Create a Successful Newsletter and Build Your Brand as a Journalist

Journalists have always needed to be on the cutting edge of both emerging events and emerging media. From town criers to handwritten circulars, from moveable type to live television, the press has claimed the right to report on the world and to shape it. And now, here we are.

Welcome to the age of the email newsletter. In some ways, it's startlingly new. In others, it's oddly retro. But as ever, it's up to journalists to seize its possibilities and learn how to write a good newsletter email.

How to Write a Good Newsletter Email: Key Components

As a journalist, you enter the field with the skills and experience to excel in the newsletter world. You simply need to familiarize yourself with the basic structure and then carve out your place.

Newsletter Content for Journalists

What should you write about? This newsletter wholly belongs to you — enjoy the process of realizing your dream publication. Here's how to develop a corresponding dream audience.

Find Your Niche

Follow your bliss. Choose a newsletter niche using similar guidelines to those for picking a blog niche or book subject.

If you're not passionate about the topic, your newsletter will become a chore.

But you're not shouting into a void. Write about something in which readers have a demonstrated interest. If you're looking for ideas, research emerging trends. Read widely and subscribe to popular newsletters in your area. (We happen to know of a few good ones.)

Make sure to find a topic of the right size. You want a niche that will sustain newsletter issues for years to come, but you also need to specify parameters. Otherwise, your field will be murky and problematically general.

If you're having trouble finding your place, jot down a list of potential articles or topics you'd like to pursue. Read it over, noting the connections between the items. Then do it all over again, this time aiming for the categories you've discovered. By the time your wrist starts cramping, you should have a strong direction.

Assert Your Position

Once you've identified potential niches, clarify how your content could add value to ongoing conversations. What authority can you claim? What perspective can you adopt? What access can you provide?

A clear position will guide future content creation and ensure that your newsletter stands out among the competition.

Use Your Voice

Newsletters are more intimate than blogs and papers. They swoop into inboxes and establish ongoing relationships with readers. Your voice should suit the medium and the material. You can be as formal or colloquial as you prefer, but avoid any appearance of artifice.

Cultivate Familiarity

If you want to become part of your readers' routine (and you do), establish regular themes and structures. Give people a feature to anticipate, and integrate it into your regular writing practice.

Newsletter Format for Journalists

If you want to learn how to write a good email newsletter, you need to understand your medium. People interact with newsletters — and emails — in specific ways.

Include Important Email Elements

Your newsletter isn't just an article or two. It's a whole package, and you need to design it with care.

You'll need to craft:

• A catchy email newsletter name

• Strong subject lines

• An attractive header

• An email signature

• Easy unsubscribe links

You'll also want a separate welcome email template to acknowledge new subscribers. Give them a proper "hello" before launching into your regularly scheduled communications.

Write for the Screen

No, not that screen. Put your screenplay back in its drawer. Chase sequences rarely make for a good email copy.

The way people read online is fundamentally different than the way they engage with print or ebooks. You want to create clear, easily scannable pieces that a reader can look over before diving in deep.

Use headlines and subheaders to break up blocks of text and help readers track the movement of your article. Lists also improve readability, so don't be shy with your bullet points.

Make It Attractive

Customize your newsletter template to suit your topic and maximize visual appeal. You can also integrate photos or video content where appropriate.

How Journalists Can Build Their Newsletters: Best Practices

You don't only want to know how to write a good newsletter email. You also want tips to make it a popular one. Whether you already have a large audience or still need to get your first 100 subscribers, these best practices will help you build up your community.

Write a Compelling Subject Line

How to write a good subject line for an email newsletter — it's hard to overstate the importance of this art. It's very difficult to create a successful publication if no one reads it.

Use your email subject line to hook the reader and make them want to open your message.

Your subject line should be:

• Concise. Most people scan their inboxes quickly.

• Clearly relevant. Be mindful of current trends and audience interests.

• Compelling. Try out playful language or appeal to readers' emotions.

As you're finding your groove, run A/B tests with subject lines to see what resonates with your audience and convinces them to click.

Send Your Newsletter at the Right Time

The goal is to hit readers' inboxes at times they're most likely to check them. That's why many creators shy away from weekend delivery.

There’s no need to hover by your computer in the hours leading up to your newsletter’s distribution. Find the best time for your newsletter, and use beehiiv's scheduling and automation tools to send it then.

Keep in mind that you can (and should) test out different slots, but the most important element is consistency. Nicole Stockdale from the Dallas Morning News told the Medill Local News Initiative,

"We have found no magic bullet on any posting times... it's important that once you pick a time, that you're consistent, and that people can build a reading habit out of that."

Make It Easy for People To Subscribe, Share, and Refer Your Publication

Drive engagement by reducing obstacles and making these actions as straightforward as possible. Display prominent buttons for social sharing, and simplify the opt-in experience.

You can also leverage beehiiv's referral program to grow your publication and ultimately monetize it. Offer exclusive content or other tokens of your appreciation to old friends who introduce you to new ones.

Include Links to Your Latest or Best Content

Give readers more opportunities to enjoy your material. Find some of your best pieces, link them up, and share them proudly with the world!

Go Out and Conquer New(s) Worlds

Journalists should have no problem learning how to write a good newsletter email. The medium was practically made for you.

Carve out a space in a chosen niche with value-adding content that takes advantage of your expertise and signature style. Format it as a full newsletter publication with scannable articles and an attractive layout. Finally, take advantage of newsletter best practices to build your audience.

beehiiv's platform allows you to capitalize on your journalistic ability. So start brainstorming that list of potential topics to tackle. We'll wait.