What to Include in a Newsletter: How to Write A Newsletter That Gets Opened and Drives Conversions

The idea of a newsletter can be kind of intimidating for small business owners. What’s considered “newsworthy”? Do my clients really want to hear about this, or am I just shoving more junk in their inbox that will get deleted without having been opened?

Add to that the idea that a newsletter is just more content you need to create and send out. For people who don’t have a content calendar (or even a content strategy), the thought of trying to come up with something to put in a newsletter, in addition to all the other content they’re supposed to be creating, can leave them feeling overwhelmed.

A newsletter is a great opportunity to connect with prospects and clients and stay top of mind, but it’s true that most newsletters never get opened and even fewer generate traffic to the website. So don’t stress if most of your newsletters are getting deleted, but if your open rate is less than 20%, your content is not engaging your audience. Here are 25 things you can include in your newsletter to prompt people to open it and encourage them to take the next step in the buyer journey. Some of these tips are seasonal, but most of them can be used all year long.

1) New Products/Services

People sign up for your newsletter because they want to be in the know. Maybe they loved a certain product/service of yours and they can’t wait to hear about what you have coming out next. Maybe they haven’t bought from you yet, but that’s just because you have yet to offer them just what they want/need.

Any time you have something new coming out, you should talk it up. Let the world know all about it … starting with your newsletter subscribers.

2) Updates

This kind of goes under the category of new products/services, but I want to make sure you understand that those aren’t the only updates you should let your subscribers know about.

Did you add new members to your team? Let your subscribers know you’re growing!

Did you give your employees a raise? Start a new employee health initiative? Let your subscribers know what a great place to work your company is and how much fun you and your staff have working together.

3) How-to Guides

People love how-to guides. There’s a reason most articles and blog posts have headlines that start with “how to” or “3 ways to”. It’s because people want to know how to do something for themselves before they hire someone to do it for them.

Creating those how-to guides is also a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and expertise, giving them a reason to buy from you when they are ready to buy. It’s why I always recommend my clients create headlines that tell people how to do something, which brings me to my next piece of advice …

If someone signed up for your newsletter after reading a blog post, chances are they’d be interested in reading more of your blog posts, but they’re not necessarily going to bookmark your blog and remember to check it regularly to see what you’ve posted. Instead, sending them updates on your blog directly to their inbox means they don’t have to remember, they just have to open your newsletter and click through to your new blog post.

The same goes for any marketing videos you make for your company. We are visual creatures and we like videos, so when we see an email has a video in it, we’re 6% more likely to open that email. We’re also more likely to watch videos than to read blog posts, so keep that in mind when sharing content with your subscribers.

5) Blog Post Roundups

Not only are you an expert in your industry, but you hang out with other experts, right? Or you at least know where to find them. You don’t need to have all the answers in your industry, but you should at least know where to look, and a round-up blog post and/or a round-up email can be a great way of demonstrating that to your subscribers. Don’t just give them the content you created, give them the content you’re consuming.

6) Coupons and Promotions

A big reason people sign up for newsletters is because they want to be the first to know when you’re running a sale, so make sure they’re the first to know. You can even make them feel special by giving them access to a lower price before anyone else. Give them coupons and promotions that only apply to them and no one else, which is a great way to build brand loyalty among your followers.

7) Gift Guides

This is specifically for ecommerce businesses, and while you can do gift guides all year long, they’re especially valuable during the holidays. Everyone has a list and is checking it twice, so if you have something for everyone on their list, let them know exactly which of your products/services make great gifts for grandparents, toddlers, and everyone in between.

8) Introduce a Referral Program

Referral programs are a great way to boost your business and get your existing subscribers engaged, so it’s a win/win. You can offer an incentive to people who refer friends and family to your business, such as a coupon or entrance into a raffle to win a fun prize!

If you do decide to go this route, make sure you make it easy for them to refer their friends and family. Tell them exactly what they need to do and make sure it takes no more than one or two clicks for them to complete the process. If you make it too complicated, they won’t participate and you won’t get the results you need for your business.

9) Case Studies and Testimonials

Case studies and testimonials are gold and you should have them all over your website, your social media accounts, and your newsletter. The only thing better than telling people the results you can get for them is other people talking about the results you already got for them.

It’s not that people won’t believe you when you tell them how awesome you are, it’s just that they know that, at the end of the day, you’re hoping they’ll buy from you, even if you’re not being “salesy” in your content or your conversation with them. But your clients have no ulterior motives for talking you up, so if they claim you got results for them, your subscribers will be that much more likely to buy from you because case studies and testimonials provide that social proof we need in our online marketing efforts.

10) Put a Spotlight on User-Generated Content

Along with the above-mentioned case studies and testimonials, user-generated content is also a great way to provide social proof. Encourage people to post pictures on social media of them out in the world with your product or benefiting from your service. Ask them to tag you and give them an incentive to do so, such as entering a raffle to win a prize, and you’ll see the results. Not only does it provide social proof to your prospects, but it gets you in front of an entirely new audience because it gives you the opportunity to get in front of all their social media followers.

