How to Write an Effective Newsletter That Converts is a simple process if you take the time and follow my guidelines that are very easy to implement to create better conversions.
Are you looking to build an email list that converts? Even if you are not selling anything you are always looking to convert readers into subscribers, or subscribers into someone taking a specific action of some kind.
When you’ve decided to start off your email marketing campaign the first hurdle you are probably going to face is the lack of subscribers.
Every website owner should have a subscription button inviting people to subscribe to their email newsletter and unfortunately, people aren’t always interested in getting emails in their inbox. How many times did you subscribe to a newsletter yourself?
Over the years I have subscribed and unsubscribed from dozens of email newsletters. The one common denominator for me has always been that I subscribe when I see value in doing it.
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Your Subscription Language
This means I want to subscribe. That is probably the most important thing in writing an effective newsletter that converts. It starts with getting people on your email list that want to be there.
This eliminates spam. People will know who you are when you email them.
So let’s go through building a list of subscribers that want to be on your list so you can convert them more easily.
1. Best Ways to build up your email list.
There is no clear-cut method to build up your email list. You probably need to use a mix of methods to get the best results.
Test which ones are giving you the best results and which aren’t. Here are some of the best ways to build your email list.
2. Through landing pages.
Build landing pages and invite your readers to subscribe to your email newsletter at the end. Instead of directly asking to buy products or services, free email newsletters are the best way to generate reader interest through landing pages.
Landing pages do not have the advantage of preselling as a blog or website does. Therefore consider sending your subscriber to a presell page after they subscribe.
3. Pop up plugins.
You can use pop-up plugins on your website to alert your website visitors to subscribe to your email newsletter. Most probably you have a WordPress site and it’s pretty easy to find a pop-up plugin for free.
Just search the WordPress plugin directory for one. Use pop-ups on all pages and blog posts and not just your home page.
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4. A form on your site.
Just have a simple form on your site. Your audience is reading through the pages so they can subscribe to your newsletter if they find the content interesting.
Put your form above the fold. This makes it easier to see and subscribe. Use a freebie to entice your subscribers.
5. Social media sites
5. Social media sitesUse social media sites like Facebook. They are a marketer’s paradise.
While you may use Facebook ads to generate interest on your Facebook pages, there is a lot more than you can do including tweeting and using LinkedIn to help people know about what you have to offer.
6. Survey tools
Carry out regular surveys among your customers to know what they need from you. You can even ask your website visitors to fill out a 2-minute survey.
These short surveys show you are interested in your subscribers. They can also provide you with valuable information that will help you convert more subscribers into customers.
7. Who’s Your Audience?
You need to use the right email template to connect with your audience. Let’s put it another way. Top email tools have built-in templates, but you may need to create one that suits your business needs.
Let me give you an example……
As a pharma marketer perhaps you could try to get one that has a ‘healthcare’ feeling to it. Choose the frequency by which you would contact your subscribers – decide whether it’s weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly.
8. A/B Split Testing.
You need to optimize your email list – you would probably do well with each newsletter that you send. Focus on building your list and carry out A/B split testing.
A/B split testing is a method used to understand which variation or form of your page will yield the best result. Here you can use two to three different type of email templates to check which one produces the most positive results. You can have simple variations within the template itself including:
1. The topics/content of the newsletter
2. The tone of the newsletter
3. The email template of the newsletter
A/B split testing helps you know what type of method will help you get higher conversion rates. You can check a number of different factors including the number of views, downloads, and conversions through each version.
I have found that always selling in an email newsletter is a bad approach. A better approach is to provide useful content in the newsletter.
Include links back to your blog or website if someone wants to click on them. This puts them in charge and they will click more when they want to.
Quality content builds your credibility with them. When you are credible you will convert more subscribers over time.
This is a process. Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day. Let me also say right here that proofreading is important. Nothing hurts conversion rates like poor grammar and spelling.
Appear professional when you write. Write like you talk and keep errors to a minimum. You do not have to write like a professional using big words, but be simple and let your point flow for better understanding.
My Final Thoughts
I have always felt that too much emphasis is put on style and not content when it comes to writing an email newsletter. Write like you talk and use topics people are interested in.
When you do this, conversion rates increase naturally. People like to buy from people they like and trust. You earn that by targeting the right audience and respecting them when you send out your newsletter.
Then you can use tools such as surveys and split testing to improve your conversion over time. And if you make a few mistakes sometimes, you can make the necessary changes when you read from time to time when you get comments.
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Hi,
Thank you for this article. I am just starting my online business and I’ve been looking for a solid tip/help on how to build a mailing list because I’ve read they are important but I don’t know where to start. I am glad I saw your article and I know this will help me build my mailing list.
So far, my only way to collect email is through a site plugin but no one leaves their email adds there. I will try to do survey social media and landing pages. That might bring in some more e-mail.
