Your newsletter is a potent weapon in your storytelling arsenal. It’s a place where you can connect with your audience with either short, unique-to-the-form updates, or tantalizing links to long(er) form content. Respect the trust they place in you and the time they commit to spending with you by delivering the best content you can. Here are five ways to spruce up your newsletter and make the most of the time with your audience.
1. Carefully Craft an Engaging Subject Line
When it comes to e-newsletters, subject lines are all-important. It’s your chance to make a first impression and is sometimes the only moment you’ll spend with your audience. Craft a subject line that hooks your reader, while accurately reflecting the contents of your newsletter. Use an action-oriented verb to hint at the content inside, then promise the reader more—as long as you’re able to deliver on that promise. Another tip for subject line success is to capitalize on human curiosity. Framing your subject as a question that involves your reader is a proven tactic for increasing open rates. One great example of this strategy is: “Do Your Clients Know How You Can Best Help Them?”
2. Use Emotional Words to Direct Action
An excellent way to make sure your content resonates with readers long after they’ve exited their email is to build your campaign around an emotion. Emotion plays a huge role in decision making and—whether you’re trying to build relationships, make sales, or increase website traffic—weaving it into your campaign will help you achieve your goal. Pick and emotion that lines up with your desired action. If your goal is to make a sale, appeal to an emotion like pride or empowerment. Once you’ve narrowed in on an emotion, build every detail of your campaign—from images to copy—around the question “how does it make me feel?” Each element of your campaign should elicit the emotion. Not only will this use of emotion appeal to your readers’ decision-making brains, but it will improve your copy by making it more personal and inherently engaging.
3. Keep it Short
When it comes to newsletters, less it more. Instead of cramming your campaign with copy, try presenting information targeted as easy digestion, such as–for example–in the form of infographics and images. White space is your friend, especially when most emails are viewed on a mobile device. Remember that tiny text doesn’t translate well on the small screen and can sabotage your click-through rate. What copy you do include should be snappy, digestible, and to-the-point.
4. Link Your Newsletter to Longer Content
Throughout your newsletter, direct your reader to where they can find more information, whether this is your blog, web page, or e-commerce site. Linking to longer content gives interested readers the option to click through and “find out more,” which increases your web traffic and allows you to track which topics interest your customers. Great newsletters are easy-to-read guidebooks to longer form content.
5. Images! Images! Images!
Bold, bright images are key to a great campaign. Choose photos that speak for themselves and communicate your message without words. If they see nothing else, your readers will scan your images, so make them count. Once you’ve selected your image or images, be sure to add alt-text—the text that appears if images aren’t loaded in an email—and a link (either to a blog post or webpage) to each one. With a click-through rate 42% higher than text-only campaigns, emails with images pack a powerful punch.
Want to talk newsletter strategies with a member of the ECHO Storytelling team? Drop us a line.
