How to Format an Email Newsletter in 2023

Email newsletters are the perfect way of keeping in touch with your customers and giving them personal insight into your brand regularly.

But what’s the best way to format an email newsletter, and why is it so important?

In this guide, we’ll be exploring the main three components you need to build into the format of every newsletter you write to ensure your content is clear, well-structured, and consistent for your subscribers. We’ll also share some of our top tips for email formatting, and explain why formatting is so important.

Keep reading for everything you need to know about email newsletter formatting!

Why is Email Newsletter Format Important(Key Data)

So why are we talking about email formatting anyway?

Surely the layout of an email is the least important part and we should be focused on the content?

Wrong.

Of course, the content of your email newsletter is the main focus, but ultimately if your email formatting is off you’re going to fall at the first hurdle.

Did you know that in 2022 alone, over 300 billion emails (Statista, 2021) were sent and received each day? If your format isn’t quite right, you could be missing out on engaged subscribers.

Prioritizing format will help you cut through the noise and stand out against all of the other emails your subscribers are already receiving.

Format Email Newsletter (3 Essential Components)

Formatting a newsletter is a multi-step process.

You can keep iterating with different formatting styles to see what suits your brand image the best, but there are three main components when formatting a newsletter that you can’t overlook.

Let’s go through these below in some more detail.

Header

The first section that you should have in your email newsletter is a header. It is what meets the eye first.

The header of an email should include the following:

• Your company logo - This should be big and bold for all to see. This is the first way that your audience is going to know that the email they have just opened is from you.

• A few quick links - Think of your email newsletter header as the navigation bar on your website. Input a few of your key website pages as links so your subscribers can easily navigate to your site.

• Preheader text - This is a small line of text that appears at the top of an email, it may seem pretty insignificant, but it’s quite the opposite. This content provides a short summary of what your email is about and is beneficial if other content fails to load on certain devices.

With the above elements, you should be able to create a great email header. This header should be consistent in all your emails. With the beehiiv platform, you can create reusable templates, allowing you to use the same email header each time.

This saves time, and keeps your newsletters consistent — double win!

Main Body

Next up is the main body of your email newsletter, and this is where you can get creative!

Here are some key elements to bear in mind when formatting the middle section of your email newsletter:

• Ensure content is clear and flows seamlessly - This could involve stacking content side by side or having elements flow one after the other. Whichever you choose, make sure your content is easily scannable, and links together well.

• Consider background color and fonts - No one wants a fluorescent background on an email that’s going to make them wince every time they open it. Choose a neutral color that pairs well with the fonts from your brand guidelines to give your newsletters a more professional appearance.

• Vary the type of content you’re using - While the copy is the main event of the email, try to mix it up a bit with other types of content too. This could include video, graphics, or even interactive content such as polls - your audience will find varied newsletters more engaging, so keep yours fresh with different types of content.

These tips should make it easy to create the main body of your email newsletter. Don’t be scared to get creative with this step. Remember how many emails we said were sent in 2022 alone? Remaining consistent with this body format will put you at an advantage to ensure your emails are always being engaged with by your list.

Stuck on what content to include in your newsletters? Here are some ideas for how to write effective email content.

Footer

Last but by no means least is the footer. The footer is easily forgotten when it comes to email newsletters, but it’s super important in closing off your newsletter and directing users where to head next.

Here are the key points that every effective email newsletter footer should contain:

• Social media links - Show your audience where else they can find you by linking out to your social media profiles. You can even try out adding in-line social share buttons!

• Contact information - If necessary, make sure to include your phone number and address at the bottom of your newsletters. This makes it super easy for your audience to contact you if needed

• Relevant terms and conditions/privacy policies - it’s important to be transparent with your subscribers, so make sure to include any terms and conditions or privacy policies you need to in this section.

There you have it. A complete email newsletter with a header, main section, and footer!

One last tip. It may seem counterintuitive, but make sure you include the option to unsubscribe at the bottom of your email. Providing a simple way for the subscriber to feel like they always have a choice in whether or not they receive content from you will subconsciously allow them to build more trust in your brand.

How To Format An Email Newsletter (Top Tips)

Now that you know the best way of formatting an email newsletter, we will go through a few top tips to bear in mind when you are creating these sections.

Clean Layout

We touched on this above, but we can not stress enough how important a clean layout is to an email newsletter.

If your subscribers can not easily read and scan through your emails, there is no doubt about it — this will affect open rates on your emails moving forward.

Keep a clear structure to your emails including palatable colors and branding to keep your audience excited to receive your next newsletter.

Clear Focus and CTA

Another key feature that all email newsletters should have is a clear focus and a strong “Call To Action” (CTA) to match. Think about the aim of your newsletter before structuring it, as the focus of your email will inform its content.

Always include a strong CTA within your email template. This could be linking subscribers back to your website, encouraging them to sign up for your latest event, or booking an appointment. Whatever the action, make sure it is obvious to your audience what the aim of your email is and how they can act once they have read it.

Punchy Subject Line

We know this comes up again and again, but it is just too important not to mention. When formatting your newsletters, always consider your subject line.

This is the first impression your audience will have when seeing your newsletter land in the inbox, so come up with a punchy subject line that is going to get subscribers to open your emails and excited to know what is inside.

Check out our top 20 subject lines that get emails opened for inspiration!

Learn more about email design here:

Best Format For Email Newsletter (Key Takeaways)

So there you have it. The three main components to consider when formatting a great email newsletter, and some additional takeaways to inform your email strategy!

Let’s recap — all newsletters must have a remarkable header, a highly informational main section, and a footer with a clear CTA.

One simply can’t ignore the power of design when it comes to newsletters.

You should also carefully consider your layout, the focus of your newsletter as well as the subject line when formatting your next newsletter.

Now that you are ready to get started, why not start with beehiiv?

You can create custom templates, leverage personalization with custom fields, A/B test for subject lines and so much more.

Sign up for free with beehiiv today and get your next newsletter out there!