantly iterate on your strategy based on the responses and the data from your performance metrics.

One effective way to get feedback is through simple surveys or by offering an option for readers to rate each newsletter. This direct feedback can help you with valuable insights into what your audience likes and what they want to see more of.

Understanding how to measure the success of your newsletter is just as important as knowing how to write a newsletter. By consistently tracking key metrics, analyzing performance, and iterating based on data and feedback, you'll continually enhance your newsletter's effectiveness, keeping your audience engaged and driving your business goals.

Top 3 Newsletter Platforms to Scale Your Newsletter Campaign

Beehiiv is a fantastic newsletter platform designed to streamline your newsletter creation process. This is the ideal tool for folks still in their early days and just learning how to write a newsletter. The platform has an intuitive interface with pre-made templates. The best part is that you can customize the templates to match your brand's aesthetic. Beehiiv also comes with some robust analytics tools. You can use these tools to track your newsletters' performance, engagement rates, and open rates, providing valuable insights into your content strategy.

• Easy to navigate and use even for beginners.
• Offers a range of pre-made customizable templates.
• Enables tracking of newsletter performance.
• Monetization with 0% membership fees.
• Does not have some of the more sophisticated features.

If you're looking for a platform that perfectly balances ease of use and advanced features, Beehiiv might just be your hive!

2. Substack

Thanks to its innovative approach, Substack is one of the most popular newsletter platforms. The platform empowers email marketers to monetize their content directly. It has a subscription model that allows your subscribers to pay for the content they love. Substack's simple, user-friendly interface makes it easy to craft engaging newsletters without any technical expertise.

• It has a unique pricing model that lets creators earn from subscribers.
• With a clean, clutter-free interface, Substack is easy to use.
• Fewer options for personalizing newsletters.
• Not ideal for larger businesses.

If your primary goal is to create a community of dedicated readers willing to pay for exclusive content, Substack could be your perfect match.

3. Sendinblue

Sendinblue is more than just a newsletter platform; it's a comprehensive marketing toolkit. Along with creating and sending out beautiful newsletters, you can also use Sendinblue for SMS marketing, creating landing pages, and even automating your marketing workflows. It offers detailed analytics, helping you optimize your campaigns and improve your overall strategy.

• Comprehensive marketing tool with a range of features beyond newsletters.
• Provides in-depth insights to optimize your campaigns.
• The wide range of features could be overwhelming for beginners.
• Potentially higher cost depending on your needs.

For those looking for a versatile, all-in-one marketing solution, Sendinblue should be at the top of your list.

The Final Word: Your Guide to Stellar Newsletters

In conclusion, mastering 'how to write a newsletter' involves understanding your audience, delivering tailored content, and adapting your approach for different industries.

Writesonic's tools can significantly streamline this process, assisting in crafting engaging and relevant content. Our AI-powered solutions ensure your newsletters resonate with your audience and drive desired outcomes.

We invite you to explore Writesonic's suite of offerings and experience firsthand how our tools can enhance your content marketing efforts. Remember, a successful newsletter goes beyond informing—it engages and builds meaningful connections with your audience. Let Writesonic guide you in achieving just that.

Satwick Ghosh

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How To Create a Newsletter: The Ultimate Email Marketing Guide

Email is a time-tested tool to drive sales and conversions. In fact, according to  HubSpot , 59% of Americans say the emails they receive are useful. Marketers are also using tested strategies such as personalization and segmentation to improve open rates. Segmented emails have a 30% higher open rate than generic emails. 

Of course, the most effective newsletters take more than simply drafting something and clicking send. To successfully engage with your email subscribers, your newsletter must entice readers and encourage them to interact with your content.

The key to doing this: crafting email messages that inspire readers to act.

Below, we'll show how to do just that. You’ll learn how to create a newsletter that people will actually read, and find out best practices to get the most from your email marketing.

What Are the Benefits of Email Newsletters for Businesses? 

Video marketing seems to have taken over the headlines when it comes to grabbing customer attention, so you may have considered ditching your email marketing altogether. But email is still a proven engagement tactic even in the video age. A solid newsletter benefits your company in multiple ways.

Email marketing is cost-effective and continues to offer a positive return on investment. Over half of marketers stated that their email ROI was twice as high in 2023 as it was in 2022. Small business owners indicate that email is their second most effective marketing channel for building awareness. 

Email marketing is also measurable. Most email marketing software offers analytics with statistics on click-through rates, open rates, unsubscribe rates, and more. These metrics offer valuable insights into what topics best engage your audience along with how well you are retaining your audience. 

Additionally, email marketing platforms make it easy to segment your audience so you can send tailored content to smaller groups on your mailing list. Rewarding your best customers for their loyalty can entice people to sign up for your list while boosting your overall sales. 

13 Steps for Creating Email Newsletters Successfully

Follow these tips and newsletter best practices to create engaging emails your audience can’t wait to read. 

1. Identify Your Audience and Select the Right Software

You may be tempted to write overarching emails aimed at your whole list. However, segmented emails get 50% higher click-through rates than generic emails. Before you start writing your newsletter, choose which audience segments you’re writing for so you can personalize your content.

You might segment your audience by how long they have been on your list, saving the “getting to know you” content for newcomers. Or you could segment your list based on the topics they find most interesting. Many email marketing platforms will show you how people engage with your newsletter, including which links draw the biggest crowd. Use this information to segment your list. 

Once you’ve broken your audience into segments, it’s time to select software. If you’re already using email marketing software that's working for you, stick with it. If you're in the market for something new, compare email marketing software by:

• Features such as list segmentation, A/B testing, and marketing automation
• Price per number of contacts (if you have a big email list, you’ll probably have to pay for your service)
• Ease of use

Sign up for a demo and choose the platform that best meets your needs for your budget. 

2. Align Your Newsletter With Your Company Objectives

Before you start writing newsletters, decide what you want to achieve with it. For example, if your most pressing business goal is to increase sales, you might use your newsletter to showcase new products. 

If you want to build credibility with your audience, you might share valuable industry trends to establish yourself as an expert in your field. 

Break down your overall business goals into smaller objectives and determine which you can influence with your newsletter. Then set some key performance indicators to measure your success. If improving sales is indeed one of your goals, you might set a target number of conversions or sales demonstrations for each email blast. 

3. Analyze Your Previous Top-Performing Nurture Emails

If you’re already using email regularly to engage your audience, pull up your old metrics. Note the lead-nurturing campaigns with the highest open rates and click-through rates. Look through these emails and note any similarities. How long were they? What subjects did they cover? What kinds of calls to action did you use? What was their design and layout? 

You’ll likely notice some trends that can inform your future email newsletters. Once you’ve discovered what you did right, look up other email statistics such as unsubscribe rates. Examine the email campaigns that inspired people to remove themselves from your list and see if there are any stark differences from your top performers. 

4. Determine the Ideal Frequency To Send Your Emails

A key part of learning how to create a newsletter is knowing when to contact your audience. Your customers signed up for your emails because they want to hear from you, but that doesn’t mean you should spam them with multiple emails per day. The right number of digital newsletters to send depends on multiple factors, including: 

• Your target audience
• Your average purchase cycle
• Customer demographics

For example, if your customer base is other business owners, you would likely limit contact to 1–2 emails per week, sent during business hours. But if you’re marketing for a grocery store, you may send daily emails highlighting specials and discounts. Price-conscious customers looking for savings may be more receptive to these daily emails because they can use them to get a deal. 

Look at when you're sending emails and how frequently, then analyze your past open rates and click-through rates to gauge how your audience responds. 

5. Define Your Newsletter’s Structure

You’re not locked into a certain newsletter format, but your customers should recognize your emails. Before you start composing, decide how you’ll structure each email. Figure out what matters most to your audience and lead with the most important information. That way, if your audience only has time to skim your message, they get the key takeaways. 

Create a mobile-friendly layout with short paragraphs and strategically placed graphics. Your newsletter should be inviting and easy to read while aligning with your brand. Common structures include two-column content blocks or single-column blocks broken up by photos and other graphics. Use a good balance of content and white space to guide your readers’ eyes. 

6. Think About Who the Sender Should Be

Choosing an email sender is crucial for a successful newsletter. Sending your messages from a generic email such as info@xyzcompany makes it easier for you to monitor your campaigns, but these email addresses often end up in the spam folder. 

Avoid using a no-reply address. These are often impersonal and could influence people to unsubscribe from your list. You could set up a newsletter-specific email address for all bulk emails. Make sure it is monitored so you can respond to inquiries that may arise from your newsletters. Or set up an autoresponder that tells curious readers who they can contact with questions. Use a company email address instead of a free email service provider to improve your chances of passing the spam filter. 

7. Use AI for Suggestions on How To Start Your Newsletter Copy

Leverage technology to help you get started on an engaging newsletter. If you’re stumped on newsletter content ideas , start entering prompts into generative AI. You can use it for outlines, subject lines, and items that make your newsletter punchier.

For example, you could capture your readers’ attention by mentioning a notable fact. Say you own and operate a hair salon. You could ask AI to tell you what the top trending hair color was on this date 40 years ago, and use that as the opening hook for your email. If you’re working on a holiday newsletter, you could ask AI to compile a list of popular hair-related stocking stuffers at various price points. 

You still want to write your email newsletter so it sounds personal and resonates with your audience, but AI is there to give you a hand. 

8. Draft Your Template on Google Slides or Canva

Keeping a consistent structure and newsletter layout will solidify your brand with your readers. However, you don’t have to start from scratch every time. Your HTML newsletter builder may have customizable templates, but you’ll lose them if you ever switch newsletter platforms. 

With a service such as Canva or Google Slides, you can create a branded email newsletter design template that helps you keep your emails consistent even if you transition to a new provider. Google Slides and Canva let you mix and match text formats and sizes with images and other graphics.

These tools let you play with different formats using text boxes or charts. You can also easily embed GIFs and videos for better engagement. Once you’ve created your template, you can switch out text and graphics for each newsletter without reinventing the wheel. 

9. Craft Compelling Email Subject Lines

The right subject line will stand out and make your reader want to open your message. Since smartphones only show about 20–30 characters in a subject line, catch your readers’ attention early. Use audience insights from previous steps to determine what appeals to your audience. On average, humans have an average attention span of 8.25 seconds, so your subject line needs to make them want to open the email right away. 

Include action words to compel your audience to open the message, but avoid being too enthusiastic. Using multiple exclamation points or promising a “100% guarantee” could banish your message to the spam filter. Consider these example subject lines for a new restaurant: 

• “Try XYZ restaurant this weekend”
• “This weekend only: 15% off to the newest hot spot in town”

The second subject line creates a sense of urgency by setting a time limit on the offer. It also sets up intrigue by introducing a new attraction and adds value to the customer with a discount. 

10. Design Headers and Footers That Are Clear and Simple

Keep your email headers and footers simple so they don’t distract from the rest of your message. These are a great location for marketing elements such as a branded color palette and your company logo. Many companies put the fine print in the email footer, including their company address, social media links, and unsubscribe links. 

If you want to grow your list, consider adding a link on your email footer encouraging your readers to share the newsletter with their friends. Your footer is also a great place to remind readers why they signed up for your messages. Include a personalized message telling readers why they are getting your email and add a link so they can change their settings if they want. 

11. Test Your Emails Before Sending Them

Sending out a newsletter with typos, broken links, and pictures that won’t display is a surefire way to dampen your brand image. You can fix these issues before they reach your audience by sending out test messages before a wider release. Choose a person in your marketing department with strong proofreading skills and send them a test copy. 

Have your tester click on various links to make sure they all point to the right websites. If you have animations, graphics, or videos in your newsletter, ask your tester how they look and whether they load. You can send test messages to your personal email address as well to see how your message displays using different email providers. Open your test messages on a mobile device to make sure they're responsive and look the way you want them to. 

You can also do A/B testing in which you tweak key elements of your message and send different versions to small groups to see which performs better. Common elements for A/B testing include: 

• Sender name
• Subject line

12. Track Performance To Optimize Your Email Marketing Campaign

You may have set key performance indicators during Step 1. This is the time to measure your specific KPIs and other performance metrics that will tell you how your emails are performing. 

Unfortunately, tracking email campaigns is often pushed to the bottom of the to-do list. Once you’ve sent a message, you may forget about it as you work on other marketing efforts. But taking the time to monitor your analytics and test various elements of your newsletter can ultimately enhance your outcomes.

To kick off the testing process, choose key performance indicators to track in your email campaigns. That might be:

• Deliver rate: How many of your emails were delivered? Even better, how many of your emails made it to the intended inbox as opposed to the spam or promotional folder?
• Click-through rate: Are subscribers clicking on the links in your content? If so, which links did they click and where were they located in the newsletter?
• Unsubscribe rate: Many marketers cringe at this metric. However, tracking it can help identify any trends and patterns associated with changes in your strategy or content.
• Spam: How many subscribers report your content as spam? If you notice a high rate, it's a sign that you may not be tailoring your newsletters to the needs or interests of your  target audience .
• Conversions: How many subscribers acted as you hoped they would? This could mean completing a sale, downloading your free content, registering for an event or webinar, or something else depending on your newsletter goals.

13. Personalize Your Emails Over Time

As you grow your contact lists and get more experience with email newsletter marketing, you will become savvier about what your audience likes and dislikes. Use these insights to personalize your emails for better open rates. 

You can start simply by adding a field into your newsletter that personalizes the receiver’s name based on how they’re entered into your system. Over time, you can start changing content in your email. 

For example, you might send a segment of loyal customers special offers thanking them for their business over time. If you operate a business in multiple locations, you may send out location-specific content to build a connection with your audience. If one of your hair salons is located in Florida and the other is in New York, you could switch up educational content about winterizing your hair routine based on the reader’s location. 

Key Takeaways

Emailing newsletters is a proven method to nurture customer-brand relationships, drive more conversions on your website, and increase user engagement. 

To kick off your email marketing efforts, devise and follow a content strategy that aligns with your business’s goals. With Compose.ly’s email newsletter checklist, you can create a strategy that works for your business and watch your open rates rise. 

You can also hire email newsletter writers to create effective, engaging newsletters that convert. Contact us today to learn more.  

There are countless email tools on the market these days. Picking the right software is more about your desired workflows and the goals you want to achieve. But, HTML email builders are a necessity for creating and sending your newsletters. These email newsletter tools help you create beautiful, responsive emails. If you’re not familiar with HTML, choose a platform that offers a template builder or a design view so you can see how the email will look as you lay it out. Or look for one that integrates with Canva or Google Slides to convert your template to HTML.

A newsletter’s format refers to how it is designed and laid out. Optimize your format with email-friendly fonts and stay consistent with your colors, fonts, and graphics.

The best way to stay out of the spam folder is to send messages only to people who have opted into your list. Add a clear call to action on your website encouraging visitors to sign up and offer them valuable content as a reward. If someone unsubscribes, immediately remove them from your list, and don’t contact them. 

Also, avoid adding spam triggers in your subject lines. Steer clear of making exaggerated promises or claims such as 100% free or satisfaction guaranteed. Although you should create urgency, avoid pressuring your readers to open your email. 

Finally, keep your list clean. Regularly monitor your bounced emails and remove them from your list to improve your reader engagement numbers.

Featured Articles

7 ways to make your newsletter stand out from the crowd, what is the purpose of a newsletter for business, 40 clever newsletter content ideas to engage your audience, social media data: usage and growth statistics, 6 ways to increase social shares for your website, learn how to work with ai tools, not against them. .

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Memberships & Subscriptions

How to Create a Newsletter (8 Steps)

This in-depth guide to creating a newsletter will help brands and independent creators make and send successful newsletters.

By Mighty Team

December 27, 2023

19 min read

IN THIS ARTICLE

Think back to 2010, if you remember. Social media was exploding in popularity. Who could have predicted that in the 2020s, email would still be one of the best ways to market, grow an audience, and reach people?

But it’s still going strong. Yes, newsletters are still a super viable creator economy business.

In this article, we’ll introduce you to:

• What a newsletter is
• Important statistics about newsletters and email marketing
• The benefits of creating a newsletter
• The newsletter monetization model
• A step-by-step guide for creating one

What is a newsletter?

A newsletter is a physical or virtual publication that shares ideas, news, updates, and information on a recurring basis with a specifically defined audience–most often people who have chosen to join an email list . Newsletters can be created by businesses or individual creators, and in ideal circumstances create awesome interest in and loyalty to your brand. Newsletters can be text-based or can include links, videos, or other rich content features.

Email newsletters have been around since the early days of the internet–the mid-90s saw wide-scale adoption of email and marketers recognizing its value as a tool. But by the 2000s, virtually everyone had an email address. New technologies emerged for running email marketing at scale–companies like Constant Contact and MailChimp. These let newsletter providers track subscribers and send en-masse, and the software has become even more sophisticated since then. We’ll talk about these features below!

Despite the rise of social media, email newsletters haven’t gone away. ConvertKit reports that their creators sent 21,723,377,414 emails in 2022. And we’ve seen the explosion of the creator-led monetized newsletter as platforms like Substack and Gumroad grew businesses around subscriptions.

Newsletter statistics

Here are some Newsletter statistics to get you excited about starting a newsletter right now!!

• There will be 4.73 billion daily email users by 2026 ( Statista )
• Daily emails sent will jump from 306 billion to 376 billion between 2020 and 2025 (Statista)
• 43 % of emails are opened on a mobile device (Statista)
• Gmail has 1.8 billion users in 2023 ( Tech Report )
• Revenue from email marketing is projected to grow from $7.5 billion (2020) to $17.9 billion in 2027 ( Statista )
• No need to have a huge following to earn a living from it. Only 3% of creators have more than 10,000 subscribers ( ConvertKit )
• The average open rate was 43% in 2022 (ConvertKit)
• Creators send the most emails on Tuesday (ConvertKit)
• 4.7% of readers will click through links in an email (ConvertKit)
• 80,000 creators will use email automation this year (ConvertKit)

Newsletters and the news

Some newsletters are… well… news . Newsletters are disrupting journalism too. Reuters found that 17% of people are reading newsletters for the news weekly, with 10% of those saying that newsletters are their main source for news.

This is still dominated by the newsletters of major news outlets (50% are reading these), but there are more and more individual and independent journalists and experts using newsletters to grow their impact. Subscribers to individual journalists are highest in the U.S. according to Reuter’s study, likely an indication that the personal brands of journalists are a bigger deal in the U.S. than elsewhere.

Readers said they subscribed to newsletters for: 1. Convenience, 2. The author’s personality, 3. Diverse perspectives, and 4. Unique takes ( Reuters ).

Benefits of creating a newsletter

A newsletter is an incredible thing that can lead to transformative relationships with your readers. So whether you’re running a huge brand or starting a 1-person newsletter business as a creator, here are the benefits to watch for.

• Intimacy with readers : There’s something special about being in a reader’s inbox, especially if you make it past the spam folder. It’s familiar.
• Establishing expertise : The newest crop of creators sending emails includes a lot of experts–people like journalists, authors, and bloggers. And people want that expertise and are even willing to pay for it.
• Secondary business value : For both brands and independent creators alike, email generates secondary business value through purchases and subscriptions for both physical and digital products .
• Nurturing : For those who have newsletters as part of a sales funnel or community flywheel , it lets you nurture the relationship with potential customers–keeping front of mind until they’re ready to buy.
• Cultivated audience : With social media feeling a bit like screaming into the void, starting a newsletter can create a cultivated audience of people who are excited to hear from you.
• Response option : When you create emails, one of the most interesting things can be the responses. People will hit reply from time to time and ask questions, give feedback, or just say hello. Ask any creator, these moments are special!
• Digital product integration : Newsletters integrate easily and naturally with pretty much any digital product–especially a membership community , which we’ll talk about below.

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Newsletter monetization models

Most people learning how to make a newsletter are also interested in monetization, and there are honestly a lot of ways to earn from newsletters. And these are not mutually exclusive–you can virtually combine any of these:

• Direct subscription : People can pay directly for the newsletter on a one-time or monthly membership.
• Paywalls : A newsletter could contain a hard or soft paywall , connecting readers to premium content they can pay for.
• Communities : Building a community and connecting it to your newsletter (e.g. using Mighty Networks and ConvertKit’s integration) can monetize with a combined membership or upsells in the community.
• Digital products : Newsletters are an excellent way to make money selling digital products . They work great as part of a digital product sales funnel for nurturing and creating offers. Think things like online courses , virtual events , or eBooks.
• Physical products : Newsletters can be great nurtures for physical products–it’s why every store tries to get you to join theirs when you checkout.
• Services : Finally, newsletters work great for service providers. They can give value, help to establish the brand or consultant as an expert and nurture a sales process too.

