Writing a newsletter is sometimes not so easy! You know what you want to tell your readers in the newsletter. Often, however, you still sit in front of the screen as if in front of a blank sheet of paper and don’t really know how and where best to start. This can be changed! With the help of our 10 tips, you can learn to write newsletters in no time – with copy that will have your subscribers clicking the call-to-action button with excitement!
Table of Contents
1. Convince with a snappy headline
After you’ve come up with an appealing newsletter subject and packed other exciting info about the mailing topic into the email preheader, it’s down to the nitty-gritty – the actual newsletter content!
Let’s start with the first step: You can capture the subscribers’ interest, which you have already aroused through your subject line, with the help of a attractive headline increase the impact even more when they open the email! Consider what the Main message of your newsletter What you want your headline to be and how you want to use this summarize briefly and crisply in a gripping newsletter headline can.
This has the advantage that your readers see at a glance what your newsletter is about. If the headline convinces them, they are very likely to take the time to read the entire newsletter text!
Try Keep the headline as short as possible – even if it is difficult! Avoid text headings that span multiple lines. That can quickly seem too intrusive. Instead Main heading and a subheading Work on making the main headline stand out by using a larger font size and bold font or an eye-catching web font. This allows you to share more info with your subscribers in the newsletter title without the headline visually "slaying" them.
A summarizing and exciting headline increases the interest of your subscribers and encourages them to continue reading the newsletter. As our newsletter examples show, it’s up to you whether you place the headline above or below the header image – both work!
2. Formality was yesterday: creating closeness with the right form of address is today!
Please take it personally! Before you write the introduction to your newsletter, it’s a good idea to let your Greet recipients individually by name. This makes you as a company or brand more approachable for your readers, as your email becomes much more personal in one fell swoop.
Depending on the industry and company, different salutations may be appropriateWhen choosing between "Dear …", "Dear …" or simply "Hello …", it’s best to follow the communication style you usually use (e.g., "Dear …"). B. on your website), also with regard to the question "duzen oder siezen?" concerns.
In our experience it goes in the Email marketing generally but usually a bit looser to. After all, you want to establish contact with your target group with your newsletter and create a long-term bond. A heartfelt "Dear Mr. Muller" is much more likeable and automatically creates more closeness than a formal "Dear Mr. Muller", which sounds comparatively more distant, cool and – in our opinion – somewhat old-fashioned.
What do you need for your newsletter with a personalized greeting?? Of course, the customer and prospect data you want to use in the salutation, so usually first and/or last name and, if applicable. the gender (for "Mr." or. "Woman") of your recipients. If you have this data, it is incredibly easy to send individual newsletters: You don’t have to send a separate e-mail to each customer or prospect, but with rapidmail as your newsletter software you can insert a personalized salutation into each of your e-mails with just one click. This ensures that the corresponding name is automatically inserted into the welcome formula for each recipient when the newsletter is sent out. This way you show that you care about each and every one of your readers!
3. Avoid confusion: The structure of the newsletter text is what counts
The salutation is done. Next! Before you start writing in a haphazard manner, it’s always worthwhile to, first list in bullet points which information you would like to share with your subscribers in the newsletter. You can then use the various items in your content list to Put them in an appropriate order and consider which aspects of it would best fit into the Introduction, main body or conclusion of your e-mail text fit. This is how you end up with a well-structured e-mail text!
To write your newsletter the right way, just introduce yourself now, You are telling someone a story. In your newsletter story, you should include the suspense to the highest level of suspense, so that your readers end up reading the Click on the Call-to-action button like the only possible happy ending to the story appears:
- IntroductionBefore you go straight to the point, you may want to use a Introductory sentence do no harm, which will make your readers even more curious! Would you like to introduce your new collection, which is now available in your online store? For example, start with: "Have you already taken a look at your closet and realized that you don’t have any cool outfits hanging in your closet for this summer??". Subscribers who can identify with this situation will definitely continue reading your newsletter now! So it makes sense to always pick up on a familiar problem from everyday life in the newsletter introduction that ideally affects most of your recipients.
- Main body: Depending on the goal you are pursuing with your newsletter (z. B. inform, sell or entertain), the newsletter content naturally varies as well. The main body, however, should always be about your Concern in an exciting way to present. For example, you can reveal the secret that your new collection is now available online, your readers can now read your latest blog article on a hot topic, or that an unbeatable discount promotion starts today. In the case of new features and updates for one of your products, you can also elaborate on why you decided to update it in the body of the text.
