When you first start email marketing, the question of what to write in your newsletter every week may not feel like the biggest challenge. 

No — you may have more questions about what email tool to use (MailChimp is a good one if you’re just starting out, I personally use and love Flodesk) or how to grow your list.

But inevitably, you’ll get to the point where you actually have to write your newsletter and that’s why I’ve created this handy guide to newsletter content.

Before I share my juicy, exciting, go-to guide for what to write in your newsletter, I want to clarify a couple things…

When I say newsletter, I mean the email you send out consistently and regularly to your email list — weekly is the most common time frame.

However often you send it out, your newsletter is really just your most consistent communication with your email list. 

The next clarification is why your newsletter is so important to the growth of your biz. Email is still (to this day) one of the most valuable marketing tools we have as small business owners, entrepreneurs, and creatives. 

In fact, 99% of consumers check their email daily and prefer to get updates from brands via email (according to HubSpot, anyways).

Even without data and stats supporting the value of email marketing… You own your email list whereas you don’t own your Instagram or Facebook channels — this is major when it comes to marketing! 

If anything were to change on social media platforms, you’d still have your newsletter keeping your business top-of-mind, nurturing your community, establishing you as an expert in your industry, and creating true fans of your brand.

Okay, clarifications are done. Let’s get started on the newsletter content guide!

The Ideal Newsletter Algorithm

An email that is valuable, engaging, personal, and strategic. This is the ideal algorithm for a great newsletter. How do you write emails that fit this precise list, you ask?

We start by thinking about what YOU actually open and read in your inbox (if you don’t like your own newsletter, what are we even doing here?) 

I personally love casually-written, funny, story-filled newsletters that share valuable information and resources for my business and personal life. 

Then, think about the people in your community/on your email list and what THEY want out of a regular email from you/your business. Here are a few ways you can get this information and valuable feedback…

• Survey your current email list
• Send a questionnaire or survey out to your clients
• Ask questions on social media
• Get feedback in-person or on client calls
• Analyze which of your current emails get the most engagement 

Once you’ve thought about what YOU like in a newsletter, and determined what your audience finds valuable and engaging, you’ve found your newsletter sweet spot.

To make writing these kinds of emails easier (because sometimes we sit down to write and *gasp* don’t feel immediately inspired – that’s normal) here’s a tip that really helps the process….

Have a quick, simple way to track content ideas for your emails.

I like using the notes app on my phone, but you could also use a voice note tool or something similar. Write down crazy things that happened in your life, exciting news or announcements, funny stories, great resources — pretty much anything is fair game!

Having a handy “content bank” that you add to daily will make sitting down to write your newsletter so much easier and more fun. This habit may take a while to form, but adding it to your daily reminders or into a calendar can help keep content ideas top of mind. 

Know the Goal(s) For Your Newsletter

Here’s where the strategy part of your newsletter comes into play. You have a content bank, you know what you’re going to share in your newsletters based on what you and your audience finds engaging and valuable, and now we have to get clear on your goal.

Because — let’s face it. Having a great email newsletter that is entertaining and valuable but doesn’t help your business thrive isn’t a very good idea.

You may have a few goals for your newsletter, and your goals are going to look different depending on your business model. But here are a few common goals for email newsletters….  

• Showcase your personality 
• Create connection with your community
• Keep your business and services top-of-mind
• Share sales or announcements
• Encourage initial calls
• Share resources like your podcast or blog
• Showcase your product or service
• Establish yourself as an expert in your field

Knowing your top 2-4 goals from this list will help you shape your content — you’ll see how when we get to the writing template guide in a few paragraphs!

Your newsletter is not a place to pitch constantly (just thinking about a pitch-heavy newsletter makes me cringe) but rather, knowing your goals from this list is meant to guide your calls to action, the value you share, and be an intention behind your writing.

Use an Email Template

Okay, implementation time. 

Whether your newsletter is super short-and-sweet, or long and value-packed… having a template is going to make writing and sending your newsletter so much easier.

Having a template takes away the hurdle of creating a new email design each time you write, and creates a consistent look and feel for your readers. They’ll start to recognize your emails by look and feel and start to look forward to them each week. 

Templates do not (I repeat, do not) need to be complex or design-heavy. I designed a newsletter template more than 3 years ago that has a light gray border, a consistent font, and the same sign-off on each email — that’s it! 

The newsletter in question gets a 40% average open rate every week and my client gets positive feedback on the newsletter constantly. It really can be that simple.

Subject Line Do’s and Don’ts

When it comes to getting great opens and engagement on your newsletters, we simply cannot ignore the value of an awesome subject and preheader.

Your subject line is the thing that pops up first in your inbox, and the subheader is the additional text that shows up after your subject line.

Couple of notes on subject lines… Please, please don’t write spammy subject lines like “This ONE recipe will change your life,” as they can create a negative perception around your newsletter, and may even be flagged as junk mail due to your phrasing.

Strategies that ARE great for subject lines are to use 0-1 emoji, be a bit mysterious and intriguing, use your preheader to further explain the email, and always deliver what you promised.

For one newsletter I wrote for a franchise growth expert, we shared advice for how to educate your franchise owners about their KPIs and metrics. I used the subject line, What’s your number? to ignite interest and be a bit tongue-in-cheek, with the preheader further explaining what readers would get out of the newsletter. 

Finding subject lines that will resonate with your readers will take trial and error so don’t get discouraged if an email doesn’t do well. Sometimes I re-send emails to those who didn’t open the first one with a different subject line to see if that helps with open rates — you’ll find the right strategy with time!

My Go-to Newsletter Structure (That You Can Steal)

The structure of a newsletter is similar to your newsletter template: By using the same structure every time you create a more consistent, trusted experience for your readers. The structure below is one I use for all different industries and brands, and now you can use it too!

Start with a personal story or a good hook. This kicks off your newsletter and engages your readers right away. This hook could look like a personal anecdote, story, meme, graphic, or video clip. 

Let’s say you’re a food blogger, and you’re sharing a pizza dough recipe in your newsletter. Your email may start like this…

You will never guess the audacity of this woman at the grocery store last week

— Then you’ll share your story of this wacky interaction at the grocery store and how a woman overshared (in a big way) about her latest trip to Italy while you were waiting in line to checkout.

Next up is sharing the value/education/resource — this could look like a list, a resource, tips and tricks, a how-to, or some advice. For this example, we’re sharing a pizza dough recipe.

You’ll want to tie your hilarious, wacky grocery store story to the value you’re sharing. This tie-in could be a clever segway (speaaaaking of Italy…) or you could share how this particular situation inspired you to try out your grandma’s pizza recipe and you felt called to share it with your community.

Last up is a call to action (this is where your strategy comes in) that directs your readers to the next step, and hopefully relates to the content you shared.

For this example, maybe you share a link to 3 more Italian recipes on your blog, or a link to a YouTube video of you making the dough, or a link to a grocery list resource.

This is a simple structure, but it’s a helpful one that can cultivate an engaged, bought-in community around your newsletter. If you try out this, or any tips from my blog — reach out and let me know!