Want to get more impact from your weekly newsletters? Keep reading for the best email newsletter tips for publishers.
Digital publishers often cite email newsletters as one of the most powerful tools for increasing visit frequency on their websites. Newsletters also drive readers to consume more content and lead to higher conversion rates for publishers with subscription programs. But anyone who has tried using newsletters as a way to bring readers back to their websites knows that it’s not always as straightforward as typing up some content and hitting “send.”
In order for publishers to find the success they’re looking for with email newsletters, they have to generate compelling content at regular intervals. They also need the tools and the back-end support to segment email subscriber lists and deliver their newsletters in an efficient manner.
We know that email newsletters are powerful tools for driving loyalty among readers and boosting conversions for digital publishers. But coming up with an effective email newsletter strategy takes time, and it’s not something that most publishers can implement overnight.
To help publishers start sending better newsletters — the kind that generate real results — we have created this guide, with the best email newsletter tips for publishers. This cheat sheet will guide you through the process of developing an optimized newsletter and it will give you the information you need to start sending daily emails to your readers.
Let’s get going!
The Best Email Newsletter Tips for Publishers
Email Marketing Services
The email marketing service a publisher chooses can make or break an email newsletter. Services like Mailchimp and Constant Contact include certain automation features that make it much easier for publishers to segment their subscriber lists and send emails at regular intervals. Publishers can also use these services to setup drip campaigns, so new subscribers receive certain emails at selected intervals without the publisher lifting a finger.
Pro Tip: If you run your website on the WordPress platform, choose an email marketing service with a WordPress plugin. Installing a WordPress plugin will make it easier to embed sign-up forms and otherwise integrate email newsletters into your website in a seamless way.
Professional Design
When readers open your newsletters, they’re looking at the face of your business. What do you want them to see? One of the best email newsletter tips for publishers is to invest in a high-quality design. The best email newsletters feature consistent branding elements, such as the publication’s logo and headline style. Feel free to use your publication’s colors, as well. Going with a stock template, or failing to add a logo anywhere in the newsletter, signals a lack of professionalism, and it’s something that digital publishers should try to avoid.
Pro Tip: Create a template for your email newsletter, and stick with it! Readers will expect their favorite features to be in the same places each time they open up your newsletter. It’s OK to occasionally make changes to your email design, but remember to keep certain elements consistent for branding purposes.
Social Sharing
Make it easy for readers to share your newsletters with their friends. Always include social sharing buttons as a way to expand your reach. People who see the content from your newsletter posted on a friend’s Facebook page or Twitter feed are more likely to click “subscribe” than people who stumble onto your website through Google. Including social sharing buttons in the footer of your newsletters is a strategy that easy to implement and completely free.
Pro Tip: Which social networks should you link to at the bottom of your newsletters? That depends on the subject matter and the types of readers you’re trying to reach. Most news publishers find that Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are good social networks to start with. Including social sharing buttons at the footer of all newsletters is one of the email newsletter tips that publishers shouldn’t ignore.
Segmented Lists
Not all of your readers have the same interests, so for the best engagement, you should segment your subscriber lists based on subject matter. If you choose the right email marketing service, segmenting your subscriber list will be easy.
Pro Tip: In addition to a daily or weekly email digest with your publication’s top stories, we recommend developing niche newsletters that are focused on certain topics or subjects relevant to your publication. Send all of your existing subscribers an email asking if they’d like to subscribe to your brand new newsletters. You can also promote your niche newsletters with in-house display ads or by embedding links to sign-up forms at the bottom of your existing email digests.
Are you looking for even more email newsletter tips for publishers? Interested in finding out how your current newsletter is performing compared to the newsletters being sent out by other digital publishers? Get in contact with our team at Web Publisher PRO for an evaluation today.