- ConclusionIn the final part of your newsletter text, you should give it your all! The point here is to engage your readers so they’re dying to learn more, so they click the call-to-action button. In the example with the new summer collection, you naturally want to get your readers so excited about your new outfits that they will want to look around your online store directly. Pack in the final part of the text therefore all advantages, that your customers will enjoy thanks to the new trend items from your store. For example, that they "become real trendsetters with the outfits" or that they "steal the show at the barbecue party with the new luxury barbecue". If, on the other hand, your newsletter is about a new blog article, you should conclude by pointing out to your subscribers how the tips from the article can be implemented well in everyday life and thus help them solve a particular problem.
More examples popular solutions to problems, that are guaranteed to resonate well with your readers are z. B.Save time, discover new things, stay healthy, save money, simplify processes, educate yourself, learn from practical examples. The problem solution is then followed by the conspicuously placed, clickable CTA buttons, which directs to your website!
When you write your newsletter texts, you should always use the so-called "call-to-action" for the right structure AIDA model have in mind. A cruise ship? No – the AIDA principle is an Marketing formula that companies should follow for their advertising to encourage consumers to buy. Here, the A stands for "attention"(attention), the I for "interest" (interest), the D for "desire"(Desire) and the A for "action" (action / plot). This also applies to your newsletter:
- Attention: With an appealing subject and a modern header image, you arouse the curiosity of your subscribers and thus capture their attention.
- InterestAn attractive headline and an exciting introductory sentence arouse the interest of your recipients, who now want to learn even more.
- Desire: The newsletter text that presents all the benefits and shows your readers THE solution to their problems, triggers your prospects’ desire to buy your product or learn more about the presented topic on your website.
- ActionAn eye-catching and cleverly labeled call-to-action encourages your readers to click on the button – and they will find themselves on your website!
Practical example of a well-structured newsletter text: The newsletter of the family magazine Libelle follows the AIDA model: attract attention, generate interest, trigger desire and initiate action – the click on the call-to-action button that directs readers to the website (here: excerpt from the newsletter).
No matter what topic your email is about, you should also include when writing the newsletter follow these tips to make your newsletter text clear and structured:
- Better more short heels than few long
- Short sentences for easier reading comprehension
- Sufficient white space to the left and right of the newsletter text, as well as sufficient line spacing
- Highlight the most important parts of the sentence and key words in bold, for easier skimming of the text
& Our tip:
When writing your newsletter, keep it as short as possible. In addition, the info about the Main topic including CTA "above the fold" that is, in the upper part of the e-mail, visible to your readers even without scrolling. Sub-topics or further articles can be placed underneath to offer further reading material to interested parties who have time to spare. Take a look at our selection of successful newsletter examples from our customers.
4. Probably quite true: delete all superfluous filler words
The longer a newsletter text is, the less likely it is that your recipients will read it completely. So when writing your newsletters, avoid unnecessary filler words, only unnecessarily puff up and drag out the text.
At the end, it’s best to read through the entire text again from top to bottom and cross out any superfluous words without which the text is just as easy to understand.
In most cases, you can do without the following frequently used filler words:
- yes
- probably
- really
- times
- Already
- quite
- relatively
- simply
- somehow
- in and of itself
- of course
- namely
- actually
- quasi
- so to speak
- u. v. m.
5. Get started now and motivate readers to click with active verbs
The renunciation of unnecessary nouns of unknown technical terms increases the comprehensibility of a text and reduces the reading effort to be expended. Please what? How to express it more easily: In your texts, refrain from turning verbs and adjectives into nouns and from including complex technical terms. On the other hand, rely on positive, active activity verbs like z. B. "increase", "win", "profit" or "save"..!
While noun phrases may make your email text sound more professional, let’s be honest: your subscribers certainly don’t have the time or inclination to read your text several times to understand what you’re actually trying to tell them. So keep it simple and write your newsletters the same way you would talk to your customers on the phone.
6. The tone makes the music: be authentic with the right tonality
If it your subscribers Fun to read your newsletters, you have one foot already in the door. Because it is highly likely that they will then also open your subsequent mailings to find out what you have come up with for them this time. In the long term, this will create a bond with your company, or rather, with your customers. to your brand. This bond in turn increases the chance of a successful Newsletter conversion, that means your readers z. B. order one of your products or register on your website.
Especially in e-mail marketing, your communication style can be a bit more relaxed sometimes. Of course, there are still some areas and industries where too much looseness could seem unserious. But after all, you know your customers and subscribers best and can certainly assess without any problems what degree of colloquialism and wit your target group can be trusted with in the newsletters.
& Our tip here is also:
Write your newsletters as if you are talking to your customers and prospects on the phone about the topic at hand.
