When thinking of newsletters, the images that spring to mind are boring school adverts, a family in matching Christmas jumpers, and ultimately, an unread email sent straight to the bin. That’s not where you want to be – you want your newsletter to be fun, exciting, and a place to showcase your skills. So, I hear you ask, how can I make sure mine is safe from deletion?
Punchy Subject Lines
Subscribers need a reason to open the newsletter, they need incentive, and an attention-grabbing subject line is the fastest way to get it. It needs to toe the line between clickbait and factual, and able to give a taste of what’s inside without spilling all your secrets before they’ve even opened the newsletter.
If you receive the same title time after time, you’re less likely to want to read what’s inside as there’s no promise it’s not the same content you’ve read before. By switching up the subject lines for each addition, you’re giving your audience something fresh and unmissable.
The Eye of the Beholder
This is a simple one: your newsletter should look appealing and eye-catching. There is a lot that can be done nowadays when it comes to design; from gifs, to videos, to the colour of the page, the opportunities are endless. It’s a chance to cement your branding and to connect something as simple as colours to your startup. It’s difficult not to think of McDonald’s when red and yellow are seen together and there’s no reason for your company to be any different.
A consideration into how your subscribers are consuming your newsletter needs to be taken into account. Something that works on a laptop screen, but not a phone will drive readers away, and vice-versa. Most of us are checking our emails on the go, meaning we’re holding your newsletter in the palm of our hands, and if it’s not easy to navigate, it gets deleted. There is nothing worse than receiving an email from a company you trust, only to see that it doesn’t work on your device.
Keeping it simple also applies to the content itself. A dense, complicated, word-heavy block of content isn’t in the digestible nature of a newsletter. The key to what you put in yours is that it should be just enough to make the subscriber want more, thus wanting to stay subscribed.
In the wise words of RuPaul: “Keep it simple, stupid.”
All Work and No Play
Straight facts alone no longer cut it. Readers these days need their attention grabbed from the get-go as they have a vast number of companies begging for their readership. Being bogged down by all facts won’t keep them from swiping away.
What makes your startup quirky? What separates you from the rest? Look at the Boileroom, an independent music venue, who include a segment called ‘Record Corner’ which highlights what specific member of the team has been listening to that month. It’s personal to them as a venue and supports the local independent music scene.
Facts are useful, it can’t be all play – but there needs to be a balance.
Knowing When to Speak Facts
A newsletter is designed to deliver news, so space for updates is a must. This is your chance to spread word about your growth, company events, and even tease about upcoming announcements. It’s an opportunity to educate readers, no one wants to read an entire newsletter which is one big promotional spiel. So, educating subscribers about topics related to your startup is a way to counteract that.
Keep it Focused
Yes, the content needs to be interesting and keeping that sustainable can be hard. Why shouldn’t you include a meme about a funny animal in your cyber security newsletter? Funny animals are a tried-and-true way to entertain anyone – but it needs to relate to your market.
Timely and trending news stories are good to include. Your subscribers have already chosen to hear from you, so it’s most likely they’re paying attention to the world surrounding your company. Keeping them abreast of relevant topics makes sure you’re their first port of call for cutting edge content.
Building a Community
Consistent content sent to subscribers expands your horizons and theirs. Maintaining a relationship with your audience through weekly, monthly, even daily newsletters is a significant strength in helping your growth. We all get thousands of emails and the ones that get read are those from companies that feel more personable, not only about advertising themselves.
A newsletter can encourage dialogue between you and your readers, with the most effective ones focusing on personalisation to the reader. Your subscribers are looking to be treated like people instead of just another customer. Making them feel valued is a sure-fire way to keep them subscribed and you out of the spam folder.
At blazon, we are on hand to help your startup create a memorable newsletter that sets you apart from the rest.