11) Event Invitations

Are you hosting an event in the near future? Attending an event? Speaking at an event? Tell your subscribers about it. The current shutdown is no longer an excuse not to attend events because almost everything has gone virtual. Your subscribers are your fans, so let them know where you’re hanging out so they can find you.

12) Event Recaps

You can continue promoting yourself and your events after they happen by giving a brief recap and putting it on your blog and/or in your newsletter. If you spoke at an event, show pictures of you speaking. Show clips of your presentation if you can. Make your subscribers feel like they’re part of the experience, while giving them an incentive to attend the next one.

13) Behind-the-Scenes Tour

Everyone wants to know what goes on behind the scenes. So show them. You might think it’s boring and mundane, but to someone who has a completely different job and lives a different life, your life is fascinating.

How has working from home during the pandemic impacted your business? How is your team staying connected virtually? We want to hear it all!

14) Employee of the Month

This goes along with the behind-the-scenes advice. People want to get to know you as a person, but they also want to know about your employees – and your employees appreciate getting a moment in the spotlight. So make everybody happy by talking up your most recent employee of the month. What did they do to go above and beyond for your clients? What’s their back story? How did they come to work for you? It’s the personal touch that’s going to make your content that much more engaging.

15) Job Postings

Some of your subscribers might never buy from you, but they might want to work for you. Or they might know someone who would be a good fit for a new position you need to fill in your company. You never know who knows whom, so take advantage of your subscribers’ network by letting them know every time you need something/someone.

16) FAQs

If you hear some of the same questions over and over, chances are good at least some of your subscribers have been plagued by those same questions – so answer them. It’s a great way to provide value to your subscribers, which makes it that much more likely they’ll open your newsletter to get the answers they’ve always wanted.

17) Industry News

What’s new in your industry? Has an update to an algorithm upended something in your business? Has a new law been introduced that means you have to change the way you do things? You can let your subscribers know about it without getting bogged down by the nitty gritty details (that will just bore them). Instead, focus on what the changes mean for you and your clients, because that will keep your subscribers engaged.

18) Interview an Expert

Everyone loves a good interview, and it doesn’t take much work on your part. Rather than writing an entire blog post, all you have to do is come up with the questions you want to ask, send them to your expert, and edit the answers that come back. Conducting an interview over the phone or video chat requires a little more work because you’ll need to transcribe the recording, but it’s still easier than thinking up an entire blog post on your own. It’s great promotion for the expert you’re interviewing, and again, it’s a great way to demonstrate that you know where the action is in your industry and related industries. You know who the experts are and you can gain access to them to create content for your audience. Everybody wins!

19) Ask for Feedback

The only way to really know what your audience wants is just to ask them, and since you already have their email address, there’s no better way than to ask them directly by shooting them a quick email. Just remember to keep it short, and while open-ended questions might get you some unexpected answers, they’re also less likely to get responses. In order to increase your response rate, make sure the survey is short and most of the questions are multiple choice. If you want to include an open-ended question, make sure it’s the last question in your survey.

Providing an incentive to fill out the survey will also help boost your response rates, with entrance into a raffle to win a prize being a common incentive.

20) Host a Giveaway

Everyone loves a giveaway, so they also tend to increase engagement among subscribers. The requirements to enter can include things like following you on social media or leaving a comment on one of your blog posts – that way it drives traffic to your brand online in addition to upping your newsletter open rate. Just make sure entering the giveaway is simple and easy, because if it has too many steps, no one will bother.

21) Create Quizzes

How well do your subscribers really know you/your company/your industry? People love testing their knowledge, so give them a way to test it. If their results aren’t what they were hoping they’d be, you can suggest it might be time they reach out to you for that product/service that can help them improve their score.

22) Holiday Greetings

Simple, but effective. Just an e-card letting your subscribers know you’re thinking of them can be all it takes to give them that warm, fuzzy feeling … and help them remember your brand.

This goes back to the idea that it’s not always what you know, it’s whom you know that makes you truly valuable. If people have been constantly asking you for a product service you don’t provide and will never provide, but you know someone who provides it, let your subscribers know you have this connection. Point them in the direction of a great product/service that will solve their problems and improve their lives. And if they happen to need your product/service when they’re done, so much the better.

24) Inspirational Quotes

We all need a little pick me up every now and then and you never know when your inspirational quote will land in someone’s inbox just when they need it most. Not only does it spread goodwill and positivity throughout the world, it can also help keep subscribers engaged who may have lapsed or even been ready to unsubscribe.

25) Pet Pictures and Videos

There’s a reason we see so many pet pictures and videos online. Not only do pet owners love sharing them, but almost everyone loves watching them. Sharing pictures of your pets (or your employees’ pets) is a great way to give your subscribers that warm fuzzy feeling we all get when we see something adorable.

It’s also a great way to add a personal touch to your content without getting too personal. If you don’t feel comfortable talking about yourself, or sharing pictures of your spouse and/or kids, showing pictures of your pet lets your subscribers know something about you without giving them too much access to your personal life.

If you found this content useful and would like to receive more of it, you can sign up for our newsletter in the space below to make sure you never miss an update. You can also see what we’re up to by following us on LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, and Facebook.

If you’re ready to ditch the DIY and hire a professional content marketer to write your newsletter for you, we’re here to help.

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