Tips to create newsletters people open and forward

• Use their name . Subject lines with a person’s name in them have a 50% higher open rate .
• Give them exactly what they want . With the segmentation tools of a modern email platform, it's easier than ever to send readers what they want and avoid what they don’t. Good segmentation increases open rates by 30% and clickthroughs by 50% .
• Say something worth reading . Go look at the brand emails in your inbox. Most of them are clones of each other. If you can say something unique, that’s worth reading because of its value or interest, or even just your voice or your take, you’ve got a better chance of success.
• Include offers . If emails are part of a sales process, offers lead to higher open rates.
• Have a unique take . Why would someone forward something that sounds like something every other brand or creator would say? If you want organic newsletter growth from forwarding, you’ll need to generate a unique take nobody else has–that makes people say “You gotta read this” to their friends.
• Provide value . Never forget the question everyone asks themselves before they open an email–WITFM. What’s in this for me? Do you have concrete tips on earning more or living better? Do you share unique research they can use at work or a unique take they can learn from? People are inherently selfish–we open emails because they help us.
• Be actionable . If your brand is that you offer some sort of transformation (e.g. get a promotion, get in better shape), let your emails give concrete actions that will help readers get the things they want.
• Be fun. Last, don’t underestimate the value of being entertaining, interesting, or even funny.

How to make your newsletter suck

So we’ve talked about succeeding, what if you want to make your newsletter suck? Well, here’s what you do.

• Only include corporate updates that interest your company, but are not the least interesting to your readers.
• Copy some marketer’s “email templates for more sales” that have 0 personality and don’t fit your brand.
• Write dry, corporate jargon so that you sound like a company–not a person.

Obviously, this is a joke. But remember that it’s your personality, unique take, and specific newsletter ideas and suggestions that make a newsletter shine!

How to create a newsletter

If you’re joining the creator economy and ready to start your first newsletter, how should you go about it? This will be an in-depth guide to help individual and independent creators get started (but much of this will apply to brands too). Here’s how to make a newsletter.

1. Start with the topic

Find a topic you want to write about. Consider:

a. Your expertise and credentials

What unique education or experience do you have that gives you a unique take? The top three newsletters on Substack by traffic in 2020 were:

• Letters from an American by Heather Cox Richardson - History, U.S. politics, and what it means to be an American.
• TK News by Matt Taibbi - Deep journalist takes on important issues.
• Common Sense by Bari Weiss - Investigative journalism from a balanced perspective.

These aren’t fluffy newsletters. They’re deep takes by intelligent people who work hard to cover an issue–and that’s what people pay for. Although “news” is a huge demographic, you’ll find successful newsletters dealing with arts and culture, business and marketing, hobbies and special interests, and more.

Find where your experience, expertise, and credentials can combine with a unique take.

b. What you’re passionate about

Passion is a word that gets thrown around a lot, but starting a newsletter is a long-term commitment. It will take you time to grow your subscriber base, probably months if not years. (This might be quicker if you have an existing following you can bring in.)

If you’re a middle manager at your company and all you want to do is talk about gardening, maybe you should do that. Passion is hard to force–if you’re not excited about a topic now, you definitely won’t be a year from now.

Your passion will bubble over in your writing.

c. The thing nobody’s saying

If there’s a unique perspective you want to hear and you’re frustrated you’re not hearing it, maybe you need to create it.

For example, one of our favorite creators on Mighty is Martinus Evans–who started creating content directed at the “back of the pack” runners, those who weren’t the top runners but wanted to learn to run anyway. The result was 100,000 followers and the Slow AF Run Club .

If there’s a perspective you’re not hearing or content you’re not seeing, maybe it’s a good place for you to start creating.

2. Identify your ideal reader

A unique take is great, but you also need someone who wants to read it. Identifying an ideal reader can be a good exercise for this.

Who is the person who will benefit the most from your perspective? Is it…

• A marketer wanting to get the latest industry trends?
• A political junkie wanting more perspective?
• A home gardener excited to learn to grow new things?

Every newsletter is for someone, and if you know who you’re writing to–your avatar–it increases the chances of success.

You can even do some research by interviewing some people.

• What are their questions?
• What are they trying to learn?
• What are they stuck on?

Doing this at the beginning will pay off as your newsletter gets up to speed.

3. Choose a monetization model

If your newsletter will be monetized content , you need to choose how to monetize it. Obviously, there are a lot of different ways but here are three of the easiest–and these are not mutually exclusive.

a. Direct subscriptions

Selling subscriptions has been a staple of the news economy for a while now, and digital subscriptions have become a mammoth source of revenue for news publishers like The New York Times.

To start a subscription business and then sell subscriptions, you’ll need a landing page with a payment processor. You may also want list segmentation–at a minimum, so you can send separate things to leads and subscribers. (But we’ll get to this below).

We’d recommend ConvertKit for this. It’s one of the most powerful email software on the market and it comes with the ability to sell subscriptions. Where a newsletter platform like Substack will take 10% of your revenue as a subscription fee, ConvertKit just charges a flat rate that starts from $9/mo. It also builds great landing pages, which we’ll get to below.

b. Communities

A newsletter is a natural fit for a community. An online community is a group of people who come together to discuss, learn, and grow. It works as a membership product–community members pay a subscription–and get access.

Communities can often have higher membership fees than a standalone newsletter because you can charge for memberships, events, courses, and more. But because you’re not creating all the content, a community is a great place to host discussions relating to your newsletter topic.

As of writing this, the average community on Mighty charges a $48/mo membership fee. You can use the creators calculator to see the relative earnings from a community vs other types of monetization.

c. Ads and sponsorships

Finally, newsletters position you as a thought leader in your chosen niche. Some creators choose to run ads, sponsorships, or even affiliates through their newsletters. This can be annoying if overdone, but if the offers are relevant to your niche and your readers it can be a good fit.

For example, you could use an affiliate platform like Impact to find companies to partner with.

4. Start collecting subscribers

If you have an established following, it might be fine to start selling the newsletter right away. If followers already know you and respect your opinion, there’s a good chance some will pay to be on a newsletter.

Otherwise, if you’re just starting, you may want to create a social following, a community, or even a free newsletter before trying to monetize with a paid one. It can take time to earn people’s trust and grow attention to your brand.

Here are some of the common ways to collect subscribers:

• A “lead magnet” or an “opt-in.” This is a dedicated landing page that you can send people to (social media followers, readers, etc.) to sign up. They usually get a goodie in exchange for their email–for example, a PDF or webinar. ConvertKit makes it really easy to create a landing page to send people to.
• If you have a blog or website, include sign-up boxes there–perhaps as in-line opt-ins–for people to add their names.
• If you have a physical presence (a store, an event, or a physical publication), create ways for subscribers to add their names there.
• Include links to your newsletter on your social feeds.

ConvertKit has a bunch of templates for opt-ins that are easy to customize and use.

REMEMBER - You ALWAYS need someone’s confirmation to be on your list–NEVER just import emails from somewhere without the owner’s permission. There’s a good guide to this here .

Newsletters need opting-in

Newsletters require opt-ins from a practical standpoint–you want your readers to want to hear from you. But due to anti-spam laws around the globe, opting in isn’t just a best practice. It’s also a legal requirement for sending emails to a list. For example, the CAN-SPAM act is a set of rules for commercial emails, setting requirements for getting readers’ permissions and penalties for failing to do so.

5. Plan your layout & design

Only some people will care about the layout and design of the newsletter. Some writers will obsess over it and some will just want to get down to the business of writing and sending.

Which of these is the right approach? It doesn’t matter!

It’s your newsletter. Make it your own.

For those planning visual layouts, your newsletter software should give you templates and customization features. Always test with some practice emails and open them on different devices and browsers to make sure they look okay.

A software like ConvertKit gives you lots of templates to build with:

Subject lines are probably the most important thing visually. It’s this that makes or breaks whether someone even opens the email. Keep it short, snappy, offering lots of value. Make sure it reads well on a mobile (without cutting off). It’s also a good idea to have an image or avatar attached to the email account, instead of just leaving this blank.

Naming your newsletter

Coming up with a name is a challenge. Look for names that are original, memorable, and available.

• Original: It’s unique enough to define what you do without being used by someone else.
• Memorable: It’s easy to remember and talk about.
• Available: It’s not in use by a brand or business already (if applicable), and you can register the appropriate social handles, web domans, etc. (if applicable)

We have a free Newsletter Name Generator that can help you do this!

6. Set up segmentation

Segmentation is an important part of email businesses, and it becomes more important as you grow. We mentioned above that you might start by segmenting people who receive free updates from those who receive a premium paid newsletter.

But this is just the start. With segmentation, you can organize your list, setting up your software to automatically “tag” subscribers who are interested in different things.

You can add tags when:

• A subscriber clicks a link.
• A subscriber opts in on a certain form.
• A subscriber finishes a sequence.

So what does this look like in real life? Here’s an example. If you run a gardening newsletter and you’re running a live event for gardeners, you could add a link with details in your letters. You could then tag subscribers who click that link as “LIVE EVENT INTEREST.” As the event gets closer, you can send more and more offers to those people about the event, without annoying the rest of your list.

Here's an example built with ConvertKit using three types of gardeners: rookies, serious hobbyists, or professionals:

When someone clicks the link for "I work as a gardener" they'll get tagged as a professional gardener.

• Segmentation helps you KEEP subscribers since you’re not annoying people about stuff they don’t care about.
• It helps you SELL more since you’re sending subs relevant offers.
• And it helps you LEARN about what your list is most interested in.

Even doing a bit of segmentation is worth it–you can collect segments to have, even if you never end up using them. It’s easy to do and worth it when you need them.

7. Send it!

After all the planning, you’ll need to send that thing–whether you have 10 or 10,000 subscribers. You may feel vulnerable as your hand hovers over the “Send” button. Maybe you’ll even feel a bit of insecurity.

Don’t worry. It’s normal.

You have two forms of sending at your disposal:

• Broadcasts : Emails you write and send to your list. Broadcasts might be your regular newsletters.
• Automations : Any good email software gives you ways to do automations, to set up sequences that will send emails when you’re sleeping. For example, if you have a free opt-in to get emails, you might write a 20-part email sequence as a follow-up that includes more info and offers a premium subscription.

Here's an example of a simple visual automation in ConvertKit. Each landing page or opt-in funnels into a course.

Each of these types of sending are tools you can use to deliver a newsletter. But don’t get overwhelmed. At the end of the day, you don’t need to overthink this. You just need to hit send. You’ll figure the rest out later.

A note about A/B testing. It’s normal for many newsletter and email marketing businesses to use A/B testing. This means that you send out two different versions to see which performs better. The most common A/B testing for newsletters is really just A/B testing a headline.

Your software will send two different headlines to two small groups of subscribers. Then it will send the version that performs the best (gets opened the most) to the rest of your list.

You can use A/B testing if you want, but it’s not necessary.

8. Check the metrics

When you’ve sent it, you can check the metrics on your email to see how it performed. Metrics are really valuable. But they also can be misleading and discouraging for a first-time emailer.

Here are a few things to remember to avoid getting discouraged:

• Not everyone will open it . Even seasoned email marketers report an open rate of 46-50% (HubSpot). You can “Resend to unopened” on ConvertKit if you want–but don’t lose sleep over it.
• Even fewer readers click links . The same HubSpot study found a 2.6-3% click-through rate for links.
• Unsubscribers are normal . The most painful metric might be the people who unsubscribe. While it might be tempting to see this as a judgment on you and your email, it’s not. People have different things going on, and interests change.

The bottom line is this. Focus on the people who open and read your emails. They love hearing from you. And as you grow your list, all you need to do is keep finding more and more people who love hearing what you have to say.

Let those who don’t naturally self-select out, and don’t take it personally.

Newsletter growth strategies

So, to overview everything we’ve talked about in this article and add a bit more–here are the top newsletter growth strategies:

• Create incredible content. If you get this wrong, it doesn’t matter what you get right. Be real and write to your ideal reader, helping to entertain, educate, or inspire them.
• Make subscribing easy . If there’s friction, you’ll lose subscribers in the process. Make subscribing as easy as possible (but include double verification to make sure you’re on the right side of spam laws).
• Give, give, give some more. Give value, give promotions, give offers, just keep giving everything your readers want.
• Collaborate. You can grow faster by finding other creators and even newsletters to collaborate with and share audiences.
• Monetize in a way that fits. Find a method that works for you and go for it.
• Consider paid advertising. It can be a great way to grow and help you find your ideal subscribers.
• Build a community. Think beyond the newsletter and find ways to build community with your readers–giving them a chance to share and create too.

Ready to start?

If you’re ready to start a newsletter business, hopefully this guide has helped. Remember, if you want the ultimate newsletter and community combo, Mighty Networks and ConvertKit fit together seamlessly with our “nearly native” integration. You’ll have the tools you need to run the newsletter and community without Zotero.

From ConvertKit, this means:

• Awesome subscriber management
• Visual automations and easy segmentation
• Built-for-you landing pages
• Integrated community updates with the email templates

From Mighty, this means:

• Discussion forums, member profiles, chat, and messaging
• Events and livestreaming
• Live and pre-recorded courses
• Sell memberships, courses, or bundles in 135 different currencies
• An app for every device (or even your own branded app with Mighty Pro)

You can try Mighty free for 14 days–no credit card required.

Add a community to your newsletter!

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How To Create A Winning Newsletter (8-Step Checklist And Examples)

Ammar Mazhar

Last updated on

April 4, 2023

Whether you’re new to email marketing or have been around the block, you’ve likely heard of email newsletters.

Email newsletters are one of the best ways to not only provide value to your audience but also to encourage them to engage with your brand and buy your products. 

In today's article, we’ll teach you everything you need to know about email newsletters, including what they are, give you a step-by-step checklist to create an effective one, and show you some great email newsletter examples you can learn from.

What is an email newsletter?

An email newsletter is an occasionally-sent email that informs your subscribers of the latest updates, tips, or information about your business, products, or services. 

The information provided in a newsletter can be anything from in-depth guides, announcements about upcoming sales, or simply sharing a super inspiring quote that you think your audience will find useful. 

The goal here is to engage your audience either by educating or entertaining them — and in so doing, getting them to keep coming back to your business.

Why are newsletters important?

Here are some of the benefits of creating an email newsletter for your business. 

1. Wide coverage

It’s estimated that there’ll be around 4.6 billion email users globally by 2025 — with the number already being well over 4.2 billion this year. That’s more than half the world’s population!

This means that email marketing is one of the marketing channels with the widest reach. No matter what industry you’re in, chances are, you can reach your target audience through email. 

There are endless amount of online resources like StuDocu that provide hundreds of free educational materials covering all types of marketing — including email. You can access this material from anywhere to increase your knowledge and improve your business’s email marketing strategy .

2. Builds relationships

In 2021, 86% of U.S. advertisers agreed that newsletters provide a vital connection point with customers. They offer you the opportunity to build relationships with your audience and get them to recognize your business as the ideal solution to their problem.  

By adding unique content and design elements to your newsletter, you’ll differentiate yourself from competitors — which will give your audience a reason to choose you over them.

Make your newsletter emails unique and visually appealing by customizing them with free vector graphics and fonts.

3. More likely to convert

Sharing your latest offers and content in your newsletter is a great way to indirectly advertise to your readers without coming across as “salesy.” Instead, you’re giving them value first. You’re investing in building a positive relationship with potential customers, so you have to focus on review management , gathered data, so that your newsletter is in accordance to your audience.

MOS is an excellent example of a startup that consistently offers value to its audience (students looking for affordable banking) by sharing useful, fresh content in its newsletters. This way, young adults looking for the student bank accounts get all the information they need, and view MOS as a reliable authority in the industry.

Who should send an email newsletter?

Newsletters work better for some businesses than others. Here’s a list of businesses that can benefit from newsletters. 

• Small businesses: Newsletters are especially useful for small businesses since they help you build trust and relationships with your ideal buyers. In doing so, you’ll have a better chance of not only growing your business but competing with authoritative brands. In a 2021 survey, 64% of small businesses said they utilized email marketing — which means your competitors are more than likely already in your target audience’s inbox.
• eCommerce websites: Since eCommerce stores heavily rely on website traffic and conversions, email newsletters are the perfect marketing solution to generate traffic and increase product sales. For example, Biohm (an eCommerce store selling probiotics) increased its revenue by 250% by providing useful content in its email newsletter. 
• Blogs and news websites: Email newsletters are great for notifying readers of the latest articles on your site and will ultimately help in keeping your blog on the top of their minds. Your audience will be notified every time you post something new — which will increase website traffic and post views. 

• Non-profits: Newsletters are a great way to engage with prospective volunteers and donors. Often, these newsletters will convert subscribers into donors when they see all the excellent work that’s being done. 
• Education-based businesses: By sharing useful educational information in your newsletter, people will trust your business above all others. It can help you come across as the expert they need to solve their problem. 

8-Step beginner’s checklist to create a newsletter

Let’s get into our checklist (using a pre-send checklist helps brands improve email marketing ROI by 42% ).

1. Select an email marketing software

The first step is to choose an email newsletter software that suits your goals, technical skills, and budget. There are several different types of email marketing tools out there that offer tons of great features. 

For example, Mailmunch is a complete email marketing solution for creating amazing newsletters, including email automation , premium email templates , advanced analytics , unlimited landing pages , and more.  

2. Choose a newsletter template

Once you’ve chosen your software, you can go ahead and choose an email template that suits your needs and looks good.

The templates that you choose will depend on the type of business that you have, your customers, and the goal of the newsletter. 

For example, if you want to announce an upcoming sale, you can choose a template like the ones shown below. 

Luckily, Mailmunch offers 1,000+  great templates for different occasions and business types — so you’re guaranteed to find one that’ll work really well for your business.

3. Customize the newsletter template 

After you’ve selected a template, you can customize it to suit your brand. Make sure that your newsletter visually transmits what the email is about. Use Mailmunch to customize the templates according to your requirements.

To make your newsletter unique to your brand, you can add: 

• Custom images and fonts
• Brand elements and colors
• Unique content that suits your brand voice

If you want to take it a step further, you can include interactive elements in your email. A survey conducted by Dyspatch shows that 60% of people are likely to engage with interactive emails. 

4. Add Alt text and plain text 

Alt text appears when a picture isn’t loaded. Since not all email providers are equal, your images may sometimes take longer to load. In this case, it’s great to have alt text so that your readers know what they’re looking at, even if the image isn’t there. 

Also, make sure that your email looks great in plain text as not all email providers display HTML properly. The best practice is to look at your specific email provider’s features and send test emails frequently to make sure that all your text, images, and buttons are visible and functioning correctly.  

Related Guide: HTML vs. Plain Text Email: Which Works Better in 2022?

5. Personalize the newsletter 

Personalizing your newsletter is the key to making it stand out and driving more clicks/conversions.  

Personalization comes in many forms — from catering your emails to different audiences and their interests, to adding subscribers' first names in subject lines and content, and more.

For example, the company Tempest often takes a personal angle in its emails. It addresses the specific issues that its audience segments are facing and talks to them about these issues like they’re long-time friends.

This approach helped the company 10x their email click-through rate . 

6. Craft a good subject line and preview text

To create click-worthy email subject lines , you need to try out different things. Generally, subject lines that have fewer words have higher open rates. In fact, a study conducted by Invespcro found that subject lines with 6–10 words have the highest open rate.

For example, boutique Scented candle manufacturer Otherland introduces its subscribers to three new candles with the subject line “3 Scents for Summer: the Beach Club Collection is here!” 

The subject line alone tells a story about the product and entices the readers to open the email to learn more. If they instead used something uninspired like, “we’re launching 3 new candles for summer,” it changes the entire mood of the email. Don’t be afraid to get creative, but always keep your brand’s positioning and target audience in mind (i.e. don’t make millennial jokes if you’re selling insurance to middle-aged businessmen).

Furthermore, subject lines that include the recipient’s name have an 18.30% open rate, whereas subject lines without the recipient’s name have a 15.70% open rate . 

Try out different subject lines and perform A/B tests to identify which types of headlines drive the most engagement.

