The Formula of a Newsletter & Ideas you can share in yours

Newsletters are a great way to engage those email subscribers you have attracted after they have opted in and get value from the content you share. 

One of the questions I am often asked is how often and how much should I put in a newsletter so let’s explore the formula of a newsletter. 
How often is up to you, but weekly, fortnightly or monthly are the standard options.

Before we even start the campaign we will be prompted to come up with a few things:

1. The subject line: It needs to be catchy and sum up the content so the reader will be intrigued to open it.
2. The Sender Name and email details – try to keep this inline with where they signed up.

Then we head into formating the Newsletter Content itself.

The Header: Your Brand and the Title 

The header portion of the newsletter appears prominently on the front page, generally on the top or vertically along the side. The header should include the name of the newsletter, the date and a tagline (e.g. “the newsletter for ‘x’ organization”)
The header should have a larger font than the rest of the lettering in the newsletter, and its font, size and style should remain consistent throughout the newsletter’s run.

An Introduction to the Newsletter:

This is a note from you to your readers about what has been happening in the past Week/Month etc since you last touched base. Use this section to tell your story so they can engage with you and your business.
Also, introduce the topic of the newsletter and why you have selected the content to go in it.

Content that has a purpose for the subscriber:

People joined your newsletter to stay up to date and learn things from you so make sure that you include that in your newsletter, useful and helpful content they can engage with. Some ideas include:

How-to articles
Create content that’s relevant to your audience that helps them accomplish something with step-by-step instructions. For example, a furniture store can offer an article about how to remove pet stains from furniture.

Product maintenance advice
Does your product require maintenance? If so, provide maintenance tips in your newsletter.

Top 10 lists
Top 10 lists are popular because they’re easy to read. Create a list of valuable tips, most popular articles on your blog or money-saving ideas that refer to your business.

Add an infographic
Use a tool like Canva to create a cool infographic for your newsletter. Turn your year-end sales numbers into a cool chart, or provide customer satisfaction ratings and comments in a visual way.

Blog Post Roundup
Create a post that offers a roundup of your company’s best blog topics or most popular social posts. It’s a great way to repackage content that already exists.

Customer reviews
Collect a few customer reviews on a specific product and share them in your newsletter. Start out by explaining the product, offer a picture of it and show subscribers what others are saying about it.

Answers to FAQ and Client Questions 
If there has been a question popping up alot answer it. Chances are if one or two of your people are wondering there will be a few more.

Promotional ideas:

Your newsletter is a way to communicate with your customers and build a relationship, so you don’t want to fill your newsletter with promotional material. However, once in a while it’s okay to add these ideas:

A special coupon
Offer a coupon just to your newsletter readers. Provide a coupon code to use online, or a printable coupon that can be used in-store.

Mention a new product launch
When you have a new product coming in, tell your customers about it. Build the hype by providing availability, release dates and options like sizes and colors that are available.