How To Create An Email Newsletter People Actually Read

Avoid being a Spammy.

Emails are here to stay. An average person gets 190 emails a day and most of them suck. Yet it is an essential business tool and you are reading this blog because you feel you could do better.

And yes, you can.

There is no secret sauce, but some hidden strategy that you can apply to make your email newsletter read.

Let’s dive in.

What is a newsletter?

A newsletter is an email that offers your readers and fans who subscribe to a list of your most interesting content, announcements, and promotions. It is a great way to know your audience and keep them engaged with your content.

Why an email newsletter? Arent they Outdated?

Many businesses have this opinion based on the ever-changing dynamics of social media. Their readers too find it quite boring.

However, in reality, email marketing is an important ingredient in email marketing and branding. It contains essential information about your brand and keeps your readers updated.

Emails are special.

I got my first ebook published because of an email list. I built a steady income because I had an email list. This is how an email can turn things around for you and your brand. Email is the most cost-effective tool to boost business.

Do you know what the ROI is from email marketing? It is 3000%.

For every $1 spent, email marketing generates a $30 ROI.

ROI of 3000% on average

Emails are special, flexible, and personal. Your email can intrigue, convince, and even sell while your reader enjoys the process.

Your email can be anything you want your reader to know about you.

Now you know what emails are important for your business, let’s see how you can create an email that people want to read.

The best part of email marketing is that it’s 100% controlled by the consumer. I mean, you can not bother your consumers. They can subscribe and unsubscribe anytime they want. However, according to HubSpot marketing, 99% of consumers check their email every day and more than 50% of them check their email 10 times a day.

Wow, Your email can make it onto that list if you do it right. The only key to writing a great email is to make it personal. It should look like you are writing to just that one person, even though it is going to thousands of people. You should have a heart-to-heart conversation with your reader.

Look at this one below. I get the email every week and I know that it goes to millions of people, but every time I open it, I feel special as if it was only curated for me. This is what your raiders want to feel. You have to make them feel exclusive.

But how to do it? Don’t worry, I got you. I am here to help you write the best emails that do not end up in the spam folders of your consumers.

Three rules to keep you away from the Spam folder.

Email marketing is the cheapest yet most effective way to grow your business, no matter what type of business it is. But there are a few rules that will make a difference. Here they are.

1)Engagement:

The number one rule is engagement. You want your readers to open it. Click, save, and share, and I might write you back. That can be done if you keep them embedded in your content. There should be an actionable button for them to keep reading, e.g. “click here to read more”, “click here to share”, “click here to tweet this.” When your customers are engaging with you, it means that your content is good and it also gives you an idea of who is interested in your content.

2)Segmentation

That brings us to segmentation. You don’t want to send the same email to all the people at the same time and all the time. Make it personal based on your recipient’s preferences. That is called the “spray and pray” method of marketing, which simply means sending your ads to as many people as possible in the hope they will buy your product.

No, it does not work on customers nowadays. For example, if you own an eCommerce company and you keep sending videos on dog food to everyone, even those who are cat lovers, what will they do? They will unsubscribe.

But if you use segmentation and send those videos only to the lovers with your latest discount offer, then what will they do? They might even purchase it.

Send the right message to the right people to keep them interested in your product or service.

3)Consistency

And the final rule is “consistent”. It is the key to success. You should make sure that you are communicating with your list frequently. And you have the freedom to share any type of content, be it a quote, an image, or a video unless it is welcome. “

And that you can tell from engagement and segmentation. These three rules will keep you away from the spam folder and welcome in anyone’s email box.

Break that rule!

Break that rule you were taught in your English class: “Good writing should be lengthy.” Your one-sentence para might not get you good grades, but they are your emails’ best friends. People who are reading your email are super busy and they are not reading your email at first, just looking at it.

Imagine a busy person who is checking your email and they see big wordy paragraphs. What are they going to do? They will save it for later, and most of the time, the “later” never comes.

But if they have a nice single sentence paragraph, nicely white spaced, and easy to read, then they will be encouraged to read it further.

Also, short sentences force you to make your writing clear and concise, which is also a good thing.

Your other best friend is on the bulleted list. The list and bullets give your readers a visual clue to pay attention to. So try to do more with less.

Your email should educate your customer.

A good email is like a good education. Here you are educating your consumers about your product or services. However, education needs to not be boring, and the best way to make it interesting is to talk more about them (your customers) than you talk about products and services.

And a simple way to do it is to use more “you” than “I”.

One pro tip: “never use” we; we sound weak and tasteless. Talk to them as you are chatting with them over a coffee. That will trigger their highest self. Talk about their qualities, flatter them, but don’t suck at it.

The combination of your focus and empathy with your unique voice will help you create a compelling email that people would like to read.