7. Launch newsletter campaign

After you’ve created your campaign and finalized all the content and design elements, you can launch it. Be sure to bring attention to the newsletter through your website and social media marketing so that more people will sign up. 

If you don’t have a lot of subscribers yet, you can leverage lead magnets to build your email list. 

Learn how to create super-effective lead magnets that convert like crazy. 

8. Monitor performance and results 

Keep an eye on your newsletter to see how it’s performing. Look at which emails in your newsletter performed the best and which subject lines had a better open rate. 

For the best results, you need to set up metrics and KPIs for your email newsletter campaigns to determine whether you’re reaching your goals and to identify any problem areas that need to be addressed. 

4 Email newsletter examples for inspiration

Here’s a list of four great email newsletter examples. 

1. Flywheel

Subject line: This FREE eBook has the secret to scaling your agency!

Copy: The copy in this email was written with the intent to “sell” the free eBook to readers by including more information about its contents and how it’ll help readers’ agencies grow. 

Design: The striking image of the eBook cover, bright and big eBook title, and smaller descriptive text create a design hierarchy that leads the reader’s eye straight to the CTA button . 

CTA: “Download it now!” encourages the reader to download the eBook right away. 

Subject line: Last Chance: Get $100 Off Accessories With Your Bike Purchase

Copy: The copy used in this e-newsletter is concise and straight to the point. It announces a special limited offer where customers can get money off when they purchase a bike. 

Design: The red “Limited Time Offer” banner at the top of the email creates a sense of urgency since readers know that the offer will expire soon. The image used in the email also shows the product in action — which helps the user visualize themselves using it.  

CTA: The call to action “Get the bike” is straight to the point and tells readers exactly what to do next. 

Subject line: Something new is launching tomorrow.

Copy: The copy in this email does an excellent job of piquing the reader’s curiosity. The tone is so casual and relatable that readers can’t help but be intrigued by the “mystery product.”

Design: The image used in this email almost resembles a puzzle (or a “guess this pokemon” outline) which supports the message all the more. 

CTA: Though this newsletter doesn’t have a direct CTA, the reader knows that they need to read the next day’s email to discover the new product. 

Subject line: Are you doing THIS after you shave?

Copy: Instead of trying to sell something, this email adds value to customers’ lives by informing them about the right post-shave routine.

Design: The email has a lot of white space and comes across as simple and clean — which supports the message of a cleanly shaved face perfectly. 

CTA: The call to action “Follow these steps” guides people to the blog post that they can read on Harry’s website. 

Start creating your email newsletter with Mailmunch!

Email newsletters are ideal for businesses to disseminate information about their brand, and consequently, build trust with their customers. Moreover, newsletters provide a wide range of coverage which means you can attract more customers to your business with exquisite and insightful newsletters.

Hence, newsletters are an essential part of any email marketing campaign , and thus, shouldn’t be dispensed with or thought of as an afterthought. But rather, they should be carefully planned and designed to meet the requirements of your business.

A voracious reader and a music lover, Ammar has been writing engaging and informative content for over 3 years for B2B and B2C markets. With a knack for writing SEO-optimized content, Ammar ensures the results speak for themselves.

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June 21, 2024

June 20, 2024

How to Write an Article for a Business Newsletter (2024)

Knowing how to write an article for a business newsletter well can boost engagement, response rates, and brand awareness. Adding your brand voice and personality to the content will help your business e-newsletter stand out.

This article assumes:

• That you want to write a short e-newsletter article.
• That you know your target market .

Let’s walk through five steps, from potential topics (if you need one) to the writing process from start to finish. See the video below for key highlights.

Writing a newsletter can be time-consuming. If you don’t know how to make a newsletter article, consider my email marketing packages or get a free audit .

1. How to Write an Article for a Newsletter : Exploring Your “Why” to Get to Your “What”

Businesses usually send newsletters to get more leads. If you know why you’re sending the newsletter and have already decided on a theme for it, fit your article into that overall topic.

Otherwise, to find a topic for a one-article newsletter, brainstorm ideas, use article templates to form one , or consider telling a story . Or jump ahead and get organized to start writing .

To brainstorm topics, consider what will appeal to your readers. Look at any existing customer data, such as:

• Sales records
• Website analytics
• Social media metrics

What’s currently trending in your niche? Also, ponder what people tend to ask, complain, or rave about. If you’re still not sure what to feature, keyword research, questions on social media, and customer surveys can yield insights.

GatherContent suggests more ways to find audience-relevant content ideas .

Artificial intelligence software might save brainstorming time. Because of its current limitations, if you use it, check the results. Will the content connect with customers? It might have nothing to do with your target market or your goals. If you decide to use AI, the following advice can screen unsuitable topics.

Is a Newsletter an Article?

Fenwick suggests an e-newsletter should average 300 or fewer words total, which can save time and maintain engagement. Constant Contact has found that 20 lines of text — or about 200 words — results in the highest click-through rate for many industries.

Many e-newsletters you get are probably longer. (Constant Contact concludes an e-newsletter should be “as long as it needs to be.”) One newsletter article that forms the entire email may also be at or near 300 words. Another option, for longer articles, is to post a summary with a link back to the full piece.

To enhance lead generation and narrow your topics, as HubSpot recommends , link your article goals to the different buyer’s journey stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision-Making.

• Awareness: Introduce your business, staff, mission, and offerings. Highlight new products or events to familiarize customers with your brand.
• Consideration: Customers are thinking about buying and comparing options. Provide information that helps them decide, like a “how-to” article showcasing a product or service.
• Decision-Making: Customers are ready to buy. Show them the benefits of choosing your business to influence their decision and encourage them to contact you.

This method of content marketing subtly sells to customers through informing them about products and services.

Get a Free Easy 5-Step Busin ess E-Newsletter Template

2. Finding the Format: Another Way to Generate an Engaging Topic

Knowing your goal and the buyer’s journey stage leads to your subject matter. Narrowing down the subject refines the article template. The format may also frame the topic.

What’s a Business Newsletter Article Example?

Common newsletter article examples include:

• An editor’s or “welcome” note: example: Sundvick Legacy Center
• A short news item: sample: Dwyer, Spino & Goncalves newsletter
• A teaser for a blog post with a link to the full piece: examples: DFD Russell Medical Center newsletter ; Aviva Senior Living newsletter ; HORNE newsletter

The format of these articles is also simple, making them easier to write with little planning, saving you time and energy.

Examples of company newsletter articles include the Howard Center e-newsletter (pictured), which features one nearly 500-word article.

It’s among several good healthcare newsletters. Learn more in What Are The Best Health and Wellness Newsletters?

How to write a newsletter article sample from a law firm: The Law Office of Antoinette Bone: Estate Echos . This e-newsletter features one 400-word article aimed at fellow advisors or consultants.

Often, e-newsletters feature one main article, then snippets of text with links to more information.

Explore: writing a newsletter article template .

“Consider leveraging content curation. Not every piece of content needs to be created from scratch. Sharing relevant industry news, case studies, or insights from thought leaders can add value to your newsletter without the heavy lifting of original content creation. Tools like Feedly or Pocket can help you gather and organize relevant articles and information.” Gabrielle Yap, Senior Editor, Carnivore Style

Curata reports that leading marketers use a mix of 65 percent created content and 25 percent curated content. Curation saves time (and money) and helps you keep producing engaging content consistently.

3. Keeping It Interesting and Useful to Hook Readers: Consider Storytelling

Remember that your piece should be useful, or in marketing terms, offer value. To help readers identify with you, tell a story. Michael Katz, who teaches professionals how to understand marketing, details his storytelling method effectively .

To find good stories, list interesting things you saw or experienced recently, such as a colorful rainbow or a fun trip. Tie one to a useful business lesson or insight connected to your expertise. Then describe the experience, elaborating on the lesson. Joey Havens of the accounting firm HORNE does this well.

“It can be helpful to use AI. One of the most effective ways to get people to engage with your e-newsletters is to personalize the content and ways you address the individual recipients. But this is very time consuming and difficult to do all on your own. AI can be used to create segmented lists and personalize messages in a fraction of the time.” Dr. Jerry Friedman, Doctor of Dental Surgery, North Jersey Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Corporate Visions research shows that emails personalized to certain industries had 24 percent higher click-throughs and 50 percent more scheduled meetings. According to MailModo , AI can help you segment lists and personalize emails.

If you need inspiration, AI offers a head start. Directing it to tell a story for a newsletter in your industry will produce content to tailor to your business. You can even ask it to mimic other writers’ styles.

Edit the output because other people might tell the same story. And depending on your instructions, if the story doesn’t apply to your business, it will spin some fiction.

4. Getting Organized: Focusing on the Structure and Writing the Article Effectively

Many business newsletters feature around 300 to 500 words of content. Newsletter articles tend to be brief and pull text from other sources, like articles or landing pages.

Business customers can be too busy to spend ten minutes reading your newsletter. Consider the length wisely while you keep your audience and what you might know about them in mind.

AI software may shortcut outlining, especially if you seek inspiration. For example, ChatGPT 3.5 created the outline below for this article.

If you’re weighing whether AI could help you, compare ChatGPT’s outline to the structure of this post, which I wrote without AI. If I had given it a more specific prompt, ChatGPT might have taken a more creative approach.

AI-generated content tends to state the obvious and sometimes lacks depth or interesting takes on a subject. Your unique perspective, tone, and style create distinctive writing. Double-check any facts or sources AI-created copy references and edit as necessary.

When you structure your piece, if it’s a “listicle,” number each step to simplify the format and scannability. Otherwise, as Chamaileon suggests , consider the basic AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) format.

As you write, heed the guidelines from the AMA Handbook of Business Writing .

How to Write a Short Article for a Business Newsletter

How to write a good newsletter article from start to finish.

The beginning: your opening sentence or paragraph — how will you build attention? Get to the point powerfully. State an interesting fact, quote someone, or take us into the middle of a scene.

• Example #1: Information articles: This Sundvick Legacy Center newsletter features a short editor’s note. It starts with the fact that October is National Estate Planning Month and leads into a paragraph about why it’s a good time to consider estate planning.
• Example #2: Storytelling: Set the stage. In this newsletter , Joey Havens begins with a description of a “blue and white object laying just in front of me” in a hotel lobby.

The middle: how will you build on the interest and desire you’ve generated at the start? Add what readers should know next to encourage them to read on. Use transitions to tie ideas or paragraphs together smoothly.

• Example #1: Informational articles: The Sundvick Legacy Center note leads into a statistic. They then build on that statement: “That means creating a comprehensive plan tailored for you and your family…”
• Example #2: Storytelling: Joey signals he has reached the middle of the piece by transitioning into what he mistook the object for and what it was.

The end: how will you inspire people to take action? Summarize any key points. If your goal is to gain feedback, ask a question.

Use a call-to-action (CTA) to entice readers to contact you or to visit a blog or a landing page. Each year, email service provider MailModo publishes its State of Email report, which surveys more than 150 email experts. Their 2023 report states that CTAs with action verbs or featured offers were most effective for them. If you’re not promoting anything, close with a simple “farewell.”

• Example #1: Informational articles: The Sundvick newsletter note urges readers to take action before another year passes. They then encourage readers to schedule a consultation.
• Example #2: Storytelling: Joey ends his story by emphasizing that if we can’t see problems clearly, they can look bigger than they are. It’s better to wait to consider them with a fresh perspective.

Whether you start in the middle, write the end first or the beginning last, just write. You also don’t have to create your headline first; some writers save it for last. Whatever you do, don’t judge your writing. Listening to your inner critic can stifle your writing; you could start to read what you’ve written and begin editing, which is a “no-no.”

Why? Because often it’s better to let your words rest or to “sleep on them” and return with a clearer view later. It’s like buying a cut-glass vase and seeing when you brought it home that it’s chipped. The flaws may become clearer later when you’ve rested your mind and can examine your work thoroughly.

What’s a Business Newsletter Article Example by AI?

This is part of 5 Ways to Write With Style , an article I asked Google’s Gemini to write. I didn’t use its content in the article.

Its style differs from mine. I’m less enthusiastic, for starters. 🙂

5 Ways to Write with Style and Captivate Your Audience (Like a Boss!)

Ever feel like your business writing falls flat? You’re not alone. Many business owners struggle to craft content that’s both informative and engaging. But fear not, fellow entrepreneur!

Here are 5 powerful ways to inject style into your writing and turn those website visitors into loyal customers:

The piece is informative, however, the advice is found in similar articles. I aimed to find aspects of writing business owners might not always consider.

“You can’t go wrong by providing value to your readers. If you know your readers well and you have expertise that can help them solve some of their common problems, email newsletters are a great place to share that expertise. But make sure to provide content that is truly unique and informative. You want to make sure you’re offering value and not adding to the clutter.” Kathy Bryan, EVP/Head of marketing, Electives

Though AI can write an article draft, it could produce a bland one that is a mismatch for you or your business. If you use AI content, as MarTech and SEMRush suggest, check facts or sources and edit it to suit your brand voice, style, and tone.

How to Write a Newsletter Article About an Event Template

When you describe an event, keep in mind :

• The H (“how”).

How to Write a Newsletter Article About an Event: Post Event Highlights

When you summarize an event, use a similar structure. Add quotes from the hosts, organizers, or attendees, along with the agenda and what you learned. Here’s a sample.

Reframe it as a “how-to,” highlight key takeaways, or try a first-person perspective.

Adding photos with captions helps readers visualize the event.

Encourage readers to attend future events and offer incentives like exclusive content or “early bird” discounts. Provide more information related to the event topic, like research or speakers’ websites.

How Do I Write an Internal Newsletter Article?

The steps for how to write an internal newsletter article are similar to those outlined above, yet focus more on your co-workers as the audience. Many of the topics to cover are like those in a newsletter for clients : news and announcements, upcoming events, co-worker/employee profiles, etc.

How to Write a Newsletter Article for Work: Points to Consider

More Resources:

• How to Write a Business Newsletter: Examples, Format, and Strategy
• How to Create a Professional Email Newsletter
• How to Write a Law Firm Newsletter

5. Preparing Your Newsletter Article for Adoring Fans

When you plan or edit your piece, consider these points:

• Scannability and Accessibility: Slice concepts into smaller parts for easier skimming with bullet points or numbers. Add images to break up text and make it more visually appealing. Ensure your content flows logically. Also, consider accessibility for people with disabilities: use short words, sentences, and paragraphs without jargon.
• Editing and Proofreading: polish your newsletter so it looks professional. Some ways to do that include printing it and reading it aloud and having others check it.

Harvard University Graduate School of Education offers more Email Newsletter Best Practices to help you create and prepare your messages for sending.

Wrap Up: Quick Takeaways

• Explore Your “Why” to Get to Your What: If you lack ideas, research any existing customer data or what’s trending, brainstorm, or try AI. To refine the topic, follow the different buyer’s journey stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision-Making.
• Finding the Format : Choose the right format for your article, such as an editor’s note, news item, or blog teaser. Keep the format simple and focused to save time and ease writing.
• Keeping It Interesting and Useful to Hook Rea ders : To help readers identify with you, tell a story based on one of your experiences. Tie it to a useful business lesson or insight, then elaborate.
• Getting Organized : Consider your article’s structure. When you write, follow common sense guidelines. If you use AI content, add your brand voice, style, and tone. How to write a newsletter article about an event: remember the 6 “W’s” and the “H.” For internal articles aspects like your audience, purpose, tone, and style.
• How to Write a Company Newsletter Article for Adoring Fans : Edit and proofread and check for scannability and accessibility.

For more highlights, catch the condensed version of this article .

Now that you know how to write an article for a business newsletter, if your words are flowing, it will almost write itself. And when your masterpiece is ready, add it to your latest newsletter and share it on social media and elsewhere.

To stop stressing and start impressing everyone with your messages, get my free Easy 5-Step Business E-Newsletter Template .

About the Author: Michelle Troutman of Classy Writing turns gibberish into everyday English that connects with respect for readers. For a decade, she has written articles for newsletters and has created e-newsletters for economic development and professional services firms.

• First published: April 3, 2023
• Last updated: June 11, 2024

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More Great Features of the Newsletter Maker

Share your newsletter.

Our newsletter creator software makes it easy for you to get the word out. Decide whether you want to generate a shareable link to send online or download your newsletter in PDF format to print off or attach in an email. You have the flexibility to share your newsletter in the best way for your recipients.

LEARN ABOUT NEWSLETTERS

What is a Newsletter ?

A newsletter is like a bulletin that gets sent out at a specific interval or frequency – often monthly – that lets a group of people know about upcoming events, news and more. These are often sent out by schools and universities, apartment complexes and businesses to keep students, residents and customers informed.

Newsletters are content heavy, which is why it’s important to find an online newsletter maker with tons of easy-to-read fonts to choose from alongside well-designed content blocks and other accompanying visuals.

Use the newsletter maker to update your audience.

Got some exciting news buzzing around your organization? Time to send out a newsletter! Snag one of our pre-designed templates in the free newsletter maker to quickly write out your content and send off in a snap.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED + MORE

More Than a Newsletter Maker

Visme’s free newsletter software is easy to use regardless of your design skill or background. Not a designer? That’s exactly what Visme is made for. Jump right in without worrying about messing up the design.

MAKE IT ENGAGING

Share a link to an online newsletter that includes animated and interactive elements for your audience to engage with to learn more information.

VISUALIZE YOUR DATA

Charts & Graphs

Visme makes it easy to showcase complex or simple data in your newsletters. Visualize numbers and statistics with a variety of graph types.

BEAUTIFY YOUR CONTENT

Stock Photos & Graphics

Choose from over a million stock photos, icons, illustrations, characters, lines, shapes and more to create a stunning and engaging newsletter design.

HOW IT WORKS

Make Newsletters in 5 Steps

Create custom newsletters to keep your subscribers up-to-date with all of the goings on in your business, university, organization and more by maintaining your brand identity and messaging. With Visme’s free online newsletter maker, customization for your own newsletter becomes seamless.

Our newsletter templates are perfect for printing and distributing, sending via email or by posting on social media. Share company news, announcements, sales, discounts and more with your newsletter.

• Jump into your Visme dashboard to create a new project and choose your favorite among our online newsletter templates.
• Use the Brand Kit to match your company, school or organization branding with your newsletter design.
• Add in your content, customize the different text areas, choose accent photos and icons and turn the template into your own creation.
• Proofread everything to make sure it’s ready to be sent to your audience.
• Download your finished design from the newsletter maker as a PDF to print off or email to your recipients.

How to Use the Newsletter Maker

Put together all of your newsletter content ahead of time so that you know exactly what you need to send out. This will help you to choose a template that you know your content can fit into.

Log into Visme to access the free printable newsletter creator. Start a new project and click on the Documents tab to access our library of templates.

Select from one of the ready-to-use templates based on which one will best fit your content. You can customize every other aspect of the template later, so it’s better to choose based on what you’re sending.

Edit all of the text areas and input your content into your newsletter. Don’t use more than one font face for your body text and a second font face for your headings.

Use the Brand Kit to customize the fonts and colors to match your brand.

Change or resize the icons and photos in the template to fit your vision or upload your own photos to use.

Proofread all of your information to make sure there are no typos and you’ve included everything you need to share.

Generate a shareable link or download your finished newsletter as a PDF to attach in an email or print off and send.

Questions About the Newsletter Maker

How much does it cost to create a newsletter with the newsletter maker, are the newsletter templates completely customizable, can i use my brand kit with the newsletter maker, what is the best program to create a newsletter, how can i send my newsletter, what should i include in a newsletter, how long should a print newsletter be, can i share my newsletter on social media.

Your newsletters deserve to be beautiful and so does the rest of your content

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How to Write a Newsletter Article

Creating a newsletter can be a difficult task and doing it effectively can be even harder. Knowing how to write a newsletter article is crucial here and you need to learn which elements should be included and how to use them properly.

But first, you have to be clear if you really need to send a newsletter or not. Think about what you want to achieve and if you have enough content available.

An online newsletter complements your existing communication accompanied by announcements about product updates, offers, events and general news about the company. It is not a promotional email dedicated to a single topic, promotion or event that includes additional content to make bulk.

If you feel that you can not provide enough important content or that the newsletter focuses on a single event or promotion, you should consider the option of designing an independent email marketing campaign to support these marketing objectives.

In this guide, you will see some newsletter article examples and learn some key elements that you should include in your campaigns.

