15 Email Newsletter Best Practices

Email newsletters are a direct line to your audience, delivering valuable content straight to their inboxes. Nearly 88% of marketers send email newsletters, but not all newsletters are created equal. 

A great newsletter:

• Informs
• Engages
• Entertains
• Builds a relationship with the reader

This guide explores the top 15 email newsletter best practices to improve your messages with content that reaches and resonates with subscribers. From content to design to strategy, these tips will help make your emails a welcome arrival in readers' inboxes.

Are Email Newsletters Effective?

The purpose of newsletters for businesses draws on the general success of email marketing — the marketing channel with the highest return on investment (ROI). The most authoritative email marketing statistics suggest that, for every dollar invested in email marketing, brands see a return of $36. This figure climbs even higher in sectors like retail, e-commerce, and consumer goods, where the ROI reaches $45 for every dollar spent.

Email's ROI dominance shows no sign of disappearing anytime soon, particularly for content marketers who know how to optimize their newsletters. Almost 53% of email marketing professionals reported their 2023 campaigns generated twice the ROI compared to 2022 sends.

Today's e-publications are more sophisticated and targeted, leveraging their data to refine and personalize content. The benefits of email newsletters have expanded, and you can now create tailored experiences that lead to better engagement and more conversions.

Top 15 Newsletter Best Practices You Should Follow

Email newsletters are a powerful way to connect with your audience and keep them engaged. Here are 15 email newsletter tips for creating content that your readers will anticipate receiving in their inboxes.

Need a more portable reference for creating email newsletters? Take advantage of Compose.ly's email newsletter checklist. Use it to guide your content process or perform a quick quality check on your latest message.

1. Set Clear and Measurable Objectives

Be SMART about it. Your goals should be:

• Specific
• Measurable
• Actionable
• Relevant
• Time-bound

Every successful email newsletter starts with a clear goal. Whether it's increasing website traffic, boosting sales, or nurturing leads, defining what success looks like will guide your content and design choices.

Start by identifying your primary objective and then break it down into measurable targets. This target should shape your strategy and content.

For example, if your goal is to increase website traffic, you might aim to get a specific number of click-throughs each month by sharing engaging blog posts or updates to your catalog of goods or services.

Make sure your subject lines and calls-to-action (CTAs) reflect your main objective, as these elements draw readers in and direct their responses to newsletter content.

2. Segment Your Audience

Not all subscribers are the same. Honor their particular preferences and interests. In one survey, more than 90% of email marketers said segmenting their email lists boosted the performance of each campaign.

Most major email marketing platforms include tools to segment your audience. Leverage these to organize your subscribers into relevant groups.

Consider creating:

• Behavior-based segments: Offer frequent shoppers loyalty rewards, send faithful readers more of the content they love, or re-engage inactive users with special offers.
• Interest-based segments: If certain subscribers show interest in specific product categories or content types, tailor your newsletters to highlight these categories.
• Demographic-based segments: Adjust the tone and style of your content for different age groups or highlight local events or seasonal promotions relevant to different locations.

3. Define Your Newsletter’s Purpose

Shape and meet audience expectations from the first email. Be transparent about the purpose of your newsletter. Is this the place for them to find the latest company news, learn more about industry trends, be entertained, or hear about new products or special offers?

Newsletter best practices let you combine content types while maintaining a consistent focus. It's OK to let people know about an ongoing sale at the end of a monthly round-up of your blog's greatest hits, but don't substitute a list of current discounts for the usual articles.

Remember that an email newsletter is only one kind of email campaign. You can always supplement it with more specific bulletins or promotions.

4. Write Engaging Subject Lines and Pre-Headers

Engaging newsletter content ideas need equally engaging subject lines and pre-headers.

Your subject line is the first thing recipients see; a strong one increases your open rates and sets the tone for the rest of the newsletter.

The best subject lines are:

• Concise: Make sure your subjects display fully, no matter the service or device readers use. Apple and Android devices only show 33 characters, so you need to be snappy.
• Intriguing: Give readers a reason to open your email. Use power words and hint at the value they'll find in the body of the message.
• Relevant: Stay on brand, meeting reader expectations.
• Clear: Give readers the gist. The body of the email should fulfill your subject line's promise. Don't try to trick readers into opening your email or hide important information from them.

