A powerful tool enabling your business to get closer to your customers and build your brand whilst boosting sales, sending a newsletter can be a great idea. But how do you ensure you stand out and reach the right audience successfully?

Here at Carnsight Communications, we love creating newsletters and wanted to share with you our top tips for making yours stand out in a sea of competitors.

Whether you are just about to create your first ever newsletter or if you’ve started but haven’t seen the desired results, we’re here to help you.

Newsletter Tip 1 – Use the data to understand your readers’ wants and needs

Make sure you analyse and use the data you have on readers’ interaction with your emails. By delving deeper into this data, you can understand more about the audience’s wants and needs. It’s important to take note of the data (such as which links and content readers are clicking on most) and then shape future content around this.

Sending personalised emails is also key. There are tools that can be used to add readers’ names into the newsletters, for example. No one wants to feel like they’re just part of a generic mailing list. For product businesses, you can also use tools that can send product recommendations to a customer based on their previous purchases. There are a range of options and by sending newsletters that feel personalised to the reader, engagement levels will undoubtedly increase.

Newsletter Tip 2 – Social Media is on your side – use it to your advantage!

Social media allows you to reach an even wider audience and is a great way to impress and entice your readers through sneak peeks of news and visuals. Maximise your newsletter content on social media and remember to encourage people to sign up to receive it regularly, in a variety of different ways.

Newsletter Tip 3 – Use catchy subject lines

The first thing a reader will see upon receiving your newsletter will be the subject line – so ensure to make this catchy and appealing to the reader. If your subject lines are uninteresting or don’t change month to month (or week to week) then the reader is unlikely to read the newsletter in full which will affect your engagement stats. Make your subject lines eye-catching and fun!

To help you create a catchy subject line:

• Keep your subject line punchy and to the point – try not to use more than 10 words
• Test out a few different subject lines through A/B testing to allow you to analyse which ones your audience is engaging with more
• Avoid salesy or spammy terms and instead use specific terms
• Use something that pulls on the readers’ heart strings or evokes a fear of missing out

Newsletter Tip 4 – Branding is important – use your visuals wisely!

Your brand is a key part of separating you from your competitors and it’s so important that you follow your brand guidelines to the letter when sending out newsletters. Make sure you create a newsletter that’s visually appealing and include elements that are consistent with your brand such as your company logo, fonts and correct colours.

Newsletter Tip 5 – Analysis and optimisation

Newsletter trends can change frequently – it’s essential to stay on top of what is working well and what isn’t. Testing is also key here. Ensure you are staying up to date with the content your reader wants to see, or you may find yourself missing out on engagement opportunities.

There are so many different tests you can run such as changing template layouts, formats and subject lines, as above. The list is endless but ensure you always analyse which versions are performing best and implement these changes upon creating your next newsletter. You can never test too much so remember to test frequently and apply these changes to stay relevant and engaging!

Newsletter Tip 6 – Analyse your competitors

Be aware of your top competitors and remember to sign up to receive their email newsletters. You are then able to take a look at their content. Use these for inspiration only – it’s never a good idea to copy someone else’s style or ideas, but be aware of what’s going out. Remember to be authentic.

Newsletter Tip 7 – Ensure you have access to the right marketing tool

When sending out newsletters, it is likely you will be using a marketing tool. Often these tools can help give us a great insight into what our audience is engaging with and can provide us with actionable pointers on how to improve our content or click-through rates.

There are so many different tools on the market but choosing the right one for you and your business is essential. So, how do you know what to look for? We recommend you look for a tool that combines practicality with value for money, whilst offering a good amount of features for reporting etc. We currently use Constant Contact for one of our clients, for example. Why not take a look at the top 24 tools for your business here?