What’s the best way to get people to read your email newsletter? Make sure the content is relevant to them and compelling enough that they just have to finish the article. Here’s how to create that engaging content.
In this article I cover:
1. What is the purpose of your newsletter?
2. The 7 Types of Articles to Put in an E-Newsletter
3. Techniques to generate many relevant ideas for your audience.
4. How to handle the promotional element of your email newsletter.
>>What is the purpose of your newsletter?
Email newsletters should be a mix of education and promotion.
A newsletter that has too much promotion will drive people away; A newsletter without any promotion does not do its job of helping your business, and it can also leave people not knowing what you really offer!
Newsletters must offer something of perceived value to the reader. This could be helpful information, special offers, a pre- or post-sale helpline or support service, or a thank you.
>>The 7 Types of Articles to Put in an E-Newsletter
1. How to make items
2. Cheat Articles
3. Introductory articles
4. Customer stories
5. Industry news articles
6. New product, new service items
7. Special offer items
>>How to generate a lot of relevant ideas for your newsletter
Start by writing lists of things, for example, here are some lists you can use:
- Your products or services.
- Any question you have ever been asked about your business, its products and services, etc.
- Any problems with which customers come to you.
- Any way you have helped people solve their problems.
- Any testimony you have received.
- Any frequently asked questions, which may or may not be on your website.
- Any keywords you use in pay per click or search engine optimization.
This is your raw material.
Now start grouping items together and you will see certain themes appear. One of the things you’re looking for is an example of a customer problem you’ve solved.
>>Example of how to use lists to generate relevant article ideas
For example, in our business, we often get asked questions about how people can use email newsletters to build their business and get more sales.
List 1: Products and Services
- Email template design
- E-mail broadcast service with full reports, etc.
List 2: Popular questions
- What content do I put in my email newsletter?
- How often should I send emails?
- How do I send emails to my clients?
List 3: Problems customers come to us with
- I don’t want to spam people, I hate it myself.
- I don’t have enough people on my email list to make sending an email newsletter worthwhile.
- My website is not getting enough traffic.
List 4: Customer Testimonials
- We have a lot!
Now only from these few elements can we create articles of real interest to our target audience that also tell them about us. For example, here are some:
1. How to send emails to your customers who want to receive
(combines 2 questions from List 2, with one from List 1)
2. Why sending your email newsletter too infrequently is just as bad as sending it too much.
(1 from List 2, could also be combined with 1 from List 1).
3. Are you missing your best opportunity to send targeted traffic to your website?
(One from List 3 and several from List 4, as well as one from List 1. This is an actual White Paper that we published.)
>>How to handle the promotional element of your email newsletter
Many people are concerned about the appearance of ramming their products or services down the throat of their readers. It’s understandable, but you’re missing out on a vital role for your email newsletter if you don’t sometimes explain exactly how you can help solve people’s problems.
You think your business has satisfied customers, right? Of course you do, otherwise you wouldn’t be able to get up in the morning. So just give the information to other people and let them decide whether to act on it. Or if they really feel like it’s not for them, they’ll unsubscribe.
Do not worry, there are many people who want your information and your products or services.
Now please start listing for your business!