Tuesday, 19 February 2013

6 Tips To Improve Your Newsletter Content

Posted by Unknown at 1:10 pm Labels: , , , , , , ,
No-one knows how your newsletters are getting interpreted when they reach the users inbox, it is down to you to make sure that the content in the newsletter is getting read exactly how you intended it to. Emails and text messages are much alike in that there are no visual clues to how a message should be read which can lead to your messages getting misunderstood. It is therefore essential that you make sure the terminology used is appropriate for your intended audience, easy to understand and make sure it is not misleading.

To help you make sure your messages are read the way you intended, here are some tips:

Remember Your Audience – It is essential that you are sending newsletters that your subscribers are interested in, not only so you get better open and click through rates but also so you don’t put your subscribers off. You need to make sure you use as much of the information provided by your subscribers as you can, as that will help you to make sure the right newsletters are going to the right subscribers. It is as easy to open an email as it is to delete one, and unfortunately the same goes for subscribing and unsubscribing so be careful what you send. Make sure that each individual subscriber will appreciate what you are sending them, this can be done via our segmentation tool.

Make Your Subject Lines Enticing – Subject lines can make or break your newsletter as most of the time they are all a recipient will see. It is vital that the subject line is catchy and expresses exactly what the newsletter is about. To help you get the best from your subject line GraphicMail provide, A/B testing within your account which allows you to test different subject lines to see which one achieves the most opens or links clicked. The subject line can also make the difference from your newsletter going into the recipient’s inbox or their junk mail so be careful what words you use. To help you, GraphicMail also provides a feature within your account for you to check the ‘spam score rating’ of your newsletter and subject line.

Layout of Content – Before you add any content to your newsletter it is important to think about what the main points of sending the email are and make sure that they are shown clearly in the newsletter. The most important information should be located near the top of your newsletter, and if you have a lot of information to share then use anchors in the email so the subscribers can click to view the sections they find interesting. You can also limit the content that is shown; by having the important text on show but then have a “click here for more” link so they have the option to find out more, rather than being bombarded with content. The link can either take them to your website or another newsletter you have created. The benefit to using a “click here for more” link will allow you to see what your recipients are interested in as we will provide clear Reports & Statistics for any links clicked.

Explain What Further Action Is Needed – There is no point sending a fantastic newsletter if the user cannot do anything with it. Your newsletters need to have clear to call actions that tell the recipients how they can find out more about a product or even purchase it. The readers need to have all of the information shown to them, don’t expect them to search your website for a product when you can easily add a hyperlink for them to be directed straight to the page they need. 

Set The Correct Tone – We all know we can use our newsletters to help sell our products, but although you are trying to sell your products, it is still important to know that some phrases can be misinterpreted so make sure that all of your content is easy to understand. If you come across pushy in an email the reader will be less likely to purchase anything.

Always Proof Read Your Work – It cannot be said enough that you need to proof read your work to remove any silly spelling or grammar mistakes. Why not even ask a colleague to also proof read it for you, because if you have been working on it for a long time then you will know what it is meant to say and you still might miss some mistakes. Along with proof reading the content on your newsletter, make sure that it visually looks how it is meant to by sending yourself tests. Alternatively you could use our Inbox Preview feature which will allow you to view what your newsletter will look like in 14 different email clients.

Written communication such as emails are powerful tools to use, but you need to make sure your message is right for its audience. Make sure it is not going to be misinterpreted or else your newsletter may give the wrong impression. Give yourself plenty of time to create the newsletter content and make sure that you cover all of the topics above. Good Luck.

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