How to Create Email Newsletters That Engage and Convert

Newsletters have been slowly becoming a trend in the digital marketing world. According to a survey, nearly 20% responders have signed up for at least 6 to 10 newsletters in a span of 12 months.

With more people signing up for multiple newsletters each year, it's clear they’re here to stay. But to stand out, every aspect of your newsletter must be perfect including the content, the design and the CTA. Creating the perfect newsletter can be time consuming and requires effort. But it doesn't have to be this way.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple steps you can follow to create a newsletter that grabs attention and drives results. Let's get started!

What is an email newsletter?

An email newsletter is a scheduled email communication sent to a list of subscribers who have opted in to receive them from you. Its primary purpose is to engage recipients by delivering valuable content, such as news, updates, tips, and promotions, that aligns with their interests.

Now, we’re going to dive into the creation process of an email newsletter. If you want to get a more basic understanding of email newsletters, you can check out our guide below.

How to create a newsletter copy

If you're just starting with newsletters and need help figuring out the basics, like defining the purpose or identifying your target audience, check out our detailed article on email newsletters. In brief, starting a newsletter involves determining its purpose—whether it’s to drive engagement, educate, or increase conversions—and identifying the right target audience to ensure your content resonates.

Another critical step is choosing the right Email Service Provider (ESP). A good ESP simplifies the process of designing, sending, and analyzing your newsletters. If you're just starting, platforms like Mailmodo offers intuitive interfaces, pre-designed templates, and robust analytics to support your needs. Listed below are the steps to create a newsletter copy.

1. Choose the idea or theme for your newsletter

Every newsletter needs a core idea or theme that ties its content together. The theme could revolve around a trending topic, an educational piece, or updates about your brand or industry.

For example, a tech company might focus on "The Future of AI," while a lifestyle brand might explore "Top Wellness Trends for 2025." A clear theme not only captures your audience’s attention but also provides direction for creating cohesive content.

2. Choose the correct template for your theme

The design of your newsletter should complement its theme. You should have a basic idea of what kind of content and images you’re going to have in your newsletter. This will help you decide in what order or layout you are going to put all of them together.

For this, you can create a new layout from scratch or pick a pre-built template. Email marketing platforms like Mailmodo even offer a template library with customizable newsletter templates that you can use based on your needs. You can also create visually appealing newsletter templates from scratch using Mailmodo’s user-friendly template builder.

Ensure that the template is mobile-responsive, visually appealing, and user-friendly. If your newsletter features a lot of visuals, choose a layout that emphasizes images. For text-heavy content, go for clean, minimalistic designs that prioritize readability.

3. Curate or create content

The content you choose is the heart and soul of your newsletter. It's what will ultimately engage your audience and keep them coming back for more.

Based on your chosen theme, curate relevant articles, statistics, or stories that align with your audience’s interests. If you're creating original content, focus on delivering value through educational insights, actionable tips, or engaging narratives. Incorporate diverse content types, such as text, videos, and infographics, to keep readers interested. For example, a travel newsletter might include destination guides, packing tips, and links to exclusive deals.

For example, here is a newsletter by Vitamin Stree. They are primarily a brand that aims to change the narrative on gender and identity. They chose to talk about gaslighting because it is a very interesting topic that their audience might relate to and want to read.

4. Enhance visual appeal

Include eye-catching graphics and interactive widgets in your newsletters to capture the attention of your readers. Use graphic elements like images, logo illustrations, GIFs, emojis, and even interactive features such as polls, buttons, or embedded videos. These additions will not only make your design more engaging but also increase readability and visual appeal. You can also use a captivating hero image at the beginning of your newsletter to draw readers in.

For instance, if the newsletter focuses on sustainability, opt for earthy tones and nature-inspired graphics. Don’t forget to include alt text for accessibility and use consistent branding elements like your logo, fonts, and color palette.

5. Review, iterate and send

Before sending out your newsletter to your entire subscriber list, take the time to review every aspect thoroughly. Check for grammar errors, ensure colors and layout are consistent on different devices, operating systems, browsers and email clients. Also verify the functionality of headers and footers.

You can also send the newsletter to your colleagues, your superviors and yourself to seek feedback and catch any overlooked issues. This allows you to experience the newsletter from the recipient's perspective and identify any potential issues with functionality or display.

Additionally, before mass distribution, send a test email to a small sample group of subscribers and see how the newsletter performs. Here’s what you can check:

• Are your subscribers attracted to the use of GIFs in your email newsletters?

• Are they clicking the buttons you've inserted into the newsletters?

If you’re confused between two versions of your newsletter, you can do A/B testing to identify which one works better.

Once you've successfully tested your email, it's time to send it out to your entire subscriber list. However, if you're new to sending mass emails, it's important to warm up your domain first to avoid your newsletters being flagged as spam.

Once you’ve sent the newsletter, you must also track if your newsletter was able to achieve the goals you set in the beginning. You can do this by tracking important metrics like open rate, click rate, etc., in your email provider's analytics dashboard.

Best practices for creating newsletters

Creating an email newsletter requires both creativity and technical knowledge. So, here we're covering some best practices that you should keep in mind when creating your newsletter.

1. Deliver value-driven content: Ensure that every newsletter provides content that is useful and relevant to your readers. This helps build trust and encourages ongoing engagement.

2. Optimize for mobile-friendly design: With most people reading emails on mobile devices, ensure that your newsletters are responsive and look great on all screen sizes.

3. Maintain consistent branding: Keep your newsletter design in line with your overall brand identity. This includes using your brand's logo, colors, fonts, and tone of voice for a seamless experience.

4. Use personalized tokens: Personalization helps make your newsletter more relevant. Use personalized tokens like the recipient's name or past interactions to make the email feel more tailored and engaging.

5. Write an irresistible subject line: Craft a subject line that grabs attention and compels recipients to open your email. Use action words, personalization, or a sense of urgency to make it stand out.

6. Include a strong call-to-action (CTA): Every newsletter should have a clear and compelling CTA that guides readers on what to do next, whether it’s making a purchase, reading a blog post, or following you on social media.

7. Pay attention to color scheme: Use a cohesive and simple color scheme to create a visually appealing design. Limit your palette to 2-3 colors to avoid overwhelming the reader.

8. Balance text and visuals: Ensure a good mix of text and visuals in your design. Graphics should complement the content, not overshadow it. Aim for a clean and easy-to-navigate layout.

9. Avoid information overload: Don’t overwhelm your readers with too much information at first glance itself. Keep the content concise and to the point, focusing on the most important messages to avoid reader fatigue.

10. Ensure legal compliance: Make sure your newsletters comply with regulations like GDPR or CAN-SPAM by including necessary elements such as an unsubscribe link and respecting privacy standards.

For additional best practices for email newsletters, please refer to our guide.

Create your first email newsletter with Mailmodo

Now that you've equipped yourself with the knowledge to craft captivating newsletters along with the best practices to follow, the only thing left to do is to start creating your newsletter. If you seek a place to start, Mailmodo is a great choice that offers email newsletter templates that you can customize and use.

Mailmodo also offers other features like a drag-and-drop editor, send time optimization, email automation, email analytics and interactivity in emails. Interactivity in your newsletters allows your subscribers to engage better with your newsletters and increase engagement rates effectively.

You can read our guide to find out how you can make your newsletter interactive using AMP for email.