You can use these to get newsletter article ideas for your emails and create something that could get more email subscribers  so you can continue to build your list effectively. Then, you can focus on implementing your  email marketing strategy  and achieving the results you desire.

How to Write a Newsletter Article: Getting Started

Personalization

If you really want to focus on personalization, you should go beyond simply including the name of the recipient of the email in the  subject line . Currently, most companies already do, so subscribers are accustomed to this type of customization and do not perceive it as something new and exclusive.

If you want to differentiate yourself to the maximum, try to adapt the content of your emails to each recipient.

The first step to achieve relevance is to understand who the person really is that receives your emails. If you have a large amount of information about the tastes, tendencies, and habits of each recipient you will be able to select relevant content for each one of them.

For example, an eCommerce site that has differentiated targets in terms of products, showing in their emails a specific selection of goods and/or promotions based on the characteristics of a purchase will make the communication more relevant to that recipient.

Regardless of the specific profile of the target you are targeting, in terms of content, remember that you are talking to real people, not robots. Use, as far as possible, a relaxed, accessible and personal tone. This way, you can create and maintain fruitful relationships with your customers.

One Email For Every Topic

Don’t confuse your subscribers with multiple topics in one email. This makes it cluttered and hard to convey a particular message.

Every email should have its own specific topic that it addresses. If needed, you can add other parts at the bottom such as “What’s New This Week”, or “What You May Have Missed”.

The main part of the email, which is the start where people will read first, is where your main message should be.

If you want to draw people to a specific page on your website, do it straight away at the top of the email. This increases the clickthrough rate to your desired page and conveys the message immediately.

Find A Striking Headline

To open or not open an email? That is the question. We live in an age where we are bombarded by the inbox and the subject of each mail is a very important factor in deciding whether to open it or throw it in the trash.

The headline is everything when it comes to sending out emails to your subscribers.

It can literally be the difference between someone opening your email or not.

DON’T USE ALL CAPS for your headlines or stupid forms of clickbait.

People are a lot savvier online than they used to be and scan their inbox in a few seconds to see if you look like spam or not.

There are various forms of headlines you could try, but you will ultimately need to experiment to find out what your subscribers are more receptive to.

“ [OPEN] Have you seen the latest about… “

If you saw this in your inbox, would you open it?

I probably would to be honest. Nothing about it looks spammy to me and it finishes on an unfinished note that intrigues me to open it.

Share Valuable Content

People gave you their email address for a reason.

And it was most likely because they want to receive future communications from you about your website.

They could have subscribed for other reasons, like to get a discount code or freebie for example.

But these people are still subscribed nonetheless and offer you the potential to work with.

Offering them something of value in every email you send increases the chance that they will purchase something from you.

This is where you can create high-quality blog posts and let your readers know about it.

The blog posts can even have a few  upsells or cross-sells  in it but should be made for the purpose of providing great information for free.

Start Writing

Sometimes you can think of what to put in your newsletter. So, just start writing and see what comes out.

As we mentioned before, don’t send out newsletters for the sake of it.

If you start writing and you manage to crank out something of substance, see if you can provide value to your readers with it. Sometimes the best ideas can come from nothing, so just give it a go.

Tips For Writing an Email Newsletter Article

Offer Real Value

Offer value as no one else can and start building lasting relationships with your audience. There are many fakers in the world of marketing, offering the illusion of valuable content but with the delivery of nothing. Real value will deliver you real results, so treat this element properly and your audience will appreciate it.

Keep a Schedule

This can be one of the easiest solutions on the list. The fact that you publish constantly and on a similar schedule helps readers to establish an “appointment” with your content.

Thus, excitement and anticipation are established that can be fulfilled. If you publish daily, but for three days you do not publish anything, your credibility may be affected. But if you always follow a schedule, your reputation may increase.

Also, you should be aware that there are certain  times for email marketing  that are better than others, so take this into consideration before you send out your emails.

Maintain Attention

You may have only 15 seconds to convince a reader that your content is worthwhile. You must hook them; Remember that it is very easy for any reader to be distracted and stop reading your content.

Careless work provides an easy way out of your content and this is a very common email marketing mistake  to commit. Try to retain them, provide the right quality and quantity so that they do not go to the competition and remain by your side.

Consistent and Simple Design

The design should be consistent with a large number of blank spaces that make it attractive and easy to read. If you follow a fixed structure, readers will become familiar with the design format and each time it will be easier to navigate through each edition.

The key is to make it as practical as possible so that readers find the sections they are most interested in so that they do not get lost and frustrated with so much information.

The presentation is important since the opening rate is provided by the subject line but many times the click rate depends on whether the user is impacted by the image of the email or not.

So remember to include the logo of your company, use a clean template, check the spelling, and test before sending.

Optimized for Mobile

A lot of people admit that they will delete any email that is not adapted to mobile . If your email does not take into account this factor for a correct design and launch, your marketing budget is not being spent effectively.

With the segmentation by device, you can send the correct message on the right device and thus capture a larger number of customers.

Every article or post is a story. But there are so many “storytellers” in the business at this time that the next marketing conference should be around a campfire.

In this context, however, narration means providing proof with a narrative. Use examples from the real world, for example, testimonials from your customers whenever you can.

When you can not, involve the imagination of your audience with the story of how your life will change with the solution you bring.

Don’t Include Excess Information

Newsletters usually contain news that covers all areas of the company, which makes it difficult to try to group all the articles together. You could create master sections that are constituted by relevant subtitles and images that help guide the reader through the information.

Instead of placing the launch of a product and opening a new office between the announcement of a partnership and an article about a new employee, a good tip would be to create a section called “Our Team” that contains all the information related to employees and another section called “Business Expansion” with company news?

Your newsletter has to be easy to read and direct, so you must maintain a minimal design and copy. In turn, the text should be clear and concise and point to a call-to-action markup that redirects readers to the web page in question or  landing page .

Sending A Newsletter Article

Once you have gone over everything and optimized your newsletter article for each different element you can prepare to execute your campaign and send out your emails.

You can use an email service provider to do this such as GetResponse who will be able to help you build a subscriber list, create newsletters, segment lists, and much more to in order to build an effective campaign.

You can then  study and track your analytics  after the campaign is finished so you can chop and change things round in order to get better results in the future.

Carmine Mastropierro

How to write a newsletter: step-by-step guide.

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So, you want to know how to write a good newsletter.

You’re in the right place.

I’ve been writing email newsletters for upwards of 8 years and have helped dozens of clients with their email campaigns.

It seems simple; it’s just a newsletter, after all, right?

Not so quick.

Copywriting is an art, and when done right, it can make you serious coin.

Heck, 82% of B2B and B2C companies use email marketing.

But, many entrepreneurs attempt writing newsletters before they’ve learned the proper strategies and the results are lackluster.

Sound familiar?

Today you’re going to learn how to write a newsletter that captivates people and makes them take action.

Take out your typewriter (not literally), and let’s get into it!

What is a newsletter?

Newsletters are printed or online reports that people can subscribe to. They contain useful pieces of content, updates, and news, as you can guess.

Companies regularly send out newsletters that share stories, information, and resources to help employees perform better.

But we’re focusing on a different type of newsletter today— a marketing newsletter . This is used to drive traffic to websites, generate sales, and grow relationships with subscribers.

This is the Friends Newsletter from Nick Gray for illustration:

Email marketing is older than your grandma (not literally, but close) yet still drives massive ROI.

Don’t believe me?

I’ll let the data do the talking: email marketing generates $40 for every $1 spent , according to Lyfe Marketing.

I’ve also consulted with clients and helped them set up email campaigns that generate five figures in MRR.

You can learn the strategies I used in my online courses .

But without out of the way, I’m going to teach you arguably the most important component of writing newsletters next…

Newsletter subject lines

The subject line of an email will make or break your email campaigns.

If it’s boring, no one will open it.

And if no one opens it, you won’t make any money. 👎

Approximately 35% of all recipients open an email based on the subject line alone. It’s crucial that you take the time to craft one that’s irresistible to click.

One of the best newsletter subject lines to test is one that includes their name .

I’ve never experienced higher open rates with newsletter copywriting than when I use someone’s first name in the subject line.

Something as simple as “To { Name} ” or “Hey { Name} ” works wonders.

Why is this? Because it’s been proven that calling someone by their name enhances something known as conscious processing .

It peaks their awareness, makes them more likely to examine the information, and makes them feel emotionally attached to it—since it’s their name and identity, after all.

It also shows that you’ve done your research and you’re not just sending another copy and pasted email.

To pull this off, make sure that you require at least a first name when opting into your newsletter like MobileMonkey does on their blog :

You can also use a sense of urgency or FOMO (Fear of missing out).

This will entice subscribers to open the email to avoid missing out on something great. Here are some newsletter subject line examples using this tactic:

• “12 Hours Left to Get Your Free Copywriting Course “
• “You’ll Regret Not Knowing These 5 SEO Tips “
• “John, Are You Making This Deadly Marketing Mistake?”

Look how lead pages used this strategy by simply stating, “We’re sorry:”

It instantly creates a sense of mystery.

What happened?

Is something wrong?

There are many questions that might go through your head when you hear a company you’re a customer of apologizes without context.

This no doubt greatly increased CTR as recipients would be interested to read the email.

Furthermore, I love keeping a swipe file to reference every time I’m writing a newsletter. This is simply a spreadsheet with ideas and inspiration.

When you see a headline, subject line, or any piece of copy for that matter, copy it into your swipe file. Obviously, don’t steal material from other writers, but use it for brainstorming.

I go into email marketing and lead generation more in-depth in my copywriting course if you’re interested in learning how to grow a profitable writing business.

Newsletter best practices

Now that you understand what a newsletter is and its components, let’s touch on some best practices and what to include in a newsletter.

Always include an opt-out

The Federal Trade Commission enforces a set of laws known as the CAN-SPAM Act .

This covers commercial email laws, and you absolutely need to be aware of it. Or else you might get the FBI knocking at your door.

Okay, probably not.

But, they are legitimate laws that you need to follow, and you can get into legal trouble if you break them.

Two of the rules you must follow are:

• Tell recipients how to opt out of receiving future emails from you.
• Honour opt-out requests promptly.

Any modern email service, whether it’s Mailchimp or Aweber, will provide you with an option to let subscribers opt out.

Always include this in the footer of your emails and ensure that if someone does opt out, you don’t continue emailing them. That’s when the feds will come knockin’.

If you’re enjoying today’s topic, I’d also recommend you read my email follow up guide since it contains a lot of useful information that ties in email marketing in general.

Don’t use misleading subject lines

Have you ever added “FW:” or “RE:” to an email without prior contact with that person?

If so, I have something really bad to tell you…

You’re a criminal!

The second requirement in the CAN-SPAM Act is to not use deceptive subject lines. It must accurately reflect the body of the email.

I would avoid using those prefixes in your subject lines.

Not only is it technically against the law, but it’s tricking people, and I don’t think you want to start off your relationship with a client or subscriber on that foot.

Monitor employees and team members

Do you have employees that email subscribers or prospects on your behalf?

Then you need to be monitoring that they are also following the CAN-SPAM act and general best practices.

Because guess what?

It might be someone else physically sending the emails, but it’s still coming from your address.

A.K.A, you all will get into trouble.

To avoid this, I like giving my team templates and resources to send them on the right track. Give them the link to the CAN-SPAM guidelines , email scripts, and maybe this article.

Don’t overdo it

No one wants to be spammed to death with emails every day.

Omnisend performed a study on email frequency and it’s correlation to open rate and click-through .

They discovered that the fewer emails that were sent on a monthly basis, the higher the open rates and click-through rates became.

What can you learn from this? Quality over quantity. Don’t send out emails every day. Perhaps not even every week.

Aim for a few extremely high-quality newsletters every month.

Include social sharing

Visual content is up to 40% more likely to get shared than non-visual content.

Social sharing is the easiest way to achieve a viral effect with this in mind.

Ensure that there are Facebook and Twitter sharing links at the end of your newsletter, so subscribers can forward it to all of their friends.

On that note, if you use Facebook to promote your business, don’t miss out on my Facebook ad copy article.

Add other social networks to the newsletter if you’d like, as well.

Imagine if you had 1,000 subscribers, and 50 of them shared it. Those 50 people could reach an additional 500 users if 10 individuals per subscriber read it as a result.

Writing a newsletter – the meat and potatoes

Alright, you have a good idea of what a newsletter is, what it achieves, and how to get subscribers to click based on the subject line.

Now it’s time to learn how to write a newsletter article.

How you go about this will change depending on your individual business goals, but the principles remain the same. Here’s what you need to know:

Use storytelling to create emotional connections

Stories help subscribers emotionally relate to your business, its message, and its product.

You can get a story in three different ways: stating your own experience, sourcing someone else’s story, or crafting a fictional tale.

A personal story is effective because you can tie it into writing a newsletter article effortlessly. Let’s say that you’re promoting an e-book on affiliate marketing you recently published.

You could tell the story of how you were broke and in debt, but stumbling upon affiliate marketing changed your life. You bought a car, got an apartment, and now know the secrets to master it as a business.

That’s pretty simple, of course. But, consider your own life experiences, especially emotional ones, and how you can mention them in newsletters.

Look how Ramit Sethi talked about his experience getting married and asked for subscribers’ best piece of advice in this email :

It’s a simple illustration of how a piece of personal information can make you feel closer to the other person sending the email.

If you don’t have any stories to share, there’s nothing wrong with using someone else’s. Publications, specifically news outlets , do this every day. Everyone loves a good story, but it doesn’t have to directly be yours.

Research stories and case studies on the topic of your newsletter. If it’s about machine learning, find a story about companies that used AI to transform their productivity and output.

Lastly, you can always just make up a story.

But, be careful. Don’t claim anything outrageous, like a previous customer used your product and generated $1 billion.

People will see right through that, and they’ll lose trust in you.

Read my guide on storytelling in copywriting to learn more effective tactics.

Make it a slippery slope

The goal of the headline is to make them read the first sentence.

…The goal of the first sentence is to make them read the second sentence.

…The goal of the second sentence is to do the same as above until they finally reach a call to action.

Focus on the flow of your words. You want the subject line to intrigue them first. It should relate to their needs, wants, or pain points as a customer.

Then, the first sentence needs to be bold . Use an interesting stat, a thought-provoking question, or make an absurd comment. The goal is to hook their attention.

Traffic Think Tank executed this perfectly in one of their promotional newsletters.

Short and snappy sentences make it easy on the eyes.

Every sentence has a meaning and substance while effortlessly leading into the next.

Use the other copywriting principles in the remainder of the body, and next you know, they’re at the end of the newsletter with their credit card out.

The slippery slope method was developed by the famous copywriter Joseph Sugarman. I wrote a blog post covering some of his main tactics you can read here .

Make them feel like it’s real

Imagine selling flashy cars like Ferraris or Lamborghinis. We’ll call our company Bambino’s Autos .

We’re trying to increase how many subscribers call to schedule a test drive for some new arrivals.

How could we convince these people to come test a $500,000 car?

Simply, actually.

Just make them feel like they already own it . We could write something like this:

Everyone is staring at you. People are taking pictures. The scream of the V12 engine turns every head in sight. You’re pressed back into your seat with the slightest touch of the peddle, and the digital dash looks like something developed by NASA. Just glancing at the car gives you the jitters, let alone knowing that you own it. Test drive the new Lamborghini SVJ today.

Even if you’re not a car enthusiast, I think it’s safe to say that writing like this would make you excited to go for a test drive.

It speaks to the customer’s interest in appearing special, wealthy, and wanting to drive fast. I’m generalizing here, but follow along.

The goal is to make them imagine as if they already own the product and the experience that would come along with it.

This, as a result, generates the associated emotions and makes them more likely to take action. Cool, huh?

Predict their questions and answer them ahead of time

To make your email newsletters “slippery,” you need to be able to predict what questions and thoughts your subscribers are having. This allows you to answer them ahead of time and keep them flowing through your content.

Consider what they would want to know about pricing, features, benefits , refunds, and any other detail about what you offer. Weave this into your copy, and they will think you’re a mind reader.

More importantly, it prevented obstacles.

If someone has to stop and scratch their head or wince in suspicion, you’ve lost them .

They’re likely to click off the email and do something else—losing you the sale.

This requires you to have a solid buyer persona and a great understanding of your ideal customer.

Do you? If not, it’s something you need to develop because all great copywriting stems from it .

I recommend using a free form tool like Google Forms .

Use one of the available templates or start from scratch.

Add questions that you would like to know about customers. Good ones include:

• How much are you willing to spend on this type of product?
• What problems are you experiencing in this area?
• Why do you shop with your favourite brands?
• How did you find our business?

Send this out via (no pun intended) a newsletter to collect feedback.

Finish it with a call to action

A call to action is very literal.

It’s telling the reader to take some form of action that gets them closer to a sale.

In your case, it might be a discovery call, consultation, or similar.

You can’t just leave them hanging either, so the end of the newsletter needs to forward them somewhere. Examples of calls to action are:

• “Buy it now”
• “Continue reading”
• “Get our free e-book”
• “Schedule a call today”

Want to hear some crazy stats? Wordstream found that emails with calls to action lead to a 371% increase in clicks and a 1617% increase in sales.

Yep, you read that right, too.

It’s such a simple concept, but it makes so much sense, as well.

As humans, we want to be told what to do.

It makes our lives easier since it means we don’t have to think harder.

When we see a call to action, it immediately helps us move on to the next step.

Look how the retailer Huckberry did this in one of their Labor Day sale emails:

They use the “Shop Now” call to action many times throughout their newsletter to promote visiting their online store.

Best time to send email newsletters

In my cold emailing guide , I spoke about how the best time to email someone is before 9:00 AM and after 5:00 PM.

Why do you think this is?

…Because it’s before they get to work and after they’ve come home.

Your email will be one of the first things they see when they check their mailbox if you follow this strategy.

Additionally, Hubspot discovered that emails sent at 11:00 AM on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday experience the highest open rates.

Try it out for yourself.

Every business has a unique audience, so monitor data to see if your subscribers are different. You might notice that they open emails at 2:00 PM more, for example.

Summing up newsletter copywriting

Copywriting newsletters is a great way to reach a large audience, and collecting an email list is one of the wisest things a business owner can do.

Focus on nailing a subject line that people would want to open in the first place. Urgency and using someone’s first name is a proven tactic.

Then, take the time to craft a body of text that acts as a slippery slope. Every sentence should flow smoothly into the next and ideally will make them want to finish reading the entire newsletter.

Add in your own personal stories to make them relateable, or find one that relates. Poke their imagination with vivid detail, and answer any questions they might have before they’ve even thought of them.

If you do all of that, they’ll make it to the end of the newsletter, and you can finish it with a call to action.

Check out my copywriting courses to learn more and get mentorship from me and a community of writers.

Here’s an infographic that sums up everything I spoke about today, as well:

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How To Write An Effective Newsletter Introduction (With 10 Examples)

• 27 August 2021
• By Victor Ijidola

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Over 319 billion emails will be sent today. Make people see yours.

Make yours stand out from the crowd, no matter how many emails you send. It all starts with a short and sweet introduction to Flodesk.

Nailing your email introduction is more important today than it’s ever been. Statista estimates that 319.6 billion emails will be sent per day in 2021. This means inboxes are a highly competitive space, with lots of brands vying for the same attention. So it’s absolutely critical to write a strong newsletter introduction. You’ve got to hook readers immediately and convince them to keep reading. 

7 quick tips to write an amazing newsletter intro

To help you, we’ve compiled some tips to write amazing newsletter intros along with real-life newsletter introduction examples. 

If you’re still in the list-building phase of your email marketing campaign, check out 7 Newsletter Signup Form Examples to Grow Your Email List

1. Adopt a “no-fluff” mindset

To get your email subscriber’s attention you need a stunning newsletter header and your intro needs to get to the point right away. No small talk, no chit-chat, just the point. 

Now, this doesn’t mean you should be brash or unconversational. It just means to think about your message from the reader’s perspective. A no-fluff mindset means removing anything that doesn’t add value to the reader or explain what they’ll get out of the full email. 

For example, here’s an email introduction from Carol Tice at The Freelance Writers Den :

Hi [First name],

This week, we’ve got a podcast with Stefan Pallios, author of the new book The 50 Laws of Freelancing. He and Den admin Jennifer Roland talked about that book, his freelancing career, and how he manages such ambitious side projects alongside a full slate of clients.

Check it out in the Resource Library.