Example of a successful newsletter text: Using a loose wording (z. B. "chatting"), blogger Carolin Kotke manages to make her mailing feel like a personal conversation. Result: a newsletter that people like to read! (here: excerpt from the newsletter)
7. Pull together and show empathy
When writing your newsletters, you should always Remember that you are at least as dependent on your subscribers as vice versa. That’s why it’s important to keep showing your readers that they matter to you. Sending newsletters exclusively to sell your products is not the way to go. Instead, show your recipients that you are thinking of them, z. B. by helpful newsletters with important tips, step-by-step instructions, recipes, evaluations or creative ideas. These may not bring you as a company much at first glance, but they help your readers or simply surprise them in a positive way.
What you get out of it: Happy subscribers, who think your company is great and are interested in keeping in touch with you – and perhaps also in integrating your products into their everyday lives. Accordingly, your newsletter text should absolutely Provide a sense of "together" and "each other" as well as give your prospects and customers the confirmation that they are in agreement with your company or. brand have made the right decision!
Of course, not all topics are always positive. For example, price increases or the fact that you are removing a certain product from your offering can be met with a lot of incomprehension. Especially then it is even more important, to stay positive in your newsletter text, to show empathy and that you can put yourself in your readers’ shoes! Sometimes just admitting to your customers that you can understand when some can’t comprehend your decision helps. For example, that it is annoying for all customers who were completely satisfied with their shampoo and suddenly can no longer buy it. Then it is important, state in the newsletter the reasons why the decision is definitely the right one from your point of view, z. B., that you have replaced the shampoo with a much better one that will make your customers’ hair shine even brighter.
Therefore, when you write your newsletters, you should always ask yourself the following questions:
- How would I myself react to this message?
- What advantages does this open up for my subscribers? What disadvantages?
- What solution is there for recipients who might take your message negatively?
- How can I show my subscribers that they are important to me?
8. Put facts on the table
"Compared to a year ago, online retailers made more sales in August 2020." – Let’s assume you use this statement in your newsletter. For example, if you want to motivate your target audience to set up an online store, then this is of course interesting information for your readers. At the same time, however, the statement lacks significance: more sales can mean an increase of 0.5 % or an increase of 50 %.
Make such in your newsletter comparative statements or mirror the Opinion of your existing customers Wider (z. B. "Our customers are satisfied with our product"), you should always use these Back it up with real facts. On the one hand, the fact that online retailers made almost 23% more sales in August 2020 or that 98% of customers recommend the product to others makes the statements more tangible for your readers because they can compare them with their own data. On the other hand, stating concrete facts also has the clear advantage for you as a company that the statements appear more convincing and encourage your readers more strongly to take action z. B. Set up their own online store so they can sell more too.
9. Time is gold: read the text again with a little distance
We’ve probably all been there: you spend a long time working on a text, rewriting a sentence here or there, and when you reread it, you replace some of the words with better-sounding ones. In the end, you are more or less satisfied with the result and put the text aside. The next day you get a bit of a shock when you realize how many typos you missed and that a few sentences sound really weird.
This is normal! That’s why it’s always good to take a little break after you’ve finished writing your newsletter. Let the text rest for a while and devote your attention to another topic first, in order to Clear your head again. You will notice that with a fresh eye it is much easier to put the finishing touches to the text and to notice and correct the last careless errors. A proven method is also the Read your newsletter aloud. Even if you feel a bit strange at the beginning – when reading aloud, you automatically notice which parts of the text you still stumble over while reading. Try it out!
& Our tip:
Subscribe to other newsletters. This puts you in the role of the reader and allows you to determine for yourself which subject lines, headlines, or wording appeal to you more and which appeal to you less. You can then use these results from the self-test excellently for your own newsletters!
10. Four eyes see more than two: proofread before sending
You did it – your text stands! Before you send out the newsletter, be sure to put your masterpiece to the acid test first. For example, send the newsletter to your colleagues and ask for feedback – four eyes always see more than two! In addition, your employees are not yet as "in" the text as you are and can judge from an outsider’s point of view whether the newsletter is understandable and error-free, as well as whether important info may even be missing.
Fill your blank newsletter sheet in your mind already with imaginative pieces of text? Then let’s go! With rapidmail you can write your newsletter online step by step. Automatic storage ensures that not a single word is lost! With just one click, you can set an automatic spell checker that prevents annoying spelling and typing errors from creeping into the text. Also, before the final mailing, send out free test emails to your colleagues so they can take another look at the newsletter before it makes its way to your interests’ inboxes!