Interrupt them creatively

Number one rule: “Always remember that your customers are busy.” You are busy, I am busy, and we are all busy.

And a busy person hates to be interrupted. Although if you interrupt them with a genuine emergency, your interruption is welcome. Be entertaining. But how do you do it?

Let me tell you, let’s use psychology here. Our brain is motivated to act in two ways: to do something it wants or not to do something it does not wan

Desire — Motivation

Unwanted- Demotivation

So if your email reminds them of doing something they want, they will pay attention. Here is a simple example:

Hi _________

Do you want ___________?

Here is how to do it without ________

Do _______________ right now.

The above sentence is clear. compelling and action-oriented. It reminds them of what they want to do and how they can do it.

You can save this template and use it in your email.

Understand their misunderstood problem.

If you asked yourself “how they misunderstood their problem,” you would have understood that they would have fixed it by now. So try to find out about their problems to get a sneak peek into their heads.

Now you know the problem, now solve it. Like, how? Like this

To ______

Subject line When it is 4 pm and you need coffee

Hey,

That 4 pm caffeine rush is very common. Don’t worry, we got you. Blah, blah, blah

Trigger their misunderstood problem and give them a solution. “

Make your subject line creative, short, and sometimes funny. The above subject line is a great example.

We love great stories.

If you are a great storyteller, then your email will always get open. People love to hear stories; it helps them connect with you on a human level. Nobody loves robotic language. Tell a great story. Here is how you can do it.

Suppose you sell shampoo. Then create a story like this:

Jessica has dry and dull hair, but when she uses ____ shampoo, her hair becomes silky, smooth, and wavy.

Using characters and a simple story structure can make it so compelling. The above story has a character that has a problem, and this is the action they took. A simple story structure works all the time.

Then add your most essential component of a story, which is “curiosity.”

Take the above example. How did Jessica’s hair go from dull and dry to smooth and silly? Curious to know? Hers is how ___________________

Your customer is the hero of your story, and you have to give them a happy ending.

Embrace Clarity — Avoid Clutter.

We’ve all received bad emails, but do you know why they were bad? They lack clarity, as there is too much going on. Each email should only cover one topic at most. In that case, Write two emails if you have two themes. The second reason is that I am attempting to be overly sophisticated. Don’t do it. If your average bright nine-year-old is unable to understand your email, rewrite it. Using Clarity

Don’t put too many topics in one email; it will become cluttered, and the reader will find it difficult to understand, so they won’t open it.

Choose the right time,

Nobody wants to receive an email at odd hours, including me. I despise receiving an email at 8 a.m., just like everyone else. Avoid sending emails before 8 AM.

Also, people will hate you when you send an email late at night or on Sunday. Don’t bother them, they already have their boss for them.

Fridays are not a good time to send either, but there is one exception to it. You can send a quick email around 4 pm, you know when their inbox is less crowded. That way, your email has a chance to get opened and read as well.

Try and test, as there is no right way to do it. See what works for you and your customers.

A clickable call to action

Your email should have clickable content. It should have a clear call to action. Click here to see the video, click here to read the blog, click here to share, etc.

It is persuasive writing, and it helps your reader take a clear action as suggested by you.

The unsubscribe button is terrifying, I know. People despise being unsubscribed, but it’s not that bad. It displays the open rate of your email.

You can use the state to take the correct measures to reduce it. Those who unsubscribe are not your target audience, so instead of wasting time on them, go and find your people.

So these numbers matter. Click, open, and unsubscribe, track them, and improve.

People hate surveys.

Yes, I Hate surveys and I know you too. People do not like surveys. First, they are boring, and second, most surveys ask the wrong questions.

No one wants to be asked the wrong question.

Your customer has some secrets, and they are not going to tell you about them through silly surveys.

So what do you do?

Relax, there is a website that has done all the research for you. “Amazon.” Yes, you go and look at your product category. There you will find tones of reviews on how the product is. How can it be improved? What is the change people want? What are they wishing for in the product?

You can take notes and improve your product, or you can add those missing features, and people will start buying yours.

What’s the deal? Because when you take care of all their concerns, there is no reason for them to ignore your product.

Say no to images

Use images only when they are needed and only use gorgeous and creative images. You can find these for free on many websites, like Unsplash, Canva, and many more.

You don’t always need an image in a well-written, serious copy, but if there is a sale or some offer, then you should use compelling, gorgeous images to impress your readers.

Final Word

I am sure I have covered everything that you need to make sure you’re doing email newsletters right, but you’ve also got to find out what works for your company and your list. Just like different cultures of people prefer different things, different groups of email subscribers prefer different things, too.

So, as a starting point, use these email newsletter best practices…and then experiment to find your secret sauce.

Keep Experimenting.