Carol gets right down to business, immediately describing the value in the current week’s email—a podcast interview with Stefan Pallos, author of the book, The 50 Laws of Freelancing . And she includes a clear CTA encouraging customers to click through to her website to listen to the podcast and check out the related blog post. 

2. Make it a one-liner—with a strong punch

One-liners may seem simple on the surface, but they often make us laugh in spite of ourselves. And when every word counts, it’s hard to beat a one-liner in terms of efficiency when you write intros. You can make a connection, establish rapport and give existing customers the giggles all in one quick sentence. Of course, you’ll need to use them sparingly in your email campaigns and only when it’s relevant to your brand or product. 

(To learn more about how to connect with your customers in emails, watch 3 Tips to Connect with Your Audience in Emails .)

For example, here’s a good one-liner that would be great as a recipe intro:

“Just burned 2,000 calories. That’s the last time I leave brownies in the oven while I nap.” 

If your email newsletter happens to focus on baking and you’re sending brownie recipes, something like this would be a great way to grab your customers’ attention while staying relevant. One-liners are also a fantastic way to incorporate a visual into the newsletter. 

Pack a punch with your first Flodesk newsletter

First impressions are everything in email marketing—make subscribers remember you with an unforgettable introduction email using Flodesk templates.

3. Ask an interesting question

Questions are useful in intros because they get the reader thinking, tempting them to continue reading. The trick, however, is to lead with an open or leading question as opposed to one with a specific yes/no answer. 

For instance, if you ask: “Need quotes to refinance your mortgage?” 

The reader is likely to think, “Nope.” And then just move on. 

But if you say, “Will mortgage rates stay this low much longer?”

It’s likely to pique their interest. And they may click through to find out what you have to say. 

Here’s a good example of a newsletter intro that asks an interesting question from Annie Franceschi at The Greatest Story Creative: 

In Annie’s email newsletter intro, she kicks things off with a question that’s likely on the mind of her potential customers (newbie email marketers)—“But how do you get started and what should you be sending to be genuine and not sleazy?”

Such a question gets the reader thinking and also succinctly communicates what they can expect from the rest of the newsletter. In fact, Annie follows the question immediately with a link to her new podcast episode discussing the topic in question. 

4. Share an uncommon, but relevant statistic

A great statistic can tell the whole story quickly, eliminating the need for long-winded descriptions. Plus, the numbers themselves are visually eye-catching. 

According to Mike Hamers , owner and founder of Lightspeed Commercial Arts, “Our brains are attracted to numbers because they automatically organize information into a logical order… like candy for your organizational mind.”

Statistics are effective anywhere you put them, whether in your intros, headlines or subject lines. For instance, LinkedIn ran A/B testing on headlines with and without statistics:

Headline A: 75% of B2B buyers rely more on content to make purchasing decisions than they did a year ago. 

Headline B: B2B buyers rely more on content to make purchasing decisions than ever before. 

And they found that statistics had a big impact on click-through rates. The headline with the statistic (Headline A) had a 37% higher click-through rate and 162% more impressions. 

Statistics can also pique interest, similar to a question, enticing readers to find out more. This is where the uncommon part comes into play. If it’s a statistic that the reader has heard before, there’s nothing to motivate them to keep reading. 

But if it’s new or uncommon, the reader is more likely to want to learn more—especially if it’s relevant. Statistics also lend authority to your newsletter since you’re introducing the reader to new, relevant information. 

Take this example from CSP Kitchen’s email newsletter : 

“Coffee With a Kick: 37% of Survey Respondents Add Alcohol to Coffee at Work”

CSP Kitchen leads with an eye-catching statistic that 37% of respondents add booze to their coffee at work. Given all we’ve shared about statistics, you can imagine how this is going to make a lot of readers want to find out more, just out of sheer curiosity. 

5. Lead with a relevant image

Everyone knows the old saying, “a picture’s worth a thousand words.” And even though it’s a cliche, it’s true. You can communicate so much with a relevant image, leaving you to get down to business with your intro. Images are also a great way to make a personal connection with customers since images can evoke feelings more quickly than words. 

Here’s a good newsletter example that leads with a relevant image from ‘Cause We Can Events: 

In this email newsletter from the folks over at ‘ Cause We Can Events , things kick off with an image of a bride and groom with a stunning desert backdrop. If you’re in the wedding planning world (which their audience likely is) this picture is going to tug at your heartstrings pretty quickly. 

Don’t limit your images. Think big.

Flodesk’s simple but elegant templates make your newsletters stand out with loud and proud images that capture your subscribers’ attention.

6. Share an unpopular opinion or bold statement

Sharing an unpopular opinion is a surefire way to get your readers’ attention and make them curious to know more. As Psychology Today explains , the drive to seek out information about our world is hardwired into us, through our dopamine-reward system:

“There is a body of research suggesting that dopamine incentivizes behavior more through wanting (…) than liking. In effect, the dopamine creates an itch that needs to be scratched.”

Unpopular opinions and bold statements can create an especially strong itch. However, you need to be careful to avoid a few common pitfalls—namely alienating your readers with the opinion itself or coming off as too “click-baity” by using irrelevant or overly shocking statements. 

One of the best ways to avoid these problems is by sharing opinions that aren’t yours. Instead, you can share opinions held by others about something relevant to your audience. Then, the reader will be interested in the opinion enough to want to find out what’s behind it without being offended or annoyed. 

Here’s a good example of a newsletter leading with a bold statement from Sarah Peck’s Startup Parent : 

“Truth talk: the world of work was not made for working parents.” 

This email newsletter starts out with a bang as Sarah drops some “truth” on her customers. The bold statement grabs attention and likely elicits a strong response from her readers (mostly professional women). 

Read next: How to write a nonprofit newsletter !

7. Call out their common identity

Calling out a common identity is a good way to personalize an email. It immediately tells the reader you have something in common and makes a connection. Plus, it gives them a reason to consider what you have to say. 

Here’s a good example of a newsletter intro that calls out a common identity from Sarah Turner : 

“These are the top 10 books that EVERY copywriter MUST read. These books were crucial for my growth as a copywriter & an entrepreneur and I hope they’ll be just as important to you.”

Sarah’s email newsletter targets copywriters and entrepreneurs. As you can see, she calls out their common identity right away, immediately making a connection with her customers. 

Let’s now look at even more examples of newsletter intros so you can draw inspiration from them.

10 best newsletter introduction examples

These intro examples are some of the best we’ve seen, so we’re sharing them with you here:

1. Myrtle’s irresistible sense of style 

Founded in 2011 by Whitney Bickers and named after her great-great-grandmother, Myrtle is an online boutique featuring pieces by independent female designers. 

This fashion newsletter introduction does a great job of capturing the sense of style inherent to Myrtle’s business. Leading with a crisp, relevant image and bold colors, the reader is immediately drawn into the email. 

It’s also a great example of using enticing text, offering “the first of spring” which makes customers feel like they’re getting early access to something. 

2. Nutriciously’s mouth-watering summer recipes

We love how this email newsletter introduction by Nutriciously gets right down to business. It has a bit of conversational banter at the top but the main image clearly shows the value to the reader right off the bat—22+ fresh vegan summer salad recipes. 

The arrows are a nice touch too, drawing subscribers’ eyes to the main event and making the whole thing feel a bit personalized. 

3. An Indigo Day’s chic freebie

Fans of Jessica Camerata’s fashion and lifestyle blog, An Indigo Day , will love her awesome newsletters as well. Jessica sends weekly digest emails to educate readers about her newest blog posts, including a personal note. 

Plus, she shares loads of helpful information with her customers, including a monthly newsletter with 3 things inspiring her for the month ahead. And, every now and then, she shares a favorite product; a must-shop sale; or inside tips and tricks. 

In this particular newsletter, Jessica is sharing a 14-page free guide with subscribers. We love how she features the actual guide as the image in her introduction. 

It’s also great how the message is personalized with the subscriber’s first name. 82% of marketers report an increase in open rates using personalized emails vs non-personalized emails so this was a good move.

4. D’Ana Joi’s inviting photo and tone

We love this particular intro from multi-passionate coach D’Ana Joi because it leads with a great photo of herself (important because she’s selling coaching services) on a brightly colored backdrop. The photo is inviting and professional, gently nudging the potential customers to engage. 

The intro is also personalized with the reader’s name and quickly gets to her value proposition—the top five benefits to working with a multi-passionate mentor. 

Create vibrant and professional newsletters with Flodesk

Your customers deserve better than plain-text emails. Let them live life in full technicolour.

5. Science & Soul Nutrition’s relatable opening line

This email newsletter from Science & Soul Nutrition , a meal delivery service, hooks readers with an enticing statement—“Count colors not calories.” 

It goes on to share about the benefits of plant-based food, suitable substitutions for customers with food allergies and a reminder to check out the current week’s menu, creating value and enticing readers to click through.

6. Wayfarer Design Studio’s aspirational intro

Abby over at Wayfarer Design Studio gives us another good example of a newsletter introduction. She leads by dangling something her customers likely aspire to—turning a $2.5K client into a $9K client. 

And she follows the enticing headline immediately with a CTA button to watch the interview. For those who make it past that, Abby then personalizes the introduction using the subscriber’s name and explains a bit about the interview series and what the reader can expect. 

7. Westerly Kitchen’s well-designed layout 

Westerly Kitchen is a meal delivery service in the greater Seattle area. They really know how to format a newsletter for their audience, as you can see in their email newsletter promoting the current week’s menu. Since people “eat with their eyes,” the bold visuals make a big impact with clear and concise copy describing the week’s dishes. 

They also include a CTA button to “Order now” both above and below the fold for extra conversion.

Plus, their newsletter is optimized to look just as good on mobile devices as it does on desktop. According to a recent article in Forbes , mobile now accounts for 46% of all emails opened by consumers and professionals. While mobile responsiveness is an especially important feature when sending email newsletters, platforms like Flodesk make it easy with templates that are optimized to look great on any device, in any inbox. 

Looking for the best software to design beautiful email templates like the one above? We have you covered – check out these top Mailchimp Alternatives

8. A&M Collective’s sharing expertise and value at the top

In this no-fluff email newsletter from social media strategist and blogger Antoinette Faltz-McQueen , the value is presented to the reader immediately—4 Tips To Increase Your Engagement. 

For her audience of small business owners and coaches, these practical tips not only provide value but also demonstrate her expertise, potentially turning subscribers into clients. 

We especially love how she includes a link to a freebie as her call-to-action, along with an invitation to check out her new website. 

9. The Fearless Chase Collective’s understanding of their target audience

Madison Anaya knows her audience. And it shows in this quiz-based email newsletter from The Fearless Chase —the business education and community-focused membership platform you never knew you always needed.

According to Neil Patel , “Using quizzes in your marketing strategy is one of the most underrated marketing moves. (…) They are incredibly effective at generating leads, engaging your audience, and much more.”

Showing her marketing prowess, Madison made one of her own personality quizzes featuring sitcom characters from popular shows. This is one quiz you won’t find on Buzzfeed though as it tells users which iconic sitcom character embodies their current stage of business. 

We also love how Madison’s intro (and all of her emails) are written in a unique and consistent brand voice. To learn how to craft your own, check out, “ Brand Voice: What It Is, How to Develop Yours & Why It Matters. ”

10. Brick & Batten’s value-packed welcome letter

We love this effective welcome email newsletter by Allison Vaccaro and Cassie McDowell of Brick & Batten , an exterior home design company. They lead with a simple but on-point message (We’re Glad You’re Here) which makes subscribers feel welcome. 

Then they proceed to load up new subscribers with lots of valuable and relevant links, making it clear from the get-go that this is one newsletter that will be worth the reader’s time—especially since it mentions that subscribers will be the first to get deals or a discount code. 

To learn more about writing effective welcome emails, read our post on the 11 Best Examples of Welcome Email Subject Lines (& Tips to Write Your Own) .

Email newsletter introduction FAQs

What do you write in a newsletter introduction.

A newsletter introduction should tell the reader what they’ll get out of reading the rest of the email or linked article. This should be of value to the reader and communicated without fluff and in a conversational tone. 

What makes a good newsletter introduction?

Good newsletter introductions get right to the point, using techniques such as questions, statistics, images and one-liners to make a connection with the reader and get the main idea across quickly. 

Once you’re done with your intro, check out, “ How To Write A Newsletter (A Really, Really Good One ), on Flodesk University to learn about writing the rest of your newsletter.

Let’s sum it up

If you’re wondering if all this effort is really worth it, especially with so much competition in the inbox, you’re not alone. But the answer is a resounding yes. Email marketing still has the highest ROI of any marketing channel, bringing in $42 for every dollar spent. So, now you can get to work on your email newsletter, knowing that your time is well invested.

If you want to learn how to make email marketing easy, why not read our post on 11 ConvertKit Alternatives for Your Email Marketing Strategy .

Flodesk: the simple & intuitive email marketing platform

You don’t have to learn code to create a beautiful email or create an introductory newsletter your subscribers love- that’s why we’re here!

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About the author

Victor Ijidola

Victor Ijidola is the CEO & Content Lead at Premium Content Shop—a content marketing agency for B2B and SaaS businesses. Feel free to connect with him…

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How to Craft Email Newsletters That Captivate Your Audience

Newsletters remain a valuable way to attract attention, with an average open rate of 22%. Average rates are as low as 15% and as high as 25%, putting newsletter open rates in the middle.

If your small business has yet to launch an email newsletter, there’s no better time.

Weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletters can inform your audience, strengthen customer relationships, drive conversions, and sell more products and services.

Committing to a weekly newsletter ensures regular engagement and keeps your audience informed and looking forward to each issue.

In this blog post, we’ll explain how email newsletters work and what goes into successfully planning a newsletter, including plenty of do’s, don’ts, and best practices.

Table of Contents

Key Takeaways

• Email newsletters can be valuable for building your brand, increasing trust, winning more conversions, and retaining loyal customers.
• Small businesses can use affordable tools for creating custom newsletters, including email marketing software like EngageBay.
• Your business must track notable KPIs to ensure your campaign is heading correctly.

Understanding Email Newsletters

A newsletter is an informative, educational report on your company and industry issued through email. Some businesses send newsletters weekly, while for many more, it’s monthly. Bimonthly and quarterly are two other timeframes to consider.

There are many types of content you can select from when compiling your newsletter, including:

• Top 10 lists
• Employee of the Month features
• Customer reviews and testimonials
• Letters from the owner
• Referral and share links
• Event recaps
• Holiday greetings and wishes
• Free resources
• Gift guides
• Interesting stories
• Insightful news
• New product or service announcements
• Behind-the-scenes glimpses
• Expert interviews
• Coupons and discounts
• Upcoming events calendar
• Polls and surveys
• Industry news
• Case studies

Newsletters are like an amalgamation of your other content marketing efforts.

You can share blog content, webinar or video transcripts, checklists, eBook previews, and other short- and long-form content in your newsletter to educate your audience and inspire them to purchase your product or service.

Read also: 21 Email Newsletter Software — What’s Hot in 2024?

The Benefits of Email Newsletters

Let’s unpack those newsletter perks I touched on in the intro.

Helps build your brand

A newsletter is a golden opportunity to put your brand on display, from the logos and graphics you use in your content to educating your audience about your brand and displaying your helpful, welcoming tone (or whatever your brand tone happens to be) in email.

I always say that as a small business, your work is cut out for you in building a brand.

Launching an email newsletter shortly after your company goes live is a great way to establish that brand and strengthen it by association with each upcoming edition of your newsletter.

Improves lead conversions

Converting leads takes a lot of nurturing unless they enter the already warm funnel (as is the case with marketing-qualified and sales-qualified leads).

Building the educational, informational foundation through an email newsletter means leads should begin gliding through the sales funnel faster, as they’ll have more of the information they need.

Strengthens customer loyalty

Email newsletters are also a vital tool for maintaining those customer relationships you’ve already worked so hard to build.

Keeping your customers in the loop of your newest products and services and what goes on behind the scenes in your business will go a long way toward keeping them engaged.

Offering exclusive, limited-edition discounts in your newsletter is another surefire tactic to increase open and click-through rates for longer-term customers.

Increases email subscriptions

High-quality content spreads fast, and that goes for newsletters as well. As more of your audience begins buzzing about the quality of your newsletter content, you should notice more prospective customers opting in.

You should use automation if you aren’t ready to begin the lead nurturing process with a welcome message and a series of drip emails until your next newsletter goes out.

Improves content marketing success

As you’ll recall, newsletters tie in with existing content marketing campaigns beautifully.

You can cross-post your blog posts, video content, webinar materials, case studies, event reports, and pieces of your eBook within the newsletter, where this content will be right at home.

Incorporating your content into your newsletter gives it a second opportunity to drive your audience to your website.

Elevates website traffic

On that note, you should see a steady uptick in website traffic because of regularly sending your newsletter.

Your website must be optimized with a focus on UX and neat navigation, so prospective customers can find what they want and buy it.

Boosts sales

If done successfully, an email newsletter can be an excellent driver of sales.

Promoting new products and services, offering limited-time discounts, and building more loyalty to your brand will keep customers buying regularly.

Read also: 15 of the Best Newsletter Examples for Creative Inspiration

How to Plan Your Newsletters

Email newsletters don’t grow on trees.

Effective email marketing efforts, including planning your newsletter, require foresight and meticulous preparation, as it can take months for a newsletter to come together. Here are the steps required to create yours.

Step 1: Set clear goals for your newsletter

First, it’s time to sit down with a few other key parties within your small business to determine what goals you want your newsletter to achieve.

Are you hoping for more website traffic? A higher rate of conversions? More engagement? Sales?

Whatever the goal, keep it tucked away in the back of your mind as you begin putting your newsletter together. You’ll refer to it often.

Step 2: Define your target audience

Next, determine who among your audience would be the most interested in your newsletter content.

If you haven’t already segmented your audience , you should do so before you write a single word of your newsletter content.

Personalization is required for your newsletter to succeed, and that means, at the very least, targeting your content to your segmented audience niches.

You should also use the customer’s name and their shopping history and pain points to determine which newsletter content is the most relevant to them.

Step 2: Choose the right email marketing software

Before you can send newsletter content, you have to choose the ideal service to help you do it. There are many email marketing tools you can select from, and we’ve compared them all, such as below.

With so many excellent options on the market, how do you select one? Well, our blog content, like the article above, will help.

We think you’ll gravitate toward EngageBay for your email marketing, especially as a small business owner. Our all-in-one startup CRM includes a series of email marketing tools to propel your campaign goals forward.

For example, you can send bulk emails and newsletters, produce targeted marketing messages, automate emails , customize email templates, personalize email content, receive real-time email alerts, integrate third-party software, and receive reporting.

EngageBay’s prices are small-business-friendly, with a free-forever plan and affordable pricing tiers beyond that.

Read more: Constant Contact vs. Mailchimp and 14 Other Email Tools

Step 4: Brainstorm content

With the foundation of your newsletter coming together, it’s time to decide what kind of content will fill it. You don’t have to write all original content, as you can reuse materials from your blog, for example.

However, you can’t regurgitate everything.

The newsletter is supposed to offer value to all groups that comprise your audience. Those who have been with you for a while might have watched all your videos and read all your blogs, so recycling them will hold no value for them.

You might consider loose newsletter themes to help you decide which content to include or address the most frequent pain points your audience identifies.

Once you have some ideas, build an editorial calendar so you can continue publishing newsletters regularly.

Step 5: Produce the content

You’ve identified what kind of content you need, so now you can sit down and write or record it. The same content production processes your small business uses can apply here.

Step 6: Select a template (or create your own)

Many email marketing tools, such as EngageBay, offer a variety of premade newsletter templates, including customizable email templates that can be tailored to fit your content’s needs.

These pre-made templates provide a convenient starting point, especially for those unfamiliar with email design or seeking inspiration for their newsletter’s layout and style.

Options range from replicating the look of a newspaper, opting for an e-magazine style, to using responsive templates that ensure compatibility across email clients like Mailchimp.

You’re not limited to the default features of these templates.

You can configure text, newsletter layout, CTA button copy, logos and graphics, and newsletter colors to better match your brand and message. This level of customization allows you to leverage the benefits of email template design, making your newsletter more engaging and effective.

Of course, if you have the time and the drive, you can always build a newsletter template from scratch.

This path allows for maximum customization, catering specifically to your brand’s unique requirements. However, it might necessitate a deeper understanding of advanced newsletter-building skills, such as HTML.

