Essential Tips for Crafting Engaging Email Newsletters in 2023

Email marketing revenue is projected to increase to 17 billion by 2027. It’s a fast-growing opportunity for the entrepreneurial-minded–but the term “email marketing” is a broad stroke in the larger picture. If you want to cash in, which email marketing approach is best?

Newsletters are a great option. They’re the perfect medium for building communities while sharing valuable content. Newsletters give creators more flexibility with content compared to other social media platforms because they can curate and distribute content on their own terms.

Unlike other social platforms, newsletter content is not limited to 300-character tweets, 60-second video clips, or 10-second photos. Instead, you can include longer-form content like articles, blog posts, and even lengthy videos.

Not sold on the idea yet? Newsletters also help integrate interactive elements like polls, surveys, and quizzes, and even add integrations that make it engaging for the audience while providing feedback and insight so you can continually improve.

Ultimately, the future of email newsletters will depend on how businesses and organizations adapt to changing technology and consumer habits. But, by using the latest tools and techniques, it's possible to create newsletters that are effective, engaging, and valuable to your audience and to yourself. From writing your first draft, to design, to marketing, here are the essential email newsletter tips to help you start or scale your email newsletter in 2023.

Email Newsletter Tips–Before You Begin

Have a specific goal in mind.

Before you begin creating your newsletter, consider what you want to accomplish with it and what you want to be known for. Do you want to share candid moments and thoughts with your audience, or do you want to provide them with weekly product or service updates for a new or established business venture? It will be easier to create content that is focused and relevant to your audience once you have a clear goal in mind.

Keep your target audience in mind.

Your newsletter should be tailored to their interests and needs. Take some time to learn about their preferences and the types of content they value before you begin. You can gradually find a sweet spot by combining two factors: the content you want to share and the content your audience wants to read.

Maintain consistency.

When it comes to email newsletters, consistency is essential. Try to send out your newsletters regularly, and keep the format and content of each newsletter consistent. This will help you in establishing a loyal following that looks forward to receiving your newsletters regularly. Consistency also keeps the newsletter organized and creates a theme for which you become known, which enhances the overall user experience.

Digging Deeper–A Personalized Experience

People love it when they feel seen. Personalizing your newsletter emails will allow you to create a more engaging and impactful experience for your audience. For instance, something as simple as including the reader’s name in the subject line helps to create a sense of connection between you, giving them the feeling that you care about their individual needs and interests.

Another way to personalize is to offer discounts on the products or services that the customer recently viewed or purchased, provide them with relevant content or suggestions based on their past purchases, or simply wish them a happy birthday.

Personalization is also important because it allows you to create a more targeted, segmented marketing approach. This means that you can send emails that are specifically tailored to the interests and needs of each subscriber, rather than blindly sending out generic emails to everyone. This can help drive more conversions and increase customer loyalty. Overall, personalization is an essential element of an effective email newsletter strategy.

Writing Tips for Your Email Newsletter

Write catchy subject lines.

Your subject line is the first thing your readers will see. It’s the first point of contact between you and your reader, so make sure it’s catchy and intriguing. Aim for something short, direct, and to the point.

Bonus Tip: Limit your subject line to 40 characters max. Any longer and you risk the message being cut off on some devices and browsers, limiting impact.

Be concise.

Long emails can be overwhelming and may be skipped over. Keep the message brief and focus on one key topic. You could tell them what the topic of discussion is going to be at the beginning and branch out from there for the rest of the newsletter.

Use a strong CTA

A Call to Action or CTA is an integral part of newsletters, as they are the best way to drive readers to take the desired action. A strong CTA can help capture the reader's attention and motivate them to sign up for a mailing list, download an eBook, visit a website, and more. Additionally, a well-crafted CTA helps to build trust with readers, as it demonstrates that the newsletter is focused on providing valuable content and resources beyond the newsletter itself.

Test, test, test

Testing is key to success when it comes to email newsletters. Test different subject lines, visuals, and calls to action to see which ones work best for your audience. While this is something that can take time to understand, once you get a hold of it, it’ll be easier for you to build value. beehiiv includes built-in A/B testing and other metrics to help you get started.

Email Newsletter Marketing Tips

Make sure your newsletter is mobile-friendly.

Many people read their emails on their smartphones, so your newsletters should be easy to read on a small screen. Use a responsive design that automatically adjusts to different screen sizes, and avoid using elements that might cause your newsletter to load slowly on mobile devices.

Include social media buttons.

Make it easy for your audience to share your newsletter. People take action much more easily if it doesn’t require extra effort. This will help you reach a wider audience and drive more traffic to your website or social media channels.

Use an email marketing service.

An email marketing service will help you manage your email list, design and send your newsletters, and track the success of your campaigns. Figuring out which service works the best for you can get tricky, but you can begin by exploring features like analytics, reports, customization, etc that are provided by different services to see which one would serve you best. beehiiv’s free plan is a great place to get started as you compare services.

Segment your email list.

Not all of your subscribers will be interested in the same content, so it's important to segment your email list into different groups based on factors like their interests, location, or purchase history. This will allow you to send targeted newsletters that are more relevant and engaging to each group.

Analyze and optimize.

Use the data and analytics provided by your email marketing service to track the success of your newsletters and identify areas for improvement. This will help you understand what's working and what's not, and make changes to your newsletters to increase their effectiveness.

Design tips for your email newsletter

Here are some email newsletter design tips:

Use a clean, simple layout.

A clean, uncluttered layout will make your newsletter easier to read and navigate. Use plenty of white space, and avoid using too many different fonts, colors, or other design elements. Need more guidance? Check out our blog for layout and design tips.

Make it easy to scan.

Most people don't have the time or patience to read through a long, dense newsletter. Instead, they'll quickly scan the email to see if anything catches their eye.

To make your newsletter more scannable, use subheadings, bullet points, and other formatting techniques to break up the text.

Use images and graphics wisely.

Images and graphics can help break up the text and make your newsletter more interesting, but they should be used wisely.

Use high-quality images that are relevant to the content of your newsletter, and avoid using too many images–they can make your newsletter load slowly, and may also trigger spam filters.

Be mindful of your color scheme.

The colors you use in your newsletter can have a big impact on how it is perceived by your audience.

Use a consistent color scheme that is in line with your brand and helps in making your newsletter more recognizable. Avoid using too many bright or contrasting colors, unless that is the theme you’d like to go for.

Test your newsletter before sending it.

Before you hit send on your newsletter, be sure to test it to make sure it looks and functions as intended.

Send a test email to yourself or a colleague, and check that all the links, polls, and images are working properly. This will help you avoid any mistakes or technical issues.

Email Newsletter Success–Closing Thoughts

Email newsletters are a great way to reach out to your customers and get them interested in your products, services, or content. This year, we have seen a huge increase in the use of email newsletters, and we have seen many new trends in email newsletter design, writing, and marketing.

By following the tips laid out in this blog, you should be able to create an effective email newsletter that will help you reach your target audience and increase customer engagement in 2023.

With a bit of creativity and an understanding of what works best for your audience, you’ll craft a stunning email that your customers look forward to receiving.

Having your own newsletter is going to be an amazing gateway to reach out to your audience. Don’t just take it from us–try it for yourself!

We’re so excited to see what you create.