From what I understand, I will need to create “content” for my newsletter on top of the content I am creating for my blog. Is that correct? Do you recommend that I should focus more on the content of my blog before I start my newsletter (so I have a place for them to go through?) or I can definitely focus on both my newsletter and my blog at the same time?
Thanks.
JG
John, your list will eventually grow into your number one source, but first, you have to be generating a consistent amount of traffic for you to start to build an email list.
Normally I would say if you are getting 10 people daily looking at your content, that is time to begin building an email list and getting to know your audience.
Yes, you would have to set up a list of emails that go out to your list on autopilot from your autoresponder provider. You can also send out an email blast to your list whenever you create new content to your website.
If you are now starting out with a new website you focus should be writing quality content regularly to your website until you have a steady flow of traffic to your site. Hope that helps!
Hi Bishop!
I really found your article so useful and informative. One of my challenges as a newbie blogger is writing a meaningful effective newsletter. I have read several articles online on how to communicate a meaningful newsletter to my audience and I think your article explained better and very straightforward in taking the right steps and action.
My eyes are open to the use of social media survey and other important points you have listed. I have bookmarked this page for guidelines. Thanks.
Hi Felicity, thank you for sharing how helpful this article was to you and the value it brings to your business to make your newsletter more effective and meaningful.
You can go to Quora or Yahoo Answer and research in your niche what your audience is asking and what might be their concerns. So when you write your newsletter, you can address some of these questions and concerns they may have. Hope that helps!
Hi, I have read your article very carefully. From your article, I learned many important things, one of them is how to write an effective newsletter. Since I am an affiliate marketer, so these tips will help me get more lead by email marketing. Thank you very much for giving this guideline.
You are on the right path by being an Affiliate Marketer, and I wish you great success in your online business. you will know that building a list would be a major part of your business, that is the reason you will have to know how to write an effective newsletter.
Wish you great success with your affiliate business.
It is not enough to write but to also bear in mind those you want to read what you have written. Whatever you write must be educative, inspirational and motivational in nature.
Sending email to your subscribers is a very delicate process and if not done right you can lose your audience rapidly.
The style of writing should create a hunger in the mind of the readers so that when you write, they will be eager and willing to read more. The internet has made writing easy and economical in nature.
When writing through the internet, wrong words will be corrected through the suggested dictionary by displaying the correct spelling of the chosen words.
Love how you mention the different process of bonding with your customers, by not trying to sell when you sent out your newsletter.
Comments play a major role in finding out your customers needs, but you also mention short surveys? This is something that I never thought off and must give a try to see what happens.
Although I am against pop-ups, I am hearing time and time again that they do work, so this is another of your recommendation I have to split test.
You give a lot of value here in this article, I will be going through some of your other articles and see what I can learn from it. I went on to subscribe to your email list, cause I love the intentions of your posts. Thank you.
Thank you for your insight on writing an effective newsletter to build your audience and email list. Your list will eventually turn into your most traffic source, so it should not be taken lightly.
As I have mentioned most people do not like to be sold when receiving your emails, so more emphasis should be the focus on giving value to your readers by solving a need.
I too was not a big fan of pop-ups, but they do work and looking to implement it back into my business, just trying to locate the right one.
Happy that you are receiving great value from my posts, so feel free to browse my website to receive information on my make money tips. Looking forward to speaking with you again, all the best of luck with your business.
Wao, this is a wonderful article and it’s highly educative. It is not enough to write but to also bear in mind those you want to read what you have written. Whatever you write must be educative, inspirational and motivational in nature.
The style of writing should create a hunger in the mind of the readers so that when they read small, they will be eager and willing to read more. The internet has made writing easy and economical in nature. When writing through the internet, wrong words will be corrected through the suggested dictionary by displaying the correct spelling of the chosen words. It is also less expensive to make uses of the internet. Thanks so much for the wonderful informative article. Best wishes.
The three that you mention we should write about is fine, but keep in mind your readers need to solve a problem, and is your duty to give them the answer. This is the reason they join your newsletter.
Thank you for your insight on writing and dictatorship when writing. I will remember what you mention and always make a correction to all my mistakes. Thanks!
Hello Bishop,
I always like reading your posts because of your interesting niche and your topics of posts. This post is no exception to this. In your post, you have nicely provided step by step guidelines for writing an effective newsletter. After reading your article, I learned many important tips for writing an effective newsletter which is really pleasuring.
I am going to share your post with my friends and also going to check your reviews to work with you and make a successful business online.
Thanks for the post 🙂
As a regular visitor of my site, I thank you for your comments and kind words. Happy II am giving value to you on my niche site. This is the reason I started this website. Is to help others that making money online is possible, and being creative with your audience is a must.
Thank you for wanting to share this article and all the rest that you did. Keep in mind there will be lots more to come and I thank you for being part of my team. Is there is anything I can help to move your business forward, please do not hesitate to ask? Talk to you soon.