Step 7: Test your newsletter

Regardless of whether you built your email newsletter template from scratch or used one included in your email marketing software, you must still always test your newsletter before you send it.

EngageBay’s email marketing tool has A/B testing , allowing you to compare two versions of your newsletter to ensure which will drive the most opens, click-throughs, and conversions.

If you’ve suffered from bad bounce rates in the past, you must begin A/B testing your campaigns. It will make a big difference.

Step 8: Plan a time to send the newsletter and schedule it

The great thing about email marketing tools is you can automate when your newsletter goes out, scheduling it whether the bulk of your audience is part of your time zone or halfway across the world.

After identifying the best times , you can schedule your newsletter and move on to the next task on your massive to-do list. It’s set it and forget it.

Step 9: Track analytics

How did your newsletter campaign do? Built-in analytics in your email marketing software will paint a clear picture.

For example, EngageBay’s analytics use predictive modeling to help you plan more successful campaigns. You can also track all the email and website metrics you need to determine how your campaign performed and how to do better next time.

Read also: 10 Engaging Newsletter Ideas for Freelancers and Solopreneurs

How to Create the Perfect Content for Your Newsletters

Of course, content creation is very nuanced, and I recognize that.

That’s why I want to present this collection of tips to help you produce A+ content with every email newsletter going forward. A crucial aspect of this is learning how to catch readers’ attention. This can be achieved by crafting engaging headlines or incorporating interactive elements within your content.

By focusing on strategies that pique the interest of your readers, you ensure that your newsletter not only informs but also captivates your audience, keeping them engaged from start to finish.

Craft compelling subject lines

Here is a collection of tips to internalize when writing subject lines:

• Keep the character limits between 50 and 60 to ensure your subject line isn’t cut off.
• Drive a sense of curiosity by asking difficult-to-answer, thoughtful questions.
• Incorporate power words into your subject line.
• Segment your email lists and personalize the subject line.
• Use punctuation sparingly; one punctuation mark per subject line is fine.
• Include a call to action in the subject line.
• Be specific about what the newsletter content is about.
• Address the email to the recipient.
• Send newsletter content (and other email marketing content) from a familiar email address.
• Convey a sense of urgency or FOMO.
• Incorporate numbers into the subject line.
• Use only a limited number of emojis, with one or two just right.

Keep your content relevant, engaging, and valuable

The last thing you want is for your subscribers to ask, “Wait, why did I subscribe to this newsletter again?” Your newsletter content might extend beyond what readers will find on your website or blog, but it still must be targeted and relevant.

Incorporate visual elements

Visuals such as your layout, logos, graphics, and images require careful consideration.

The visuals should attract attention but not to the point of being distracting. That requires striking a careful balance and utilizing whitespace in your design.

Personalize your newsletters

The greater the personalization you can incorporate into your email newsletter, the higher the chances of its success. Remember to use the recipient’s name in the email, address their pain points, and recommend services or products in the newsletter.

Read more: How to Create Great Email Newsletters in 2024 [With 7 Free Templates]

How to Design Your Email Newsletter

Are you ready to knock it out of the park with your email newsletter? You can’t do that without responsive, clean, engaging design.

The following pointers will help you nail it the first time.

• Choose your newsletter colors carefully. They don’t have to be a one-to-one match of your logo colors but should be close to remain aligned with your brand.
• Use unsubscribe links. If your audience changes their mind about engaging with your newsletter, they can unsubscribe easily without reporting you for spam, which hurts your sender’s reputation.
• Put your CTA button above the fold. You can add a second button below the fold if you like, but you need that main one to be visible.
• Use web-safe fonts, aka none that are customized or require a download to display.
• Choose a readable typeface and font size. If your audience struggles to read your newsletter, they won’t bother opening the next one.
• Embrace whitespace. It can be used to separate visual elements and make your newsletter layout look neater overall.
• Use high-res visuals, including images and videos.
• Add custom visual media rather than stock imagery, as this will lend itself better to your brand and come across as more authentic.
• Optimize your email newsletter for mobile users.
• Be consistent. Once you’ve found the right layout and typeface for your newsletter, use them or similar variations going forward.

EngageBay’s free email templates are all HTML-based, with over 1,000 to get you started. Envato Elements also has a series of templates you can customize, with 260 of them.

Growing your subscriber list

Acing your email newsletter layout and design is one thing. However, if no one reads your emails, it doesn’t matter how optimized and good-looking they are. They won’t make an impact.

Try these best practices as your small business grows your email audience.

Build trust with social proof

Reviews and testimonials with glowing remarks about the tenacity of your small business will inspire uncertain leads to subscribe to your email list.

Case studies can also be valuable, as they put the reader in the shoes of your customers to see how you improved their professional or personal lives.

Create enticing lead magnets

Lead magnets are another awesome way to drive up more email signups.

However, not any ol’ type of lead magnet will do. You should select targeted content that addresses your audience segment’s primary pain points. That way, you can be sure the content provides value.

Comply with email regulations

From CAN-SPAM to the GDPR, if it seems like there are more email laws and regulations than ever, that’s because there are. They’re all required for your small business to pay attention to, especially if you have customers in international markets.

Violating email regulations means getting fined and losing your audience’s faith.

It’s not worth it when it takes little time to read the rules and ensure you comply with every email you send, even those outside your newsletter.

Use exit intent pop-ups

Uh-oh, is a visitor about to leave your site without sharing their email address?

This is exactly what exit intent pop-ups are engineered to do. By offering website visitors 10% off or providing another exclusive, incentivizing deal, you can collect the email address you need and grow your newsletter.

Have a sweepstakes or giveaway

Everyone loves free stuff; it’s one of those facts of life. Tap into that by hosting a giveaway or sweepstakes. You can even hold a contest if you wish. The requirement for entry should be an email address so you can increase your list.

Increase signups by ensuring you have an excellent prize, whether it’s cash, a gift card, or your products and services.

Require emails to participate in a webinar

You have a wealth of knowledge about your industry. Share it by hosting a webinar. Attendees can join by sharing their email address, where they’ll then receive updates and news about the webinar leading up to the big day.

You can use webinars to drive up email subscriptions, whether you’re charging for the webinar or offering it for free. Webinars are valuable because you can use transcripts as lead magnets, so make sure your small business offers at least a few.

Improve your content quality

Valuable content is worth a lot to any audience. Once you hook them in, don’t get lax. Continue sending tailored, personalized, high-quality blog posts, newsletters, videos, and all other nature of content.

Your most loyal customers are also your biggest supporters who can drive more referrals.

Read also: Amazing Newsletter Ideas to Engage and Delight Your Audience

How to Analyze Your Email Newsletters

I talked earlier about the importance of analytics in determining the success of your email newsletter campaign, but precisely which KPIs should you measure? Here’s a rundown.

• Click-through rate
• Bounce rate
• Subscribe rate
• Unsubscribe rate
• Delivery rate
• Clicks by URL or link
• Spam complaints
• Website traffic
• Conversion rate
• Email forward rate
• Engagement rate
• Social shares

How do you begin analyzing the performance of your newsletters?

Your email marketing tool of choice should have an analytics and reporting section.

Within there, you can highlight specific data points you want to focus on, request reports, and use historical campaign info to make data-driven decisions that improve your newsletter.

Read also: How to Create a Newsletter — From Concept to Launch

Common Mistakes While Crafting Email Newsletters

If email newsletter marketing were easy, everyone would have sky-high open and click-through rates. However, I think we all know that’s unrealistic.

Before your first email marketing campaign goes live, do yourself a favor and review this list of do’s and don’ts. Your future self will thank you!

You’re not segmenting your audience

Emailing everyone rarely has the kinds of KPIs you anticipate.

You need a target audience to build your email newsletter campaign around. You shouldn’t create the campaign first and then try to make your audience fit.

You’re too salesy

A newsletter is not a sales email. Sure, it has sales elements like writeups of your products and services and discounts and deals, but it’s more than that. Trying too hard to push a sale in your newsletter could elevate your unsubscribe rate.

You write your newsletter without a goal

What’s the point of any marketing activity without a goal in mind?

You can’t create a clear, actionable path to success when working with abstract concepts and vague ideas. Take the time to hammer down the details before your email newsletter campaign goes any further.

You buy your email lists

Purchasing an email list is a fast way to get more subscribers, but you won’t likely retain them.

Once you begin issuing emails, the subscribers will make up their minds about your content and likely unsubscribe en masse.

The only way to grow an email list is by following the strategies above. It can be a long game, but it’s worth it, as you will have engaged subscribers who want to read your content.

You’re not monitoring your KPIs

Listen, I know it’s sometimes nerve-wracking to look at your metrics, especially for your first few email newsletter campaigns, but you can’t put your head in the sand and pretend the numbers aren’t there.

Even if you fail, that’s okay.

You can learn from your errors to strengthen your email marketing campaigns for next time.

You’re misaligning your subject lines and body content

If your subject line mentions A and B, but your body content only goes on about C and D, that will raise suspicion among your audience. Irrelevant email content is likely to lead to spam complaints and more unsubscribes.

It’s sometimes hard to write a subject line that encapsulates your entire newsletter, but do your best to touch on at least one or two points in the email body.

You’re misleading your audience with your subject line

Sensationalistic subject lines may have their place, but your email newsletter campaign isn’t one of them.

Inflating the content of your subject line or overpromising to make your emails more enticing might drive more open rates, but it won’t elevate your click-through rates.

More so, this is another way to watch your unsubscribe rate jump.

You’re cramming your emails with too many elements

I love an eye-catching visual element as much as the next email marketer, but you can’t use too many in one message. Remember, whitespace is your friend.

The goal is to wisely incorporate it, not block every last trace of its existence with images and videos.

Besides, overloading your emails with visual media will make them load slowly, especially on mobile devices.

You’re not using a call to action

Please don’t forget your CTA, as it’s one of the most important parts of your newsletter, if not the most important part.

CTAs are what get people from their inbox to your website or social media feed, so you need a good one or two in your newsletter. One must be above the fold, as you’ll recall.

You’re mass emailing without segmentation and personalization

Sending hundreds of emails might feel productive, but it’s often anything but.

Most marketers who send mass emails don’t bother to segment their audiences and tailor the content to their pain points. In other words, it’s emailed to anyone and addressed to everyone.

The generalized content won’t perform well and could lead to an influx of people unsubscribing because they feel the content is too irrelevant.

Besides, sending huge numbers of emails without warming up your IP is a great way to hurt your sender’s reputation , impacting email deliverability.

You’re not optimizing emails for mobile

With more than one billion people accessing their emails via phone, you must have emails optimized for mobile and desktop devices alike.

Forgetting this important element will almost certainly lead to campaign failure.

Case Studies and Success Stories

One of the best examples of successfully utilizing email newsletter campaigns comes from LandCafe.pl , a coffee and travel eCommerce store.

They wanted to boost product awareness through their email newsletters, especially their artisanal coffee beans. Further, they were hoping to use email to increase their sales and shorten the time customers spend making up their minds.

To do this, they launched a three-part email sequence to their newsletter audience that provided educational information on their products, helped readers develop an affinity for what they sold, and then elevated trust so they’d feel readier to buy.

LandCafe.pl ’s sales rate increased to 54% through these emails.

• Use relevant keywords naturally throughout your articles.
• Optimize your images with alt text.
• Link to authoritative sources in future and past content.
• Encourage social sharing and comments to increase engagement.
• Use meta tags effectively in the description and title.

An engaging email newsletter can open doors for your small business.

You’ll have more leads, convert more of them into customers, build better customer relationships, and strengthen your brand with your consistently high-quality email content.

Creating a newsletter begins with knowing your goals and your audience. Then, you can choose the right email marketing software to align with those goals and begin creating and testing your content.

Implementing the tips discussed in this guide will help your first email newsletter be one success of many.

EngageBay is an all-in-one marketing, sales, and customer support software for small businesses, startups, and solopreneurs. You get email marketing, marketing automation , landing page and email templates , segmentation and personalization, sales pipelines, live chat, and more.

Sign up for free with EngageBay or book a demo with our experts. 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. how do i advertise an email newsletter.

Promoting your newsletter via your website, blog, and social media accounts is one way to spread the word. You can also tap into your referral network and have them share the news through word of mouth.

2. Is a monthly newsletter enough?

That depends on your goals. You should send emails at least weekly if you hope to elevate your website or social media traffic. However, monthly emails are fine if your newsletters are more for informational purposes.

3. How long should an email newsletter be?

Aim for around 200 words to drive higher click-through rates. Link to longer-form content rather than include the full text in your newsletter.

About The Author

Nicole Malczan

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How to Write a Newsletter That Gets Read (+ Infographic)

Want to engage your audience while sharing your best content, deepest insights and brand story? Add a newsletter to your marketing strategy.

If you’ve read this blog for a while, you’re no stranger to the power of email marketing campaigns. Powerful tools for B2C and B2B alike, email is still one of the best ways to push prospects further down the sales funnel, and a valuable opportunity to engage existing clients.

That said, not all emails need to be sales-oriented. Have you ever considered the power of an email newsletter?

If you want a simple, consistent way to engage your target audience without annoying them (especially when they have bigger fish fry like, say, dealing with a pandemic), newsletters are the tool you’re looking for.

Email Newsletter vs. Email Campaign: What’s the Difference?

No doubt this is one of the first questions on your mind. The answer: Frequency and consistency. Newsletters are regularly occurring emails designed to keep your subscribers, customers, potential customers and other members of your target audience up to date on the latest information you have to give them. They don’t sell products – newsletters simply keep your subscribers engaged with your business, lasting for as long as your company is open.

Email campaigns, on the other hand, have a limited timeframe, a set number of emails and are generally planned in advance. They’re tools for pushing prospects down the sales funnel, directing them to gated assets, event sign-up pages or, in some cases, sales teams.

That’s an important distinction, so I’m going to repeat it: Newsletters aren’t the place for pushing products.

Newsletters are for building relationships.

A great newsletter shares knowledge with your customers in a manner that is conversational rather than promotional. Email campaigns are for sales; newsletters are for thought leadership and increasing engagement through storytelling.

Now, if that’s not a concrete enough goal for you, don’t worry. You can use newsletters to boost a variety of quantifiable metrics, including:

• Increasing qualified leads through gated content by directing readers to downloadable assets.
• Building brand awareness by promoting social media sharing.
• Increasing contact with existing customers.

You’re not limited to choosing one option; your business can have multiple newsletters, each with its own goals.

That said, your newsletters shouldn’t be a mess of content. Rather, they should be segmented into different audiences, goals or other criteria and written with a consistent subject.

To illustrate what I mean, let’s look at the newsletter page for the Harvard Business Review :

As you can see, HBR has many newsletters, and all are sorted into relevant content categories for readers. What’s more, you’ll also notice that HBR varies its email newsletter frequency depending on the content. Some are delivered daily; these are usually brief tips or snippets that can be read quickly and link readers to longer articles if they wish to learn more. Others are blog post roundups delivered weekly or monthly, which are consistent enough to keep readers engaged but not so constant that they become annoying.

So, now that we’ve discussed the various uses of email newsletters, let’s talk about creating them.

Step 1: Coming Up With Your Email Newsletter Topic

Ideally, your newsletters will exist as long as your business does, meaning they’ll evolve with it. Therefore, you should never run out of content ideas.

Now, I’ll be frank: As a writer, the idea of never running out of topics seems daunting. “Surely I’ll run into writer’s block sooner or later?”

Nope! If you ever get stuck, just think of what either your business or your audience has been focused on recently. Some simple ideas include:

Content Roundups

This is a way to ensure your email list sees your work (and a chance to show off your work, of course). You can link to your best-performing content (increasing the likelihood that it’ll resonate with your audience) or share something that could use a few more views.

In the HBR example above, you can see that the publication has segmented its roundups into various categories, including leadership, finance, strategy, tech, best of and more. You may not have as many categories (a single bi-weekly roundup may suffice for your company), but the content you include must be similarly consistent.

Company News

If your company is extremely large and incredibly active, you can create a monthly newsletter summing up your latest movements. Be careful of timing here — sending emails too frequently could annoy your audience while sending them too infrequently makes them think you’re asleep.

Case studies, white papers, infographics and surveys are all great details to share with your newsletter subscribers. Even other writing like exceptional blog posts, LinkedIn pieces, guest blogs and more can greatly appeal to your email newsletter audience.

Step 2: Creating a Killer Subject Line

Your subject line is your first chance to hook readers into your newsletter — and you don’t want to waste the opportunity!

So how do you get your foot in the metaphorical door? Follow these essential tips:

• Personalization: You need to know your audience. One subject line may appeal to a certain demographic more than another and that can help you target different audiences. Cater your content to the individual based on data as much as possible.
• Inspire action: If you’re informing clients of a time-sensitive event, offer or opportunity, emphasize that in your subject line. This can add urgency that gets your reader to open the newsletter.
• Pique their interest: Give your readers an idea of your newsletter content that’ll make them more curious and more willing to check out the full story.
• Keep it concise: You only have a few words to capture your audience’s attention, so use them wisely! The opening of your subject line needs to grab the reader and a long, wordy sentence won’t do that.
• Add numbers: Quantifiable statistics and data are a great way to make your newsletter stand out in an inbox.
• Have fun — and keep it professional: Humor is your friend. Don’t be afraid to show some personality in your subject line. On the other hand, avoid writing in all-caps or using too many exclamation points, both of which can come off aggressively, or worse, as spam.
• Look for examples: Do you have a newsletter you love? Or a brand that creates great subject lines? Take note of what grabs your attention and let that help you create your own subject lines.

Step 3: What to Include in the Body of Your Newsletter

The specifics involved in writing an email newsletter are similar to that of creating an email marketing campaign. The main difference is the structure of the body. Newsletters provide an overview of several different subjects at once, so the body is best broken up into separate sections for each.

Naturally, this means newsletters typically have a longer word count than sales emails. The latter are best kept to 50 to 200 words , while the former can be “ as long as they need to be .”

Pro tip: Your writing should be as concise as possible while still saying everything you need in order to convince the reader to take an intended action.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s discuss the structure of an email newsletter from the beginning.

Attractive Sender and Subject Line

The sender and the subject line go a long way toward convincing people to open an email. (Want proof? Go to your spam folder and look at the garbage subjects and spammy “from” addresses. Are you at all interested in what they have to say?)

So, what makes an attractive sender?

• A name: Every guide on writing a B2B or B2C email will tell you to use a human name rather than something like “[email protected].” Doing so builds familiarity and creates that human connection that is so vital to building business relationships.

What about an attractive subject?

• Information: Subscribers want to know if the email they’re about to dive into is relevant. If they don’t get that sense, they’re more likely to leave you unread than to go searching for interesting content.
• Brevity: There’s no consensus on the perfect character length for an email subject line. Shorter tends to be better: various guides will say between 55 and 70 characters maximum. That said, shorter isn’t always possible if you want to clearly identify your newsletters.

This is where your newsletter shines. You’re compiling a lot of information about various topics here, so it’s important your readers receive a cohesive package of content while quickly understanding that the text contains information about a wide variety of subjects. This way, they can quickly scan your newsletters for the details that attract them.

Think of how a newspaper sports page is broken into separate sections. Each article is visually separate from another, divided either by spacing or lines. Furthermore, every article is about something different, but they’re all unified under a consistent theme.

Newspaper writing is also generally consistent overall. Each story has a unique tone influenced by the writer, but the masthead has a clear, consistent voice. YouTube commenters don’t write for The New York Times, after all.

Plain Text vs. HTML Emails

This section talks about newsletter design and, more specifically, how you format your newsletter content. Plain text is exactly as it sounds: the equivalent of a basic Notepad document in email form. There’s no text formatting, images or graphic elements of any kind. It sounds boring, but several studies show that plain text actually increases open rates.

One possible theory is that email clients may flag HTML-heavy emails and mark them as something to be filtered. As Hubspot pointed out, Gmail’s default “Promotions” filter tries to catch any sales-rich messaging and keep them out of the inbox. Depending on the email client’s default filter configuration, some customers may unfortunately never lay eyes on these newsletters.

Additionally, email clients display HTML differently: An HTML email opened in Gmail may look different when opened in Outlook. Furthermore, some email clients or browsers can’t display HTML emails at all, nor can screen-reading software for disabled viewers parse through the code. The reasons for this are complex (email client Litmus wrote a handy blog about it here), but the basic fact is that plain text emails offer greater consistency and ensure all of your subscribers are able to consume your newsletter.

