Here’s the thing, while newsletters can be powerful tools for connecting with your audience and driving traffic, the key lies in creating emails that convert. Here’s how we do it…
Get them through the door
You might produce the world’s most incredible email newsletter packed full of useful information and spot-on GIFs featuring the most recent cultural references. But your email subject line is the first thing people are going to see and if that doesn’t hook them, they might not open the email at all. An inspiring or intriguing subject line will see your open rate soar.
A picture speaks a thousand words
Newspapers always have a big lead image on their front page because of the instant attention-grabbing impact they can have, and your newsletter should be no different. If your audience is skim-reading your email looking for the bits that interest them, an arresting image may be the bit that makes them stop and want to find out more.
Time it right
Think about your audience, your subject matter and when people are most likely to want to read an email from you. Do they want it in their work inbox first thing in the morning or is it something more personal they read on the train home at 6pm? Not everyone reads an email when it arrives, but plenty do and if it appears at an inconvenient time, it may not get read at all.
Continuity is key
The running order of a newsletter is more than just putting the best story first. It’s an opportunity to lead readers down a content path of valuable information which you’ve paved before them. For example, a top story highlighting a free course for professionals to make that leap from senior level to C-suite level, could lead onto a second story which advises CEOs how to have difficult conversations with clients. Before the reader can schedule a review with their director, they’re already learning how to land new clients for the business. All from being strategic with what comes next.
Compel to click in the headline
The tone of a headline can be the decider between grabbing thousands of clicks or fading into the pixels on the screen. Say there’s a deadline approaching, and you have two headline options: “HMRC self-assessment deadline looms”; and “Have you already incurred a £100 self-assessment fine?” which one produces a stronger sense of urgency and therefore you believe has the answers to your questions? (Hint, it’s the second one).
These tips – a captivating subject line, a stunning image, strategic timing, and a well-curated content flow – can all help turn your casual readers into engaged subscribers. But, if you take one thing from this email, it should be this: a successful email newsletter is all about value – deliver that and you’re on to a winner.