Your email pre-header is the snippet of text that follows your subject line, giving readers more context before they open the email. It's another opportunity to engage and drive opens. Keep it brief, expanding on the subject line that precedes it.

5. Follow Design and Formatting Best Practices

Newsletter design matters as much as copy. A good email newsletter layout is visually appealing and easy to navigate. It captures readers' attention, encouraging them to engage with the content.

Use effective free email newsletter templates or design something from scratch, keeping a few considerations in mind.

A Clean Layout

A clean layout means plenty of white space to avoid clutter and help readers focus on the most critical parts of your newsletter. Avoid cramming too much information or media into your newsletter. Instead, prioritize clarity and simplicity.

A Consistent Color Scheme

Consistent colors create a cohesive look and feel. Stick with your brand palette across communication channels to enhance visual appeal, professionalism, and brand recognition.

Readable Fonts and Accessible Design

There's no point in writing quality newsletters if no one can read them. Avoid using too many different fonts. Select one or two that are easy to read and use them consistently. Font size should be large enough for comfortable reading on various devices, from desktops to smartphones.

Follow other email accessibility best practices, too. For example, make sure that email links are underlined and easily clickable, and use high-contrast colors to accommodate people with visual impairments.

Logical Organization and Scannable Content

Organize your emails logically so each section flows naturally into the next.

A good newsletter format takes advantage of different design elements, such as images and headings. Images can convey messages quickly and add visual interest. Headings and subheadings help to structure the content, allowing readers to digest information easily. You can also use bullet points to make key points stand out and improve readability.

Readers often skim content, focusing on the material most immediately relevant to them. People spend an average of just nine seconds per email, and they're likely to bail if you don't get right to the point. Use your formatting and content signposts to direct them where they want to go. 

6. Keep Your Newsletter Brand-Specific

Consistency is key to building brand recognition, and the best company newsletter examples represent the organizations sending them.

Branding used to be defined as a set of repeated elements: your logo, colors, slogan, etc. These items foster easy recognition.

While these elements are still important, today's branding increasingly emphasizes your voice, style, and values. Branding is an investment in a cohesive consumer experience across marketing channels and sales touchpoints.

From the email's subject to its footer, make it clear that this newsletter comes from you and only you. Draw on your aesthetic brand guidelines, and stay true to your brand's personality. People are more inclined to trust people they feel they know and develop loyalty toward brands that share their priorities.

7. Optimize for Mobile Devices

Optimizing your emails for mobile is an essential element of newsletter best practices. In 2023, 96.3% of global users accessed the internet via mobile phones at least some of the time.

Your newsletter design should be responsive, with elements like images and text adjusting seamlessly across different devices. Test your emails on various screen sizes to guarantee a smooth reading experience for all subscribers.

Mobile screens are smaller, meaning long blocks of text can be overwhelming as people scroll down the page. So, write shorter paragraphs of two to three sentences.

Slow-loading emails are also more problematic on mobile devices, leading to less time spent reading. Speed things up by compressing images and avoiding large file sizes. As much fun as videos and multimedia elements are, linking to these elements is better than overloading your message.

8. Personalize Your Email Content

Personalization changed the game for brands wanting to create a newsletter. Use purchase history, browsing behaviors, and past interactions to craft messages for your target audience.

In 2023, around 65% of marketers sent out more than half of their email campaigns with some form of subject-line personalization. By incorporating the names or companies of your subscribers, you can make your content feel more like a conversation between individuals and less like a business blast.

Dynamic content blocks — elements of a newsletter or other email that change for subscribers based on past actions or known preferences, have also become more popular. Most marketers (68%) believe that dynamic content improves email performance. Use it to suggest products related to a subscriber's past purchases or show items they left in their cart but never bought.

9. Balance Information and Sales Emails

Maintain subscriber interest by striking the right balance between informative and promotional content. While pushing sales is tempting, remember that your audience values content that educates and entertains. Mix in thought-provoking articles, industry news, or helpful tips. This approach keeps your newsletters from feeling like a constant sales pitch.

Business-to-business (B2B) email marketing strategies frequently rely heavily on this educational type of content, but business-to-consumer (B2C) brands also benefit from it. Focus on providing high-quality content that helps solve problems or offers new perspectives in your industry, building credibility and trust with your audience.

