Posts Tagged ‘marketing
3 Tips for Writing Better Newsletters
Writing a newsletter to your customers seems straight forward, easier than cooking an omelet. However, most people struggle. They write boring, long drawn out, verbose newsletters that don’t really connect with their readers. Here are three easy tips to producing better newsletters.
Personalize
Write your newsletters from your prospective and not that of a major corporation (I vs We). You want your readers to feel like you are their pal. You do want them to be your pal, right?
The goal is to build an emotional connection with the reader so that they feel like they have an “in” with your business. You need to be that “in.” The more loved the reader feels the more likely they are to pick your business over a competitor next time. Here are a couple other easy tips:
- Sign the letter from yourself at the bottom
- Address the recipient/reader by name when you can (Hello Jeremy)
- Have a conversation with the reader by asking engaging questions.
Craft a Good Subject
First off, stay away from words that will trigger spam filters such as “Cash”, “Free”, “Help.” Unfortunately those aren’t the only popular words that trigger spam filters, there are a bunch of words/phrases that you should be aware of otherwise your delightfully crafted newsletter will end up in a place that no one visits. A few other things to be cautious of are repeating characters such as the “!!!!!” or all caps “FREE MATCH PLAYS!!”
What makes a good subject line you ask? Well, the best thing you can do is be direct with your subject. A wise man once told me, “Tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them.” By consuming something three times it increases the probability that it will stick to the reader. Your subject line should tell the reader what they are going to read in the body before they open the email. Here are some good examples.
- “Artisan Pasta to Die For” (www.foodzie.com)
- “Someone has to earn a 2012 WSOP seat, why not you?” (www.wsop.com)
- “3 Tips to Improve Your Social Media Measurement” (www.simplymeasured.com)
These were all great subjects because I knew what the email was about before I opened it.
Keep it Short by Using Visuals
Using visuals is a great way to keep a newsletter short. Let’s take a play from Apple’s playbook. They use very little text, basically just a headline, sub header and one line of copy to tell you when and how you can get a new iPad.
If you have more to say, why not use this as an opportunity to get the reader to visit your website? Foodzie and Apple both link back to pages on their site with more information about the product.
In ending, keep your newsletters simple. By being personable, crafting a good subject and using visuals where possible, you’ve made it easy on your reader to consume your message.
Jeremy
