What is a newsletter? Tips, templates and examples.

Summary/Overview

A newsletter is usually used in marketing to update subscribers, and keep them informed, engaged, or inspired. They can be promotional, informative, or a mix of both, and are a way of sharing anything from upcoming events and product launches to offers and exclusive updates.

In this guide, we’ll break down what makes a great newsletter and share some practical tips for writing them. Learn how to engage and capture the attention of your audience, and just how easy it can be with Adobe Express.

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What is a newsletter?

A newsletter is a form of communication used to share content with a specific audience – typically subscribers – who have opted in to receive regular updates. While newsletters are often part of an email marketing strategy, they’re used for much more than just promotional content. They’re a strategic method for businesses, charities, and organisations to help maintain consistency and foster valuable connections with their audience.

Whether you’re sharing news, updates, insights, or exclusive content, newsletters help build trust, strengthen relationships, and keep your subscribers engaged.

Newsletters are especially valuable to businesses, as they’re versatile and allow companies to communicate regularly with their customers and build relationships. Whether you send your newsletters by email or print, they’re a way of showcasing expertise and enhancing trust and credibility.

Free newsletter templates to inspire your own.

What is the purpose of a newsletter?

Businesses can create newsletters with a variety of goals in mind, whether it’s to help drive sales, increase engagement, or to simply connect to their audience. Here are a few of the ways a newsletter can be used:

Sharing updates and information.

Newsletters are a great way to keep your audiences informed and updated. They can help you:

• promote new products
• highlight ongoing sales
• give tips on using your product or service
• celebrate seasonal holidays
• cover trending industry news or events
• announce new locations
• keep your subscribers updated on what’s happening with the business.

Check out some example newsletters for inspiration.

Part of a wider email marketing strategy.

A well-crafted newsletter will support your broader email marketing strategy by helping to boost brand awareness. They can also improve open and click-through rates and grow your mailing list by attracting new subscribers.

Build customer or subscriber relationships.

Consistently delivering valuable and relevant content can help build trust with your customers and keep them engaged. Readers will come to expect insightful tips, updates or offers in your regular emails, which means they’re more likely to open and read them.

Establishing this habit can make customers more receptive to future promotional messages, showing why it’s important to focus on building trust and brand loyalty.

Drive traffic to your website or blog.

Newsletters are an effective way to direct readers to your latest products or content, key landing pages, or campaigns. Linking to valuable resources can help increase your website traffic and build engagement with your business.

What makes a good newsletter?

When considering what makes a great newsletter, it’s important to focus on the basics – ensuring it’s relevant and engaging for readers. A good newsletter should encourage the audience to open, read, and take action.

Take a look at what you should include in your newsletter to make it stand out in busy inboxes:

An engaging subject line.

Crafting an attention-grabbing subject line is crucial to encouraging people to open your newsletter. Humorous, curiosity-driven, or personalised subject lines tend to be more appealing and perform best. Avoid long, dull lines as these can be easily overlooked, and instead use short and snappy wording to capture attention.

Consistency.

To successfully engage your audience, stick to a schedule. Whether you plan to send newsletters weekly, monthly, or quarterly, it’s important to be consistent. Maintaining a schedule illustrates reliability and keeps your business front of mind, ensuring subscribers are engaged and not missing out on communications or updates.

Focused content.

A good newsletter delivers content that educates, entertains, or informs. Relevancy is key – if the content doesn’t feel useful or interesting to you, it probably won’t resonate with your subscribers. Take time to understand what your reader's interests are, and craft high-quality, targeted newsletters they’ll genuinely want to read.

Mobile-friendly layout.

Many people check their emails on their phones while on-the-go, during commutes, coffee breaks, or just before bed. That’s why it’s essential to optimise your newsletters for mobile. Make sure your layout, images, and text are fully responsive and easy to read across all handheld devices to enhance user experience and engagement.

Readable font.

While strong visuals are important, clear written content is still essential. Use clean, legible fonts that are easy to read on all screen sizes, particularly on mobile devices. Avoid decorative or small fonts, especially when your audience will likely view the newsletter on their mobile.

You should also pay particular attention to accessibility, ensuring your content can be easily understood by everyone.

Visual elements.

Incorporating visuals like photos or infographics can make your newsletter more engaging and eye-catching. They can break up the text and help convey messages more effectively, while also reinforcing brand identity. Be sure to balance the visuals with clear content to avoid overwhelming the reader or cluttering the newsletter.

Editable email newsletter ideas for your business.

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Useful things to know.

Is a newsletter the same as an email?

Not exactly. While all newsletters are emails, not all emails are newsletters. A newsletter is a type of email used to share regular updates, news, or informative content with subscribers, whereas other emails can focus on things like one-time offers.

How often should I send out my newsletter?

The frequency of your newsletter depends on your goals and what will work for your audience, but the key is to remain consistent. Weekly, fortnightly, or monthly newsletters are common. The ideal frequency will keep your subscribers engaged, without overwhelming them – don’t be afraid to test this and alter this based on open rates or feedback.

How do I get people to subscribe to my newsletter?

Start by offering something of value, such as exclusive content, discounts, useful tips, or early product access. Promote your newsletter across your website, blog and social media channels, and have a simple sign-up process. Use clear calls to action and make the subscription form easy to find.

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