Is statistics looking bleak? Do your newsletters have a low opening rate? Don’t worry. Help is closer than you think! With our step-by-step guide, you’ll learn to make full use of your newsletter's potential.
Step 1 – Make your readers curious!
Choose a subject line that entices the reader to open the email.
Think about how you sift through your own inbox! An appealing subject line makes you curious to read more while an email with a bland heading quickly ends up in the trash.
Skip subject lines such as “relevant right now”, “bargain of the week”, or “today's discounts”. They really don’t tell you anything and are both impersonal and uninteresting.
Think carefully about what you want to highlight in your newsletter and express that in the subject line.
Be specific and clear. What is most relevant right now? What kind of offer is it? What product or service are you offering a discount on? Let the subject line answer one of these questions and remember the golden rule of the Internet – always write first things first!
Step 2 – Think headline!
You have your subscribers. They’re growing in numbers. So far, so good. But how do you get your customers to regularly open your newsletters?
The answer is: Think headline and compare your newsletter with the front page of a newspaper or a magazine. Fill each letter with interesting, current, eye-catching, and readable headlines and articles that are relevant to your customers.
Step 3 – Get the reader to do what you want! ”Call to action!”
Set a clear goal of what you want your customers and prospects to do once they've read your newsletter.
Once you have a plan and a specific goal, it becomes easier for you to produce a newsletter accordingly. Make sure that what you communicate in the letter gives the reader inspiration, facts, and the desire to do what you want.
For example, answer questions in terms of what the customer will gain from buying a product or accepting an offer. What does the customer get out of it? Base everything on the customer's perspective. Emphasise customer value and think customer orientation. Communicate in a professional, open, and relationship-building tone, and create trust between you and your customers.
Step 4 – Define what value your newsletter should add to you readers, and fulfil it. Every time!
You can, for example, solve a problem. Or, you can provide pure entertainment. Another option is to highlight the opportunity for your customers to save money through various offers and discounts. Yet another option is to treat your subscribers to interesting knowledge in a field that is related to your product or service.
Step 5 – Enable preview
An interesting subject line is not the only thing that gets the reader to open a newsletter. Another, equally important, parameter is what your subscriber sees in the preview window.
Again, first things first! In other words, place your “call to action” so that it is clearly visible in the preview window. Avoid large images at the beginning of your newsletter and complement the smaller ones with relevant text.