That said, HTML can facilitate more powerful and impactful visual content. You can incorporate your brand’s colors and logos, split the body of your email into manageable sections and link to your website with attractive CTAs. Plus, HTML can introduce hierarchy into your emails via colors and font sizes, making them much easier to digest. Everything looks the same in plain text, making it difficult for readers to quickly identify the important information.

So which do you choose? The answer, of course, is both. Most email marketing platforms make it easy to convert your HTML emails into plain text, so there’s no reason to skip one version or the other.

Also, if you’re worried about some clients not displaying your snazzy HTML email correctly, you can always give readers the option to view the newsletter as a single web page in their browser.

Creating an HTML Newsletter Template

Just as newsletters are delivered according to a consistent schedule, so too should they have unifying visual elements. To put this in plain speak, a template ensures your newsletters look like they’re parts of a regular series (which, of course, they are). To put this plainly, a template ensures your newsletters look like they’re parts of a regular series (which, of course, they are).

Creating a newsletter template from scratch is complicated and requires some detailed knowledge about programming, design and various email clients, but there are some general visual rules you should always follow:

• Use a fixed width rather than a fluid layout. This means setting horizontal dimensions so readers aren’t forced to scroll from side to side or rotate their mobile devices in order to read a single line.
• Include a header. This adds visual interest, establishes hierarchy and incorporates your branding right from the outset.
• Break the body into sections. Each one will contain a different subject. The sections should be visually divided, and your most important or engaging content should a) sit at the top of the newsletter, and b) take up the most space (if your sections will be of varying size).
• Place social icons. You want people to follow your Facebook and Twitter, don’t you?
• Add a share button. This allows readers to share content from directly within the newsletter without having to navigate away from their email.
• Include a footer. This will mimic the footer on your website, reinforcing your branding and providing contact information.

This post from Hubspot has some great examples of newsletter templates if you need some inspiration.

Finally, here’s a brief checklist of other things to include:

• Your logo. It’s the most important visual element of your brand, after all.
• Headings. Important for establishing visual hierarchy and delineating different sections.
• A human face. Adding a face to go along with the sending address increases the human connection.
• Links to content/a CTA. You’ll always want to link back to your website or social pages to increase clicks/reads/engagement/whatever metric you’re looking for.

Step 4: Writing Your Email Newsletter Content

Newsletters can be jam-packed with information, but they should still be easy reads. Writing one is a bit art (using a voice that matches your audience) and a bit science (optimizing your subject, visuals and copy). Use short sentences and avoid passive voice for greater clarity.

In terms of tone, newsletters are a great opportunity to be personable and enhance the human connection between your business and your readers. Write as though you’re speaking to a friend who knows your industry: You don’t have to avoid corporate jargon completely, but you shouldn’t be overly academic, either.

Also, and I cannot stress this enough: Proofread your work .

Every spelling or grammar mistake – even the understandable ones – reduces the credibility of both your writing and your brand. the credibility of both your writing and your brand. This goes for any and all marketing content, but especially newsletters. A typo in a 2,000-word blog post is easier to overlook and forgive than one in a 100-word email.

Step 5: Scheduling Your Email Newsletter

Frequency is the main differentiator between newsletters and email campaigns. Your audience should expect to see your newsletters on the same days in a certain increment. The weekly newsletter is most common, but it can also be daily, bi-weekly, monthly or quarterly.

Now, the exact frequency depends on your content and your audience. If, for example, you plan to create a newsletter showcasing your latest content, consider how frequently you update your blog and create new assets. You’ll probably struggle to include enough information for a daily newsletter, but a weekly or bi-weekly one would work.

Similarly, a monthly newsletter is good for subjects with a few pieces of content – for instance, a summary of company news. A monthly newsletter of your blog posts, on the other hand, will have too much content and readers likely won’t make it to the end.

Still, this doesn’t tell you when and how often to send your newsletters. Unfortunately, there’s no universal answer. What works for your audience probably won’t work for another company, and vice versa.

That said, you can use some generalities to get started. Experiment with different dates and times and, once you have enough data, review your analytics to see when your audience opens emails.

Step 6: Measuring and Reviewing Newsletter Data

You’ll want to give your audience some time to read your emails to get an accurate analysis, so wait two or three days after sending before reviewing your analytics.

The data you’ll want to review includes:

• Total opens/open rates.
• Total clicks/click-through rate.
• Website visitors.
• Bounce rate.

This will give you a good understanding of how people are interacting with your newsletter.

Yes, we’ve just gone through a lot, but trust me: Writing a newsletter is a lot easier than it sounds. Once you get into a consistent routine, your emails will almost write themselves.

Now tell us: What’s in your next newsletter?

Editor’s note: Updated May 2022.

Autumn Green

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Autumn Green is a Brafton writer living in Chicago. She thought she wanted to be an artist growing up, but her time in college taught her that writing is much more fun. On the weekends, you can find her browsing museums or buying cookbooks.

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LLC Articles of Organization + Template: The Need To Know

By Homebase Team

You own a small business, and now you’re up late Googling for an articles of organization template in an effort to make your life easier. How did you get here? Well, there’s a familiar small business origin story: you start a small business with dreams of being your own boss, making your own rules, and letting your innovation flag fly.

With stars in your eyes and self-doubt under your boot soles, you set forth on the exciting path to entrepreneurship. But then you’re immediately hit with a reality check—and mountains of confusing paperwork.

If the thought of setting up a Limited Liability Company (LLC) and filing articles of organization for your small business feels like doing a scavenger hunt in the dark, you’re in good company. In fact, even the mention of an LLC and articles of organization might sound like one big overwhelming shrug. What even are they? And why do you need them? 

In this handy guide, we’ll deep dive into LLC articles of organization, how to write and submit them, and how to stay compliant regardless of what state you live in. 

Bonus: We’re throwing in a free articles of organization template to help simplify the process. 

Are you ready to learn all about LLC articles of organization? If the answer is an enthusiastic “Yep!”—or even a grudging “I guess”—then let’s journey onward!

What is an article of organization for an LLC?

First off, let’s explain what an LLC is. The Internal Revenue Services (IRS) defines an LLC as “a business structure allowed by state statute. Each state may use different regulations, you should check with your state if you are interested in starting an LLC.”  

Still unclear? Basically, an LLC protects the assets of its members—you, the small business owner—from lawsuits and creditors concerned with the company’s business debts. LLCs combine the characteristics of a corporation with those of a partnership or sole proprietorship. 

Now, what in the world is an LLC article of organization? It’s a formal legal document used to establish an LLC and filed within your business’s state . 

Articles of organization provide your state government with required information like your business name, registered agent, purpose, and management structure to register your business as an LLC. Think of it as your business’s birth certificate when you introduce it to the world. Without it, your LLC doesn’t actually exist in a legal sense. 

And don’t forget, your state will typically charge a fee ranging from $50–$200 when filing articles of organization, and requirements and terminology will vary from state to state. 

What’s the difference between articles of organization and articles of incorporation?

Imagine you’re throwing a welcome party for your small business . Think of articles of organization and articles of incorporation as the invitations you send out to your personal and professional network—aka the state government. 

The style of party you throw relates to the type of business you’re starting: articles of organization for an LLC are like a casual backyard BBQ, while articles of incorporation are more like a swanky black-tie gala when you form a corporation.

Here’s a breakdown of both:

Articles of organization.

Typically include the LLC’s name, its purpose, its duration (if not perpetual), the names and addresses of its members (or owners), and other essential information regarding the structure and operation of the LLC.

• Flexibility: LLCs offer more flexibility in terms of management and taxation. You can choose to be taxed as a partnership or a corporation, depending on what suits your business best.
• Limited liability: Members typically aren’t liable for the debts and obligations of the LLC, protecting your personal assets.
• Simplicity: Formation and ongoing compliance requirements are usually less formal compared to corporations, making it easier for small businesses.
• Self-employment taxes: Members may be subject to self-employment taxes on their entire share of profits.
• Investor limitations: It may be more challenging to attract investors since LLCs can’t issue stock.

Articles of incorporation.

Typically include details like the corporation’s name, its purpose, the number and types of stock shares it’s authorized to issue, and the names and addresses of its initial directors.

• Access to capital: Corporations can issue stock, making it easier to attract investors and raise capital for growth.
• Limited liability: Like with articles of organization, shareholders aren’t liable for the debts and obligations of the corporation, which protects personal assets.
• Perpetual existence: Corporations can continue indefinitely, regardless of changes in ownership or management.
• Double taxation: The corporation has to pay taxes on its profits, and then shareholders pay taxes on dividends received.
• Formal requirements: Corporations have more formalities and compliance requirements like holding regular meetings, maintaining corporate records, and filing annual reports.
• Complexity: Formation and ongoing management can be more complex and costly compared to LLCs, especially for smaller businesses.

Ultimately, deciding between articles of organization and articles of incorporation depends on the nature of your business, your growth plans, and taxation considerations .

Stay tuned for your free articles of organization template at the end of this article.

How do you write articles of organization?

Now it’s time to put pen to paper—or, in most cases, fingertips to keyboard—and get writing. If you don’t know where to start, don’t worry. We got you. 

Follow this step-by-step guide on how to write articles of organization for your LLC. To make life even breezier, check out our free article of organization template . Again, make sure you’re following the specific requirements of your state (we can’t stress this enough). If you’re really at a loss, look online for an articles of organization example. 

1. Your business name.

Selecting a name for your small business may seem like the fun part, but it’s vital you do it properly by:

• Complying with your state’s specific regulations. For example, in Oklahoma you can abbreviate LLC at the end of your business name, while in Kentucky you must spell it out (Limited Liability Company).
• Choosing a unique name that not only captures your brand and appeals to your target audience, but also hasn’t already been registered in your state. Do a business name search to check for availability. 

2. The mailing address.

This will be your principal place of business and will require you to register a street address rather than just a P.O. box.

3. Name the registered agent.

The registered agent is the designated person or entity authorized to accept delivery of legal documents on behalf of the LLC, including tax forms, court documents, and other official state correspondence. This person can be a member of the LLC, or someone you hire through a professional registered agent service.

4. Date of formation and duration of LLC.

This date is usually determined when your articles of organization are filed and approved by your state, and officially establishes your business. Some states require you to include how long you plan to keep your LLC, but you can usually just label the duration as perpetual, meaning it will exist until you dissolve it. 

5. Management structure.

Who will manage your LLC: members or managers?

• For member-managed LLCs, members (business owners) are responsible for all day-to-day operations like opening bank accounts and supervising employees.
• For manager-managed LLCs, members appoint or hire a manager to run the business.

The right structure for your business will depend on factors like the size of your LLC, the availability of your members, how much control you’d prefer, and your privacy concerns. 

6. Purpose of company.

This section is for stating your business’s main objective, and the level of detail you’re required to include will depend on your state. Your statement of purpose can range from a broad “to conduct any and all lawful business” to something much more specific like “to engage in the business of floral design, retail, and services.” 

7. Liability.

This section provides a statement that confirms members and managers are not personally liable for debts and obligations of your small business. In most states, your personal assets like your house or car can’t be used to cover your business’s debts.

8. Signatures.

Still with us? Congratulations—you’ve made it to the final step! It’s now time to sign, seal, and deliver your articles of organization. All you need to do is ensure all organizing members and/or authorized representatives sign the document, either by hand or digitally through a secure e-signature software. 

Are the requirements for articles of organization the same in each state?

Long story short: No, the requirements for articles of organization are not the same in each state. But worry not—it’s relatively simple to figure out exactly what your article of organization needs to comply with state regulations. 

Visit the Secretary of State website for your state and download the articles of organization form. You’ll also find info on how to file the form, whether you can file online, and the cost of filing. There may be additional requirements specific to your state too, so make sure you read the instructions carefully.

How to file articles of organization.

Once you’ve gathered all relevant info and checked out the specific website for your state, you’ll know whether you can submit your articles of organization to the Secretary of State office via snail mail or online. 

Once approved, you’ll receive an official confirmation, which will either be a Certificate of Organization or your returned forms with a stamp that includes the filing number and date.

Free article of organization template for download.

Still feeling overwhelmed? We’ve included a downloadable article of organization template for you to fill out all relevant info and get your LLC started. Please keep in mind that this is a generic template and you should confirm your specific state requirements before filing.

Download your free articles of incorporation template here: Articles of organization free template

For LLC articles of organization examples based on your specific state, just do a simple online search and you’ll find plenty to choose from. Make sure to compare the sample articles of organization with the most updated laws in your state.

File your articles of organization.

You don’t have to keep feeling overwhelmed and confused by LLC articles of organization. With us as your guide, you’ll be able to file this important paperwork like the boss you are. In fact, you can entrust Homebase with so much more like HR and compliance , team scheduling and communication , and hiring .  

Wanna try us on for size? Check out our free basic plan . 

Good luck out there, business owners! You got this. 

Optimize your schedule and keep your team in sync with Homebase.

Articles of organization template FAQS.

Do i need an attorney to file articles of organization.

No, articles of organization for LLC do not require an attorney. Taking a DIY approach is totally doable, especially with this guide in your back pocket. However, consulting legal  counsel licensed in your state could be super useful if you want to ensure you’re doing  everything right and staying compliant.

Is the term articles of organization the same as an LLC?

The term articles of organization is not the same as an LLC. Articles of organization are  the legal documents you file with your state government that outline the basic structure  and operation of your LLC. You need to file articles of organization to officially establish  your LLC, which stands for Limited Liability Corporation, a form of business organization.

Does an LLC need articles of organization?

Yes, your LLC needs articles of organization to become official according to state laws.  They give your business legal recognition and outline its structure—like a blueprint for  your LLC! Without articles of organization, you don’t have a legally recognized LLC.

Should I use a template for my articles of organization?

The real question is: Why wouldn’t you use a template for your articles of organization? Using a template is a great place to start, and will help simplify the process overall, but always make sure to check your local state requirements to be on the safe side. You can also find a limited liability company articles of organization example online to supplement your template.

Remember:  This is not legal advice. If you have questions about your particular situation, please consult a lawyer, CPA, or other appropriate professional advisor or agency.

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Using atomic design in report and model development

Developing a good semantic model or report takes a lot of time and effort. One way to reduce this cost is by re-using parts of an existing solution for a new model or project. This modular approach is particularly valuable when a developer faces common or recurring challenges and processes. Despite this, many developers commonly repeat efforts when they start new projects, models, and reports. For example, developers will often manually recreate measures, date tables, and patterns in a new model, or spend precious hours formatting visuals in a new report, while they have already created the same or similar things in the past. One reason for this is that it is difficult to identify candidate elements to re-use, or how you can re-use them in a convenient and scalable manner.

In this article, we want to introduce a conceptual framework from UI/UX called the atomic design methodology from Brad Frost. This framework can help developers to approach Power BI models and reports in a modular way to improve productivity and consistency of a developer’s work. The purpose of this article is to introduce the concept as well as some approaches that exist to re-use parts of your model and report. In future articles and videos, we will elaborate on these and other methods in additional detail.

Introducing atomic design

The atomic design methodology is described by Brad Frost as “…a mental model to help us think of our [solutions] as both a cohesive whole and a collection of parts at the same time” . To summarize, it means that this approach can help you to identify (and re-use) the modular parts that make up your models and reports, as you develop them.

In brief, this methodology describes how you combine simple, re-usable building blocks to create more complex solutions. To illustrate this, Frost uses a metaphor from chemistry (thus the name atomic design), which describes how atoms combine to form molecules , which eventually comprise organisms . In total, Frost describes five layers (whereupon only the first three follow the chemistry analogy). These five layers are depicted in the following diagram.

The five levels of the atomic design methodology consist of:

• Atoms: Core building blocks that make up all higher order parts.
• Molecules: Assemblies of the core building blocks that fill a purpose.
• Organisms: Functional units that consist of many different complex molecules.
• Templates: A conceptual layout that consists of select functional units (or organisms). At this point, the element more logically represents a whole solution, rather than a sum of different parts.
• Pages: Multiple layouts filled with representative content that refers to a final solution.

This methodology was originally created about UI/UX. However, it can also apply to the development of semantic models and reports. To apply this framework to business intelligence, we feel that these levels must be more practically defined. Unfortunately, it does mean that we lose the chemistry metaphor (although it is still helpful to understand the underlying concepts).

The following diagram clarifies this framework as it might apply to the development of Power BI reports.

These same five levels as they apply to BI are:

• Objects: Individual, foundational building blocks of a model or report. Objects have no dependencies, and come together to make patterns. An example of an object is a DAX measure that you use to compute the total sum of sales. Objects are not necessarily limited to things in the model, and could also be self-contained elements for a report, such as an image, button, or text.
• Patterns: Multiple objects that you put together for a specific function or purpose. Common examples of patterns could be dynamic currency conversion , pareto analysis , or ABC classification in DAX. Patterns could also comprise a collection of elements in a report, like a title area in a report (described later in this article).
• Visuals: Functional units that answer data questions. Visuals combine both objects and patterns. These can be from the model or visual formatting. An example could be a bar chart that shows the Total Sales by customer , with conditional formatting that uses the result of a pareto analysis. Visuals aren’t limited to report items; an Excel Pivot table is also an example of a visual.
• Page templates: A collection of multiple visuals that work together in a single view. Different visuals in combination can sometimes (but not always) answer more questions more effectively. For example, a sales customer report could use different visuals to most effectively describe and break down sales both within and across customers.
• Report templates: A collection of multiple views that together address a business process. A report template might also be an app template. For instance, you could have multiple pages or reports that together comprise a template for a month-to-date sales reporting process.

To apply this framework to Power BI development, we must identify what parts of a semantic model or report can be re-used, and how we can effectively re-use them.

Practical examples

The following sections walk through some simple examples to demonstrate how this methodology applies to the creation of a Power BI report.

Level one: Objects are your building blocks

Objects are the foundational elements you use to make a Power BI model or report. These objects typically comprise measures and columns that you create in the model, but they can also include foundational elements in a report, like text boxes, icons, or background images. A foundational object generally does not have any dependencies on other objects that you create. You use multiple objects to define patterns that perform a specific function, which one object cannot do alone.

The following is a simple example of objects with Orders Amount and Sales Amount measures that are objects which aggregate columns.

In this example, Orders Amount is a basic measure that aggregates the quantity by unit price for each transaction with SUMX . Sales Amount only aggregates the Sales column with a SUM . Both of these measures are examples of foundational objects that might be used for many downstream patterns or visuals.

To reiterate, these basic elements are not confined to the model. An object might also be a basic piece included in a report. An example of this is in the next section.

Level two: Patterns combine objects to do something

Patterns combine objects to make more complex, functional elements. For instance, they might include a calculated table, like the following example of a simple currency conversion pattern for multiple sources and single target.

In this scenario, the currency conversion pattern uses multiple objects, such as another base measure, an exchange rate table, and a date table. The pattern is applied to Sales Amount to produce the Sales (USD) measure.

Patterns can also be specific to reports. These are usually a collection of different elements and properties on a report that don’t necessarily come from a data model, or are specific to a reporting requirement. Consider the following example of a simple pattern for a left-hand title area on a report, which you can copy and re-use modularly across multiple report templates.

In the previous example, you could make the title area from scratch each time you make a report. However, it is much more convenient to combine elements from a library that you just copy and paste from. This is even more beneficial if you have fixed styles or functionalities that apply to many reports (like a centralized portal that you link to from a help button).

In both examples, some foundational objects are combined in a logical way to obtain a meaningful, functional result. Patterns are a combination of different objects that fulfill a specific purpose. Typically, you use patterns to produce more objects, or to achieve a specific functionality. You can apply multiple patterns at once, such as using currency conversion with time intelligence to aggregate figures depending on a user selection. Then, you can use measure format string expressions to format the numbers in a specific way. In that example, three different patterns together produce the desired result.

A pattern does not necessarily have to be something that is common or popular. A pattern is specific to you . It is simply something that you do regularly in your work to obtain a desired result by combining some basic parts together. For instance, other examples of patterns can include:

• Dynamic selection of measures in a report, such as by using fields parameters .
• Incremental refresh of import or hybrid tables in a semantic model.
• Displaying different currency symbols in a report for currency conversion, such as by using dynamic measure format strings .
• A custom Power Query function to find and replace multiple characters at once.
• A set of formatting rules for visual containers that achieves a specific aesthetic (such as one applied via a Power BI theme.json file).
• A combination of buttons and slicers in a report, which can produce a pop-up navigation or selection menu.

