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
• Send time
• Images
• Headlines

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.