The best email newsletter writers can strategically blend in subtle promotions without compromising the flow or focus of content. 

(For example, they might drop a well-placed link to their own B2B content services in a section about newsletter strategies and creation.)

10. Include Contact Information and Appropriate Links

Providing clear contact information in your email newsletters fosters trust and lets email subscribers engage with you. Help them reach out by including your company's email address, phone number, and social media links.

The best newsletter practices encourage interaction, and providing a means of contact reassures readers that you're available for support or inquiries. Make email a conversation rather than a monologue.

11. Follow Email Compliance Regulations

Staying compliant with email regulations is a legal requirement and necessary for strong email deliverability. It also demonstrates respect for your subscribers’ privacy and preferences, helping build trust with email recipients.

Familiarize yourself with laws such as the CAN-SPAM Act in the United States, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in the European Union, and other regional regulations.

These laws typically require you to include:

• A visible unsubscribe link
• Your physical mailing address
• A clear indication that the email is an advertisement

You should also be transparent about how you use subscribers' data. Including a link to your privacy policy in newsletters and sign-up forms can help convince prospects to provide their email address.

Several email service providers have also changed the rules for bulk email sends, increasing the damage that dubious tactics focused on high volume over engagement can do to your sender reputation. Stay out of the spam folder by gaining explicit consent before adding anyone to your mailing list.

Note: Many brands place their address and an unsubscribe button in the email footer, which is a great way to achieve compliance without distracting from the rest of your newsletter content.

12. Highlight Your Call-to-Action

Every email newsletter should have a clear, compelling call-to-action that guides readers to the next steps. Your CTA should stand out and be easy to follow. Use action-oriented language that conveys urgency and value, like “Discover More,” “Join Us Today,” or “Grab Your Deal.”

Placement is key — situate your primary CTA above the fold so it’s visible without scrolling. You can also include related secondary CTAs throughout the newsletter that are contextually relevant to the content around them. This repetition increases the likelihood that readers will take the desired action.

Incorporate visual elements to make your CTAs pop. Contrasting colors, bold fonts, and easy-to-find buttons all draw attention to your message.

Finally, double-check that your hyperlinks function as intended and lead to the correct destinations. Broken links frustrate subscribers and diminish your newsletter's credibility.

13. Use Alt Text for Images

Don't neglect alt text in your newsletter best practices. Alt text, or alternative text, briefly describes an image embedded within your email's HTML code. 

It serves a dual purpose: enhancing accessibility for visually impaired readers and ensuring your message remains clear even if images don’t load properly. Providing descriptive alt text makes your content inclusive and navigable for all subscribers.

14. Define Your Newsletter Frequency

Keep subscribers engaged without overwhelming them. Too few emails can cause your audience to forget about you, while too many leads to unsubscribes and inbox fatigue.

The ideal newsletter frequency varies between senders. Start by assessing how often you have valuable content to share and then consider your subscribers' preferences. A survey can provide useful information here, and engagement metrics like open and click-through rates can, too.

Consistency in timing is also key. Choose specific days and times to send your newsletters and stick to that schedule. This helps set reader expectations and builds a routine around your communications.

An effective approach might be to begin with a bi-weekly or monthly newsletter, providing a consistent flow of information without bombarding your readers.

15. Test and Optimize Your Email Campaigns

Testing and optimizing campaigns helps you continually refine your brand's newsletter best practices and strategy. Use A/B testing, comparing two versions of an email to see which performs better. Test different elements like subject lines, email copy, images, CTAs, and send times to understand what resonates most with your audience.

Continually tweak your strategy as you review the latest email analytics, such as open and conversion rates, using the results to make data-driven decisions about what’s working and what isn’t.

Perfect Your Email Newsletter Strategy With the Ultimate Checklist

Creating an effective newsletter is both an art and a science. By integrating these 15 newsletter best practices, you can craft newsletters that captivate your audience and drive tangible results.

Start with clear objectives, tailor your messages, and optimize strategy, content, and design. Remember that all quality newsletters provide value, but value looks different depending on both the brand and the subscriber. Great marketers find the intersection between the two and write newsletter content that deepens the relationship.

Ready to take your email newsletters to the next level? Download Compose.ly's 15-Step Email Newsletter Checklist to guide your efforts and improve each message.

Happy emailing!