If you are developing a model, you might be most interested in re-using objects and patterns. Indeed, these are the elements you will likely re-use the most. However, typically, you create these objects and patterns to use in a table or visual.

Level three: Visuals use patterns to answer data questions

Objects and patterns together are required to create one or more visuals. The following example shows how a simple card visual comprises several different patterns.

To make this card visual, you require the following:

• The Sales vs. Budget icon measure, that will conditionally return an up arrow if sales are higher than the budget and a down arrow if they are lower.
• The Sales (USD) measure, which provides the sales callout value.
• The Sales vs. Budget color measure, that will conditionally return a blue hex color code if sales are higher than the budget and orange if they are lower.
• The card visual formatting, which is a set of properties for the visual container and elements to look the way they do. This might be saved as a theme.json file, or applied with the Format painter tool in Power BI Desktop from an existing visual template.

You then combine one or more visuals together in a single report page to fully cover the necessary questions the user might have about their data.

Level four: Pages combine visuals in a single view

Report pages consist of multiple visuals or other elements in a single view. Consider the following example from a previous article , which includes the card visual from the previous example, and several other visual elements which together help answer questions about the MTD Sales compared to different targets. Note that a page template does not have to be used as-is, and can be selectively modified to include different combinations of visuals, layouts, and styles.

Report page templates are designed to address a set of specific questions or data needs. For instance, this report provides an overview of MTD Sales versus a target, where the focus is on categories that under-perform for that month. It is specifically constructed to understand sales performance within a month, then to dive into two key breakdowns (in this case, by region and customer key account) and with cross-filtering to get details for those areas that under-perform.

Page templates are typically adapted to suit the needs of specific users. For instance, users might prefer a larger table that covers the width of the bottom page, or they might prefer a line chart that shows the cumulative MTD sales plotted against one or more targets. Adapting these page templates is simple if you keep rigorous visual templates, because you can swap one visual (like the regions breakdown) out for another (like a line chart).

In many cases, it is necessary to have multiple report pages that provide a logical and convenient flow for users to interrogate their data.

Level five: Templates comprise multiple views that work together

You combine multiple report pages into a single report, or across reports in a Power BI app. Whether you use a single report or an app depends on how you organize and distribute your content; for the purpose of this article, they are both simply a collection of multiple report pages.

Consider the following example that places the MTD Sales Report in the context of a Power BI app, which has other reports and links to supplemental resources.

In this example, the Global Sales & Orders app comprises multiple reports and pages. It is designed to structure these pages into a logical organization so that it is easier for users to find what they need, including an overview ( Homepage ) or help ( FAQ and Feedback ).

Re-using elements in a model or report

To obtain this final result, you typically want to re-use the simpler, modular parts of the lower levels. To re-use these parts, you need to:

• Identify the objects, patterns, visuals, and reports that are candidates for re-use.
• Save and catalogue them in a library. Ideally, you should organize and catalogue them so that they are easy to find. Then, you continue adding to this library over time while tracking changes.
• Define a convenient and straightforward way to apply these templates to new or existing models and reports.

You do each of these three things differently, depending on whether you are re-using parts in a model, a visual, or an entire page or report. The following sections discuss ways to catalogue and re-use these parts. In the rest of this article, we focus on how you can re-use objects and patterns. It is beyond the scope of this article to discuss in detail the re-use of visuals, report pages, and reports (or apps).

Re-using objects and patterns

Objects and patterns typically come in three different types:

• Model objects, like tables or columns.
• DAX objects, like measures or calculation groups.
• Reporting objects, like text, shapes, formatting, or measures that support specific reporting functionalities.

For objects and patterns, your library might consist of one or more .pbix files that contain the re-usable parts. You can copy these parts into a new .pbix file. For report elements, this is easy; however, this can be a tedious process for model objects and patterns, such as multiple measures and tables.

More advanced users will prefer more sophisticated, automated ways of handling these modular components. For instance, using code, you can create scripts that will automatically create one or more objects, or entire patterns. There are different tools and approaches that you can use to script Power BI development. Below are some examples of such tools you can use:

• Bravo : A free, open-source Windows application from SQLBI that provides a user-friendly interface to perform basic model management tasks. Bravo comes with date table templates you can use to add date tables and time intelligence measures to a semantic model with a single push of a button. You can customize these templates, or create other DAX templates to add other DAX objects.
• Tabular Editor : A Windows application to manage your semantic model that has a free version ( Tabular Editor 2 ) and a more sophisticated, paid version ( Tabular Editor 3 ). You can create and use C# scripts on a semantic model to create objects and patterns, and save them as macros to easily re-use. You can do this in a local model or remote model, and both with the user interface or command line interface of Tabular Editor. If you have Tabular Editor 3, you can also use DAX scripts , which specifically let you create DAX objects (and do not require any knowledge of C#).
• Fabric notebooks ( semantic-link-labs , formerly fabric_cat_tools , which uses Semantic Link): An open-source Python library from Microsoft (created by Michael Kovolsky) used in Microsoft Fabric notebooks that lets you define objects and patterns in a Jupyter notebook. You can run the Python code to apply the patterns to different models and reports (or generate and deploy new ones). This requires a Fabric capacity, and uses Fabric capacity units.

The following is an example of a C# script that you can use in Tabular Editor to create foundational measures, which aggregate all of the selected columns with a sum. You can adjust the code to modify the aggregation, such as changing SUM to AVERAGE , or to SUMX (such as for Orders Amount in the previous examples):

You can then use another script to apply a pattern to these foundational measures. Alternatively, the script can apply both the foundational measures and the pattern at the same time, if you prefer.

This same approach can be applied to many patterns, such as cumulative totals, time intelligence, or dynamic measure replacement. Many of these patterns are already available in Power BI Desktop as quick measures. In the ribbon, you can select Quick measure to get an out-of-the box library of some common patterns.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to personalize this set of patterns for you or your organization. Additionally, there might be specific requirements for your model to use these patterns, such as the following example of the rolling average quick measure, which expects a Power BI-provided date hierarchy, which is not generated if you disable Auto Date/Time in the application or file options.

Quick measures—while limited—can be a nice starting point for self-service users or the most common patterns.

While creating this re-usable library of objects or patterns costs time and effort, it delivers you many advantages and a high potential long-term return of your investment. For example, these libraries can be used and contributed to by peers in your team and organization. It can help others to develop models and reports more quickly and easily in Power BI. It can also improve the quality of these models and reports with more consistency.

However, some model patterns require your data to be structured in a specific way. For instance, currency conversion patterns expect an exchange rate table, as well as source and/or target currency tables, each of which should be structured in a certain way. Additionally, you might have specific requirements that you need to fulfill, such as a distinct calendar, multiple exchange rate types, or other exceptions and nuances particular to your scenario. Creating re-usable patterns for these scenarios will thus always involve some level of interpretation and human intelligence to obtain the desired result from a starting point.

Re-using visuals

The easiest way to re-use visuals is to catalogue and save them in a separate, documented Power BI Desktop file. For example, you can maintain several files that organize examples of how to visualize different things, like actual versus target, trends, and so forth. This is best done in combination with one or more Power BI theme.json files that you maintain to define report styles for font, color, and more.

However, there are limited options to apply these visuals in new reports as templates. For instance, you can apply container formatting (such as for backgrounds, titles, and so on) with either the format painter or Power BI theme.json files. However, it is only possible to replace fields from your template visual if you use on-object interaction . An example of this is shown below, where a visual template results in a “grey box of death” because the MTD Sales field cannot be found. The user can select an alternative field, like Sales Amount or Sales CY – PY to swap, and retain the visual formatting (to thus use the template).

There is no really straightforward way to streamline this process, such as maintaining templates as separate files, or applying templates (or template changes) in bulk. To rephrase— it is possible , albeit challenging. There is thus an opportunity for new tools here to fill an unmet need.

Reports and report page templates

You can save reports as Power BI Template (.pbit) files, which can contain both model and report metadata. This can be useful to catalogue and share report layouts, particularly since a .pbit file can come pre-loaded with a report theme file and miscellaneous report elements like background images. You can even combine this approach to provide very common patterns in your .pbit file, such as date tables, common calculation groups, and more. Power BI Template files can be a good starting point to save layouts and report-wide formatting, or to distribute templates and patterns in a user-friendly way.

Alternatively, in Microsoft Fabric, you can also maintain report definitions as .json files in a remote repository, such as in Azure Repos or GitHub. Then, you can retrieve these report definitions and deploy them to a workspace by using the Fabric REST APIs. During this deployment, you can even programmatically make modifications to the report definition. However, it is important to carefully validate that any programmatic changes to the report definition do not produce unintended effects in the report.

To improve efficiency and reduce the cost of developing semantic models and reports, developers should identify elements that they can repeatably re-use. One example of a structured way to approach this is by using the atomic design methodology . With this approach, you build up a library of re-usable parts, prioritizing objects, patterns, and then visuals. There are various tools you can use to do this. For example, for DAX objects and patterns, the best way to have a repeatable library is to use C# scripting in Tabular Editor.

Returns the sum of an expression evaluated for each row in a table.

Adds all the numbers in a column.

Returns the average (arithmetic mean) of all the numbers in a column.

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• Best Online Advisor for Low Fees 
• Best Online Advisor for Diversified Investing
• Best Online Advisor for 529 Plans
• Best Online Advisor for Financial Planning and Personal Development
• Best Online Advisor for Retirement Saving
• Why You Should Trust Us

Best Online Financial Advisors 2024: Find the Right Fit for Your Needs

Paid non-client promotion: Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate investing products to write unbiased product reviews.

What Are Online Financial Advisors?

A financial advisor is a catch-all term that includes financial planners and investment advisors. Most online advisors offer investment management — whether it's carried out by a human or a sophisticated computer algorithm — and financial planning services or tools.

Types of Online Advisors

The main types of online financial advisors are: 

• Robo-Advisors: Automated investment platforms (aka robo-advisors) use algorithms to generate a custom investment portfolio based on an individual's risk tolerance, goals, and time horizon. Robo-advisors typically offer low-cost ETFs as a cost-effective way to instantly diversify an investor's asset allocation and mitigate risk. 
• Human Advisors (Virtual): Financial advisors that offer personalized financial planning and investment advice online through virtual meetings, email, and other virtual communication channels. 
• Hybrid Models: Some online brokerages offer hybrid financial advice, combining automated investment advice and management through a robo-advisor and one-on-one consultation from a human advisor. 

Benefits of Using Online Financial Advisors

Online financial advisors allow you to ditch the in-person hassle and access expert financial guidance from your phone or home computer. Online financial advisors leverage investment technology and generally low-cost compared to traditional in-person consultants.  

Not only does it make investing more affordable for many individuals, but clients can more easily adjust and monitor their investments on their own time. Robo-advisor and hybrid online advisors typically offer online dashboards and tools for convenient managing and monitoring. 

Compare the Top Online Financial Advisors 2024

For this list, we didn't consider online advisors that match clients and advisors for comprehensive financial  planning services, such as Zoe Financial or Facet Wealth . Instead, we focused on tech-driven firms where you can access an automated and personalized portfolio and consult a professional for advice when needed.

Here are our top picks for the best online financial advisors as picked by Business Insider editors in 2024.

SoFi Automated: Best Online Advisor for Low Fees 

SoFi Automated Investing supports individual investment accounts, joint accounts, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, SEP IRAs, and 401(k) rollovers.

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No account minimum or management fees to invest
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Goal planning and automatic portfolio rebalancing
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Range of other account options across SoFi website
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. SoFi offers complimentary CFP access across all accounts
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No tax-loss harvesting
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No socially responsible portfolio options

SoFi Invest is one of the best investment apps and the best investment apps for beginners. It's a great platform for US investors who are looking for an intuitive online trading experience, an open active or automated investing account, and assets like cryptocurrencies.

• Promotion: None at this time.
• Consider it if: You're new to investing and want to leave the trading decisions to professionals.

SoFi Automated Investing offers individual and joint taxable brokerage accounts , traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and SEP IRA.

SoFi stands out for its lack of advisory fees, free one-on-one consultations with CFPs, portfolio diversity, and goal-planning features. SoFi builds a personalized investment portfolio based on your risk tolerance, goals, and time horizon. Additional SoFi membership perks include loan discounts and career counseling. 

What to look out for: SoFi doesn't have tax-loss harvesting features and limited portfolio diversity. 

SoFi Invest review

Betterment: Best Online Advisor for Diversified Investing

Betterment offers individual or joint accounts, IRAs, trust accounts, and cash reserve or checking accounts.

$0 to open, $10 to start investing ($100,000 for premium plan)

$4 per month (or 0.25%/year) for digital plan; 0.40%/ year for premium plan; 1%/year for crypto portfolios

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. No minimum for standard investing account
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Goal-based planning, tax-loss harvesting, charitable giving, and socially responsible investing available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Access to certified financial planners
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Mobile app with external account syncing options
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. You'll have to pay to consult a human advisor, unless you have the premium plan
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. $4 monthly fee (or 0.25% annual fee)

Betterment is best for hands-off investors who want to take advantage of professionally built, personalized ETF and cryptocurrency portfolios. The platform offers CFP access, so it could suit those in search of additional guidance from human advisors.

• App store rating: 4.7 iOS/4.5 Android
• Consider it if: You want access to robo-advice with multiple service levels.

Betterment Investing offers individual and joint taxable brokerage, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, inherited IRA, and trust.

What stands out:  Betterment is a robust trading platform offering premium plans with unlimited access to CFPs through phone or email. Investors can use the platform's goal-setting feature, ESG investing, automatic rebalancing, and easy-to-use financial dashboard. 

What to look out for:  Accounts with a $100,000 balance can upgrade to get advisor access, but the annual fee increases from 0.25% (an industry low) to 0.40%

Betterment review

Wealthfront: Best Online Advisor for 529 Plans

Fund your first taxable investment account with at least $500 in the first 30 days of account opening and earn a $50 bonus.

$1 ($500 for automated investing)

$0 for stock trades. 0.25% for automated investing (0.06% to 0.13% for fund fees)

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Low annual fee for investment accounts; crypto trust investments available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Tax-loss harvesting, portfolio lines of credit, 529 college savings plans available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Cash account
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Mobile app and investing and retirement tools
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. You need at least $100,000 to utilize additional investment strategies
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No human advisor access

Wealthfront is one of the best robo-advisor options if you're in search of low-cost automated portfolio management, and one of the best socially responsible investing apps for features like tax-loss harvesting, US direct indexing, and crypto trusts.

• Consider it if: You're balancing several goals and want to streamline your finances.
• Promotion: Fund your first taxable investment account with at least $500 in the first 30 days of account opening and earn a $50 bonus.

Wealthfront Investing offers individual and joint taxable brokerage, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, trust, and 529 savings plan .

Wealthfront is one of the best online financial advisors for college education savings and cryptocurrency trusts. You can borrow up to 30% of your investment balance at a low interest rate with a portfolio line of credit. Wealthfront also offers personalized recommendations with smart financial planning software. 

What to look out for:  On-staff financial advisors don't offer personalized advice

Wealthfront review

Ellevest: Best Online Advisor for Financial Planning and Personal Development

Ellevest offers two investing portfolios to fit your needs.

$1 - $240 (varies by portfolio)

$54 - $97 annually; $5 or $9/month

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Personalized, automated investment advice with a $0 minimum requirement
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Monthly plans include discounted access to certified financial planners
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Automated IRA accounts and 401(k)/403(b) rollovers available
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Private wealth management for individuals, families, and institutions who have at least $1 million to invest
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. No active trading opportunities available; money is mainly invested in stock ETFs and bond ETFs
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. You can only open individual investment accounts and retirement accounts; joint accounts or custodial accounts not available

Ellevest is one of the best robo-advisors for goal-focused investing. It could be a good fit if you want automated investing and retirement accounts.

• Consider it if: You're looking for a one-stop shop for financial planning.

Ellevest offers individual taxable brokerage, traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and SEP IRA (all held at Folio Investments).

Ellevest is a comprehensive financial advisor and trading platform built around women's unique needs and challenges. Investors get access to an extensive library of content and advisor-led workshops. Additionally, Ellevest offers a socially responsible investment portfolio and monthly progress reports. 

What to look out for:  Financial coaching costs extra (but members get 30%- 50% off). Access to retirement account management requires an upgrade.

Ellevest review

Ameriprise Financial Investments: Best Online Advisor for Retirement Saving

Ameriprise Financial Services has been operating for 130 years Ameriprise Financial Services is licensed in all 50 states but only has 10 physical locations throughout the US; it's currently headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Varies by account

$500 annual advisory fee, 2% AUM

• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Access to personal finance research and investment tools
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Fiduciary financial advisor access
• Check mark icon A check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction. Various account and investment options
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. High account minimums
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Difficult to navigate website
• con icon Two crossed lines that form an 'X'. Complex fee structure

Ameriprise Financial Services is a brokerage and financial advisory firm best for experienced, passive investors interested in using the site's financial planning services, wealth management tools, and fiduciary advisor access.

Ameriprise Financial Investments offers three managed account options that can be opened as an individual brokerage account, traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, Simple IRAs, SEP IRAs, 401(k)s, 403(b)s, 529 plans, and Coverdell education savings accounts (CESA). 

Ameriprise Financial Investments is one of the largest registered investment advisors in the US and is best for experienced investors looking for advanced charting and investing features. You'll get access to fiduciary financial advisors for consultations or account management. 

What to look out for: Ameriprise 's managed account fees are high, and it has a complex fee structure. 

Ameriprise Financial Services review

How Much Do Online Financial Advisors Cost?

Financial advisors providing financial advice often charge by the hour, typically between $100 to $300. Advisors creating a comprehensive financial plan tend to charge a flat rate between $1,000 and $3,000. 

If you hire an advisor to manage your investment portfolio, you'll be charged a percentage of your account balance, typically between 1% and 3% annually. In comparison, that's much higher than the fees that the best robo-advisors charge; you get the added benefit of building a relationship with a trusted source who can adjust your strategy as needed, provide personal recommendations, and answer questions when they arise.

How to Choose the Best Online Financial Advisors

The best online financial advisor for you depends on your goals, risk tolerance, investments, and time horizon. If you're a new investor interested in passive investing, an online robo-advisor is likely a good place to start. On the other hand, if you're looking for professional insight and a customized financial plan, you're better off with access to a human advisor through phone or video calls. 

You can also meet with an expert in person for financial guidance. So if you prefer to meet face-to-face, here are some tools to find some in your area:

• This is a database of all CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals who are authorized to use their CFP® marks by the CFP® Board and are accepting new clients.
• Using the advanced search function, you can choose from over 40 focus areas you're looking to get help with and include your current amount of investable assets.
• Click here to visit the CFP Board website .
• This database helps connect young professionals — those in generations X and Y (millennials) — with individual advisors.
• Every advisor holds the CFP® certification, is a fiduciary , does not require a minimum net worth to take on new clients, and does not earn commissions.
• Click here to visit XY Planning Network .
• This platform maintains a database of fee-only financial advisors, not specifically CFP® certificates, who commit to a fiduciary oath once a year. 
• You can filter by location to see a list of advisory firms in your area.
• Click here to visit the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors website .

Online financial advisors are generally trustworthy. The best advisors follow the fiduciary rule, meaning they operate in their clients' best interest and are fee-only. This means client fees are their only compensation, and they don't earn a commission when they invest in certain funds or buy financial products.

Not everyone needs a robo-advisor, but beginners or passive investors looking for a hands-off approach to stock trading may prefer how cost-effective and convenient robo-advisors are. Affordable financial advisors can be hard to come by, so robo-advisors are a great alternative for many people. However, a financial advisor may be better if you need specific advice on your finances or investment strategy or if you're too overwhelmed or confused by your money to plan for retirement or invest in the stock market. 

The cost of an online financial advisor varies from platform to platform and advisor to advisor. The cost largely depends on the services, licensing, account balance, and complexity. Robo-advisors typically charge lower fees than human advisors. 

Why You Should Trust Us: Our Methodology

We Reviewed the best online financial advisors using Business Insider's methodology for rating investment platforms . We compared a long list of Registered Investment advisors (RIAs), considering fees, investment selection, access, ethics, and customer service. The best online advisors have top marks in all five categories. Investment platforms are given a rating between 0 and 5.

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