How to Write a Newsletter That Matters
Newsletters are a pillar of our business that grows, informs, and builds trust with our audience, all while establishing expertise.
Many entrepreneurs and businesses, however, make the mistake of sending too many emails, often full of sales-heavy copy. The subject lines are manipulative, and the reader gains little from the content. Instead, they’re asked to give something (i.e., their money).
In this blog, we share five tips you can use to write meaningful newsletters that positively impact your audience and business while staying authentic.
Find your North Star
What newsletter do you love reading?
Which emails do you open as soon as they appear in your inbox?
I, like many, am obsessed with James Clear's "3:2:1" newsletter. Every Thursday, I expect to read three ideas, two quotes, and one question that will give me helpful insight, wisdom, and motivation. His emails are minimal in design, but the content is powerful.
A newsletter doesn’t need to have an extravagant, eye-catching design. While some newsletters are very aesthetic, the content and layout depend on your business, audience, and message. James Clear is an author, among other titles, so his newsletter is naturally copy-focused.
If you haven’t found that newsletter…
Which newsletters do you not enjoy?
What newsletter made you unsubscribe, and why?
If you need help finding your north star, look south and go the other way.
Make it matter
Every email we send asks for a few minutes of our reader's time, so we make it matter.
If your subscribers see your name in their inbox and already predict another sales pitch, they'll stop opening it and likely unsubscribe.
Newsletters are a form of relationship-building with your audience. And everyone knows the toxic person in a relationship is the one who just takes, takes, takes. You want your subscribers to know that when they receive your email, they'll gain something from it.
You're allowed to draw attention to what your business does and the products and services you offer—but good copy goes beyond the sale by telling a story. Don’t draw out the email talking all about you. If you promote something in your newsletter, explain how it will benefit your subscribers. Explain that you understand their pain points and developed a solution (i.e., your product/service) to thoughtfully and effectively help them.
In short, provide value outside of the sale.
Serve, not sell
About a year and a half ago, we had a marketing meeting about our newsletters. We wanted to do something other than just selling our service, giving discounts, writing sales copy, etc. Even we were tired of reading them.
We transitioned our perspective to "serving, not selling," and our newsletter series "Word of the Week" was born.
Each week we shared a word, quote, and image with a short thought sewing it all together. There was no call to action or sales pitch—just inspiration to feed fellow entrepreneurs.
Since then, our newsletter has evolved into "The Weekend Wind Down," which goes out every Friday. Along with inspiring, the newsletter aims to transition our audience from output to input as they recharge over the weekend.
What can you offer your audience for free?
You could share stories of wins and lessons running your business, tips and tools of the trade, or helpful resources and links (preferably no affiliate links).
Make it about them, for them.
Be authentic, not animated
Have you read emails where the writer wants to sound like your best friend but is just…off?
It has too many relatable, cliche facts or references that make them seem two-dimensional, like a caricature. Although it's a standard practice in copywriting, we don’t have to subscribe to it.
I'll be transparent with you: we're not friends, and saying otherwise would be dishonest. A boundary line exists between you and me that isn’t there between me and my friends. Personally, I believe Facebook has ruined the term “friend,” but that’s a thought train for another blog post.
That said, I do care about you and your success—however you define it.
At Selah Creative Co., we strive to remain human in business and encourage others to do the same. We don’t relate to everyone, and neither do you, dear reader (and isn’t that wonderful?)
So, write what you would read. Leave out what you would skip over. Don't mold yourself into what you think others want to see—show yourself as you are.
Keep it minimal
Emails shouldn't be 1,000-word blogs divided into 100 line breaks with 30 emojis. It's saturated and overwhelming, and when I see them, I immediately close them out.
Design a thoughtful and user-friendly email template by keeping it simple and purposeful. Every element should have intention.
What feeling do you want the color scheme to invoke?
What's the star of the newsletter: text, images, or graphics?
What’s the key takeaway or call to action?
I highly recommend looking for inspiration outside of your industry; it’s too easy to copycat. For example, I'm subscribed to a newsletter from a jewelry maker. I enjoy seeing their work and find their emails inspiring, even though I’m not much of a jewelry person.
Less is always more (and appreciated).
Leave a lasting impression
Don't worry about mastering the perfect formula—there isn't one. If there was, every piece of content would look the same. Instead, focus on leaving a lasting impression. Create what best represents you. Find what flows. If you have to force it, it's not the right fit.
We enjoy curating and writing The Weekend Wind Down and always gain something from the process. Additionally, we love receiving replies from subscribers sharing how it spoke to them.
Work is a lot easier when it doesn't feel like work, so find an angle or element you love to write, design, compile, or curate.
If you're already enjoying our newsletter, thank you! We know email inboxes quickly fill up, so we’re grateful you believe our words are worth reading. If you’re not on the list, you can subscribe in the footer of our website (keep scrolling), and we’ll pop in your inbox on Friday.
Selah.
