For seasoned email marketers and those who occasionally send out newsletters, it is essential to revisit what we take for granted. This helps maintain quality and make the most of each campaign. In this blog, I share practical tips and insights to elevate your newsletters and email campaigns. 

Whether you are a specialist or someone responsible for briefing third parties, these tips may offer valuable advice. A significantly improved newsletter can lead to higher engagement and conversion. Let’s dive into practical tips and insights that can take your newsletters and email campaigns to the next level. 

1. Segment your lists 

Personalize your emails by segmenting your audience. Segment by demographics, Customer Lifetime Value, behavior, engagement, and preferences. This increases the relevance and engagement of the reader. 

2. Visual consistency 

Keep your header and footer consistent, even if you are not using a template. This strengthens your brand identity. 

3. Mobile optimization 

More than half of emails are opened on mobile devices. Ensure a responsive design that works well on both desktop and mobile. 

4. One goal per email 

Use the rule of one: one goal and one central idea per email. This ensures clarity and showcases your expertise. Be clear about the purpose of your email. Do you want to maintain contact, generate revenue, build loyalty, or something else? Tailor your message accordingly. The more goals, the more likely readers will disengage. 

Examples of different goals: 

– Maintaining contact with all your target groups 

– Staying top of mind 

– Scheduling appointments 

– Generating more revenue 

– Building loyalty 

– Retention/increasing revenue with existing customers 

– Asking existing customers for a testimonial 

– Providing information 

– After-sales 

5. Keep It Simple 

People are overwhelmed with information and emails every day, so: “KISS” or “Keep It Simple Stupid”! Keep it simple, be to the point, and make sure people can easily scan your emails. If you want to elaborate, you can always link to an article or landing page on your website. 

6. Catchy subject lines 

Your subject line is the first impression you make. Ensure a short, powerful, and personal subject line that sparks curiosity and creates urgency. Use A/B testing to find out what works best. 

7. Snippets for extra information 

Don’t forget the snippet! This short line of text next to your subject line offers an additional chance to persuade your recipients to open the email. 

8. Include a view Link 

Always add a view link so that the recipient can view the email in a browser. This is useful if the email does not load correctly. 

9. Short texts 

Large blocks of text are rarely read in full in an email; they belong on the landing page. Keep it short and concise, and link to the extended content on your website. 

10. Introtexts with text Links 

Use both buttons and text links in your intro text. Some people prefer clicking on text rather than buttons, so give them both options. A button is a somewhat stronger call-to-action, and not everyone likes that. In text links, you can link to the same page as the button but with slightly different wording to persuade someone to click. 

11. Above the fold 

Internet users spend 80% of their time reading content above the fold. Additionally, research by Nielsen Norman Group shows that we follow an “F” pattern when reading online content, including emails. Therefore, place your value proposition and CTA at the top to ensure your readers see the most important message. 

12. Compelling images 

Use compelling images with alt text so that your message is conveyed even if visual elements do not load. You can also use your images to convey mood, emotion, or style. Furthermore, use the direction people are looking in the image to draw more attention to a CTA or text. It also matters whether a figure is looking into the newsletter or out of it. 

13. Psychology of persuasion 

Apply Cialdini’s principles of influence. I mention them below, but there is much online about them, so I will not elaborate further here: 

• Reciprocity 
• Commitment & Consistency 
• Social Proof 
• Liking 
• Authority 
• Scarcity 
• Unity 

14. Automated campaigns 

Automate your email campaigns to ensure consistency and save time. Think about welcome series, abandoned cart reminders, and birthday emails. 

15. A/B Testing 

Test different elements such as subject lines, content, CTA buttons, and send times. Analyze the results and optimize based on what works. 

16. Interactive emails 

Experiment with interactive emails like polls, quizzes, and animated GIFs to increase engagement. Make sure the GIFs are not too large, as this can slow down the email load time, especially for recipients with slow internet. 

17. Always check for typos 

Checking your newsletter for typos or having someone else check it is crucial for a professional appearance. An error-free text builds trust with your readers and increases the likelihood that your message will be taken seriously. Moreover, it shows that you pay attention to detail and prioritize quality. It may seem obvious, but I still see newsletters with typos.  

18. Use benchmark data 

Compare your results with industry benchmarks. This gives you insight into where you stand and where there is room for improvement. I usually check multiple benchmarks to get an accurate picture of my industry on both national and international levels. Here are a few examples of benchmarks: 

• International benchmark 2023 of the DDMA 
• Spotler 2024 
• Hubspot 
• DeployTeq 
• Klaviyo 
• Constant contact, former SharpSpring 
• Mailer Lite 

19. Engage Your Community 

Subscribe to newsletters from marketing automation platforms and follow email marketing groups on LinkedIn for the latest trends and tips, such as: 

• Litmus They specialize in optimizing every email to maximize your ROI, testing your email for spam, and seeing how your email appears on each platform. 
• Email Geeks on LinkedIn. 
• Specialists on LinkedIn in various fields from email deliverability, DMARC, technology to content specialists. 

20. Measure, analyze, and optimize continuously 

Use analytics tools to monitor open rates, click-through rates, conversion rates, and other key metrics. Optimize based on this data and make sure to share and explain this data internally to create engagement within your organization. This also ensures internal visibility as a department by doing this on a weekly or monthly basis. 

21. Feedback and innovation 

Finally, remain open to feedback and innovations in your field. Try new strategies and keep learning from your results. Email marketing is a continuous process of testing, learning, and optimizing. By applying these tips, you can improve your email campaigns and achieve better results. What are your favorite tips that haven’t been mentioned yet? Share them with me! 

Contact Monique or Suzan if you want to know more about how our expertise can strengthen your email marketing. 

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