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

Whether you're an experienced marketer or a small business just getting started, you can follow this simple roadmap that we've crafted to help you create engaging newsletters.

1. Define the purpose of your email newsletter

The first step to creating a newsletter is to figure out why you want to create a newsletter in the first place. Think about what you want to achieve through it.

• Do you want to increase traffic to your web page or social media platforms?

• Do you want to educate your audience about different things?

• Do you want to increase sales or conversions?

• Do you want to increase engagement?

• Do you want to build a brand image?

Once you've identified your primary goal, you can establish measurable key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your success. For example, if your goal is to increase engagement, you may want to track open rates or clicks in your newsletters.

2. Identify your target audience

Understanding your target audience is crucial for crafting a newsletter that resonates with them. Knowing your audience's demographics, interests, and pain points allows you to create content that is specifically relevant and valuable to them.

Moreover, understanding your audience helps you tailor the tone and style of your newsletter content to better match your subscribers’ communication preferences.

3. Choose the right email marketing platform

Now that you know your "why" and "who," it's time to select the platform that will help you bring your newsletter vision to life. Several email marketing platforms cater to different needs and budgets, offering features like:

1. Subscriber list management

2. Email design templates

3. Automation tools

4. Analytics and reporting

Choosing the right platform depends on factors like your budget, subscriber list size, desired features, and technical expertise.

The reason experts advise you to consider full-fledged email marketing solutions is that if you get lots of subscribers in future, you may need features like email automation, triggered campaigns and email list management. If you can’t make up your mind on which email marketing platform to choose, refer to our guide below.

4. Design a user-friendly template

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.

5. Create or curate the 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.

In general, newsletter content should be valuable and interesting and can be informative, educational, or even controversial within your niche. So, pick the right topic for your newsletter that is worth reading

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.

6. 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.

7. Craft an irresistible subject line

Your subject line is the gateway to your newsletter—it’s your first opportunity to grab your audience’s attention and entice them to open the email. So, when creating a subject line, ask yourself these questions to find out if it's compelling enough.

• Does it leave the reader on a cliffhanger?

• Why do you think someone will click on your email?

• Does it create some curiosity?

• Does it compel a reader to think about or answer something?

• Does the reader feel you are offering them valuable information?

If you have a hard time coming up with compelling email subject lines, try Mailmodo's AI email subject line generator that helps you generate compelling subject lines for free. Apart from that, you can get inspiration from more than 1000+ email subject lines.

8. Review, test and iterate

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 email 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. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. 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.

9. 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.