In this digital age where we have websites and social media to keep us informed on a company’s of everything going on – and in live time – what purpose does a newsletter serve? And how do we use them effectively? 

A newsletter, unlike social media, is the audience of people who have chosen to hear from you. This content is directed to those who are already converted, and for that reason, the odds of successfully promoting a product or service that aligns with their interests is increased.

Social media, on the other hand, is a message to the masses in the hopes of growing your mailing list,or drawing traffic to your website, while newsletters motivates “the converted” to make purchases. (and I think it goes without saying that both avenues play a vital role in enhancing your company’s sales, marketing, and advertising strategies).

So how can you make sure you are getting the right message to this group? Here are a few helpful hints:

• Begin with a good subject line. And go easy on the emojis – too many emojis feels like spam. It’s been shown that a content-specific subject line outperforms a generic one. In this case study done by a known digital marketing agency, the content-specific subject lines had an average Open Rate (OR) of 15.74% (compared to the generic one at 13.56%) and an Average Click-Through Rate (CTR) of 2.34% (compared to 1.93%). 

(If you have time, another interesting study here showed how an organization put the most relevant information about their newsletter in the first 25 characters of their subject line, and despite a decrease in OR and CTR, their Revenue per Email increased significantly, thus making the point to prioritize organizational goals and not get hung up on diagnostic metrics).

• Provide relevant content. Your newsletter should do one of the following:
  • Solve a problem (“we heard you say this, so we did this”)
  • Answer questions
  • Inform readers about upcoming events/products/services/promotions
  • Give a discount or other incentive
• Keep it light. There is an overwhelming consensus on the web about how the “ideal length” of a newsletter is about 20 lines of text or 200 words (which, depending on how many topics you plan to cover, is roughly 4 or 5 sentences per topic). It doesn’t give you a lot of space to cover everything you want to say, so give the big picture and provide… 
• Links. Always link your articles to the place on your website where they can find more information (always driving traffic to your website). Exit through the Gift Shop is what we dubbed our strategy for keeping readers on our website.
• Pictures. Use appropriate pictures to help tell the story of your newsletter (which is too often overlooked). While it helps improve overall accessibility, Harvard states “Images and media are powerful communication devices. They are useful for conveying concepts and information, and they can help improve comprehension by reinforcing information provided in text. But images and media attract and engage our attention.” (link here).

Lastly, make sure your newsletter aligns with your marketing goals, is consistent with the organization’s “style guide”, and meets Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation.

Newsletters serve as a powerful tool to foster connections, share valuable content, and achieve organizational goals. Remember, the key lies in crafting content that resonates and consistently delivering meaningful communication. Implement the points above, and you will be well on your way to creating content that not only captivates your audience but also drives engagement.