A newsletter people read is short, useful and arrives when they expect it. Most business newsletters fail at all three. Fix those, and email becomes the marketing channel you own outright.
Why a newsletter is worth it
Social platforms decide who sees your posts. Your email list is yours. If a platform changes its rules, your list still reaches the people who asked to hear from you.
It also costs little. A free or cheap email tool and an hour a month are enough to start.
Decide what it is for
Pick one job for your newsletter:
- Stay remembered between purchases.
- Teach customers how to get more from what they bought.
- Bring people back with news and occasional offers.
Then most of what you send should help the reader. A useful rule of thumb: mostly help, sometimes sell.
A simple format
- One main story or tip, a few short paragraphs long.
- Two or three short items: news, a question you were asked, a recommendation.
- One clear call to action, if you have one.
- A short sign-off from a real person.
Same structure every time. Readers learn where to look, and you spend less time deciding.
An example
Subject: The three plants that survive a forgetful owner
Hi there,
Most of the plants that come back to us did not die of disease. They were watered too much. If you travel or forget, these three will forgive you: snake plant, ZZ plant and pothos. Water them when the top of the soil is dry, not on a schedule.
Also this month
- We now open at 8am on Saturdays.
- A customer asked how to repot without stress. The short answer: one size up, never more.
Workshop: Repotting basics, Saturday 9 November, 10am. Free, but places are limited. Reply to book.
See you soon, Hana, Greenroom Plants
Subject lines
The subject line decides whether the email is opened. Make it specific and useful.
October Newsletter
The three plants that survive a forgetful owner
Say what is inside. Leave the clever lines for after you have readers who trust you.
Keep it going
- Pick a schedule you can keep. Monthly is fine. Missing months is worse than sending less often.
- Keep a list of ideas. Every customer question is a future newsletter topic.
- Look at replies, not only opens. A reply means you wrote to a person.
The rules
Email rules differ by country. In general: add only people who agreed to hear from you, say who you are, and include an easy way to unsubscribe. Check the rules where your readers live.
If you are sending your first email to a new customer rather than a list, start with a welcome email. For more ways to grow the list, see small business marketing ideas.