Do you have mail? With the availability of social media and chat apps like Viber and WhatsApp, who even uses emails outside of work, except for the purpose of registration and login? It turns out quite a few people. Let's talk about the role of different email newsletters.
About 80% of small and medium-sized businesses rely on email marketing to attract and retain users (Emarsys, 2018)The reasons are quite compelling: emails are informative, inexpensive, mobile-friendly, easy to customize, and give access to a large audience.
Email newsletters are a preferred communication method because customers actually read them, unlike spam emails. Almost every company tries to copy the best ones like Tim Ferris with 5-Bullet Friday, but few achieve satisfactory results.
Wait a minute… but what exactly are email newsletters?
Email newsletters, in English. email newsletters, are planned, regular communications with consumers. They are used for different purposes and come in a variety of formats. They are usually sent on the same day each week, month, or every other week. They contain personally selected products, tips, articles, events, promotions, etc.
Their main idea is to engage users, inform them, and remind them about you, with the goal usually being to increase sales.
Here's what distinguishes working email newsletters from those that no one reads.
- They are targeted at a specific niche
If you want to send successful email newsletters, you need to target a specific audience that finds your content useful and relevant. Either way, you also don't benefit from people who mark your emails as read or ignore them completely because they have no intention of making a future purchase.
Choose your mailing list carefully so that every person on it is from your target group. The probability of a user getting on the mailing list is high (for example, if they want to get the free book you are offering when they sign up). After the first email, you can give them a chance to re-subscribe if the information you are sending them is actually interesting to them. This way you will filter out the uninterested and get only the most valuable contacts.
One of the main reasons 5-Bullet Friday and Gary's Guide to work is the specificity of the content. Gary's Guide contains events, lectures, news, job listings, and other information related to startups in New York. Accordingly, this newsletter is entirely aimed at startups and people looking to break into the Manhattan tech scene.
5-Bullet Friday, despite its creator's huge following, is actually constantly trying to alienate the mass readership. Its gadgets, tricks, and tips are only applicable to certain groups like digital nomads.
- They are quite personal.
When you read a well-written newsletter, it feels like talking to a friend.
In a completely different context than the above, but a good example, is the newsletter of Heidi Holvoet, a children's sleep consultant. Her letters are extremely short, easy and enjoyable to read and usually refer the reader to articles on her website, notify about events, promotions, etc.
They are also quite personal – first name addresses, simple and understandable expressions. These things don't cost much effort, but they earn trust.
- They are carefully selected
Choose the content you send carefully. It should be well-curated and original in its intent to add value to the user. There's no point in writing about what everyone else is writing about.
If you don't have enough information within a week, send the newsletter less often. If you don't have anything to say, it's better not to say anything at all.
And don't be verbose – this is an email, not an article.
- Visual elements are contextually appropriate
Good newsletters are extremely simple in terms of visual elements. Forget about bold and unusual fonts. Choose relevant photos, if at all necessary. Give the text room to "breathe" with enough white space. Don't rely on templates. MailChimpbecause their time has passed.
- Don't try to sell at any cost.
No one will read irrelevant information whose sole purpose is to advertise directly. There is a time and place for promotions in email newsletters, but this should not be the focus, because the result will be unsatisfactory.
