Writing A Newsletter for Your Followers
You started a blog and gained enough traffic for an email listing. Now what?
Whether it be weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, or even just once a year, keeping your followers updated is important when driving traffic to your site that you've worked so hard on.
This is where a customized newsletter comes into play. Why should you send out a newsletter you ask?
Simple.
Even if you post the same schedule every week most often times people don't have an alarm set waiting for your content. Like most people, your followers are busy and need a reminder to check out your awesome content. A newsletter is an easy and friendly way of doing so.
When Should You Write A Newsletter?
Even though you want to keep your followers up to date it doesn't mean you need to be sharing everything all the time. Here's a list of when it's best to send out a newsletter.
When You're Having a Sale
Not all bloggers sell or promote products or services but if you do, you'll want to let your followers know when and how long the sale lasts. This will not only increase sales, but let people know how they can save money on items they will enjoy.
For my 30th birthday, I decided to put my best-selling children's book Princess Gabriella and the Never-Ending Kiss on sale for 90% off and include a free, never before seen illustration of Princess Gabriella. The sale was called the Dirty Thirty Sale which lined up perfectly with my age along with matching up with my book. It was a huge hit!
Have an Important Update on a Project or Project Launch
Followers love to keep updated and feel like they are included in the projects you're working on. Letting them know the stages you are at or if your project is ready to launch will get them excited to keep coming back for more.
Announcements, New Schedules or Layouts
Most people don't love change, but the best way to go about change is to let people know beforehand. They will be prepared when you have a new upload schedule, new website layout, or new idea about future projects. This will keep them engaged with your content.
Sharing Similar Interests
If you have a blog about health and have taken interest in a new magazine article which lines up with your values on the subject, share it with your followers. This will credit not only what you're saying but what others are doing as well. This can go for any blog!
In my newsletters I like to mention upcoming writing competitions since it's a blog about writing.
Surveys
The best way to know if your followers are enjoying your content is by asking them. Every few months ask them to fill out a short survey which will help you create content they will want to keep coming back for. Only make the survey 3-5 questions long with multiple choice answers so they don't feel like it's homework.
Designing Your Newsletter
Now that you know what type of content to put in your newsletter, the hard part is the design. Newsletters need to be fast and easy to read all while aesthetically pleasing so your followers don't unsubscribe.
Take a look how to design the perfect newsletter your followers will love!
Template and Colors
The most important part of a newsletter is creating a template you can use over and over again. This means picking out a template that matches your website along with colors which are modern and easy to replicate. Most web design sites have plenty of free customizable options to choose from.
Before sending your first newsletter get a few opinions from friends or family who can tell you if it's something they would be interested in getting.
Catchy Email Title and Header
Even though you have followers doesn't mean your newsletter is going to be read by all of them. This is when a catchy email title and header will work magic when it comes to your 'open rate percentage'. Have it related to the content you've written in your newsletter but make it fun and exciting, so it sticks out in their inbox.
My most popular newsletter to date was titled Big Announcements in June! Simple, but also gets your attention.
Pictures
Now that you have a great header title, adding a photo to the beginning of your newsletter will really make sure to grab your follower's attention. Use a high-quality picture you've either taken or a stock photo. Most often times photos with a person captured in it will perform better than those that don't. So, keep that in mind!
Not only will you have a topper photo but add photos throughout your newsletter that are relevant to what you're talking about. Remember it isn't a blog post so don't go overboard! I usually add the photo I used for a certain post when I discuss it in my newsletters.
Introduction
Just when you think the hard part is over and you've caught your follower's attention, well, you're wrong!
Next, you will need to lead with an enticing introduction to keep the readers drawn in. A friendly hello is always nice, but jump right into what you want to discuss. No one likes to read through a paragraph of nothingness just to get to the one or two sentences at the bottom filled with the content they were looking for.
Remember even the smallest update can be fun and exciting so make it as such in your intro.
Links to Posts and Descriptions
You now have your reader's attention which leads us to the meat of your newsletter, your blog posts.
Like I mentioned before, most people don't set alarms waiting for your content to drop every week, especially when they can go back to it any time they want. Make it as easy as possible for them to find it by giving the direct link.
Not only will you link your post, but add the blog post's main photo with a quick description of the content. Not leaving too much to chance this will ensure your readers open your blog post and increase your 'click rate percentage' drastically.
Outro and Signature
The important stuff is out of the way and now you need to closeout your newsletter. This only needs to be one to two sentences in length rehashing your introduction while also saying thanks to your followers. Don't forget to tell them how much you appreciate them!
Sign off with a signature. In this case I keep it casual with just my first name so it feels more authentic, but if you want to design your own go for it!
Final Thoughts
Yay, you finally have the perfect newsletter to keep driving traffic to your site! Now that you've done all the hard work don't forget you can use the same newsletter template over and over again by just swapping out the links and photos.
Watch as your email subscribers keep building the more and more you keep in touch with them.
Want to see an example of a great newsletter? Sign up for my monthly newsletters to see what kind of content you can include in your own. I promise it takes only a few seconds!
Tell me in the comments below if you think I should include other fun things in my newsletters.
