Why newsletters are still relevant?
Given the popularity of a range of online advertising mediums, it is easy to believe that Email newsletters are a thing of the past. This could be a mistaken notion because even with a lot of other options available, email marketing is still an effective medium to generate business revenue.
E-newsletters can be a goldmine when pursued correctly, but here the question is “What are the best email newsletters made of?”
Captivating copy, engaging graphics, and a clear call-to-action, right? This is undoubtedly correct, but there’s more to it.
Due to the enormous volume of emails that people receive every day, it’s crucial to cater to your target audience in the best possible manner especially when you are just starting with your initial email newsletters.
While the design is one of the major parts of a newsletter, here are a few of the crucial things that you should keep in mind while planning your first newsletter:
- The newsletter’s goal
- Content
- Design
- The size of your newsletter
- A bit of personal ‘touch’
Here are 12 tips and techniques you can use while designing your first email newsletter:
Optimize for various devices
Keep in mind the screen size of your reader’s phones or laptops when you start deciding on your newsletter’s layout and content. Your design should be best optimized for any kind of device that your target audience might be using.
Single column designs and slightly larger fonts are a safe choice to ensure that people will be able to easily view and comprehend the content of your newsletters.
Prepare a clean and organized layout
It is very important to keep things clean as well as crisp to avoid unnecessary distractions and hold your readers’ attention throughout.
Consider making a simple layout sketch and then start putting in the important element needed to refine your newsletter’s design.
Short-simple texts are best
With the declining attention spans of today’s customers, it is essential that you strategize not only the right content but also how many different topics you want to introduce through your newsletter.
Empathize with your target audience before you start weaving your salesy words. Go back to your own inbox and think about all the newsletters that you found crappy.
Make sure you provide value through your words and weave them in a manner that is easy to quickly scan and absorb!
Create a hierarchy of visuals
An effective and strategized use of font sizes and colors are the easiest and most fundamental ways you can create a sense of importance within the body of your newsletter.
At an initial glance, it should be obvious to your readers the elements that are most important for them. It’s only through the visual hierarchy that you can let your audience know what you want them to focus on.
Embrace the existing white spaces
You can always use white spaces to emphasize certain essential parts of the content. Constructively utilize the existing white spaces that can eventually help your readers to break down the elements of your newsletters into easily scannable pieces.
Frame content with headers and footers
The headers and footers can be highly beneficial to grab your reader’s immediate attention. Headers give you the prime opportunity to make a great impression and can hook the readers to continue reading next.
Footers however may not be the first thing that the reader sees, but offers a visual bookend and completes the newsletter visually.
Set the right color scheme
Different colors elicit different kinds of emotions and it gets essential to choose the right color schemes to accentuate the mood of your newsletter. Pick a combination of colors that best resonates with your readers and reinforces your brand’s identity.
Say no to complex and fancy fonts
Choosing the fonts could be the most intimidating part of the entire design. While there are thousands of great fonts, you only need a few to get by.
The basic rule should be to use a few of the simplest font styles for the newsletter’s content. Using multiple fonts in one newsletter can spoil the complete design and the purpose behind it.
Use images that create a statement
Given the kind of elements that are used in a newsletter, you get only a limited space to insert pictures along. It would be wise to use that little space with a researched and carefully chosen image that makes a statement.
Using multiple or oversized images can make your email labeled as spam. Sometimes it is also okay to not insert any image in your newsletter’s design.
Embed Videos or GIFs
Using short videos or GIFs that complements your product or services can be an effective way to express your message. They make a significant impact if placed strategically.
With this too, like all the other elements remember not to overdo it.
Use infographics
Infographics help enjoyably cover the heavy message. People scan an infographic rather than reading a lengthy text that contains the same content.
Using an infographic based around your marketing message puts forward all the information in a very concise and comprehensive way, ultimately pushing the reader to click the call to action button.
Create a compelling call to action
Marketing is incomplete without the call to action, where you want the prospective customer to take some action. If you have implemented the newsletter’s design using the best tips and techniques, chances are that your reader would easily identify with your call-to-action.
It is crucial to make a call-to-action that is simple, crisp, and compelling enough to persuade the readers to take the next action.
Research before you design!
It is obvious to face a lot of dilemmas while you start with your first email newsletter but it is always advisable to research the best practices. You can always club different kinds of design tips that are available and use them as per your product/service’s requirements.
Author Bio
Rangoli Roy works as a Content Specialist for a BPO company based in India named Acelerar Technologies. In her free time, she loves to express her creativity through poetry and art. You can find her spreading positivity through her art on her Instagram Blog called ‘thepoetesswithblackbindi’.
