Ready to start email marketing for your small business? We’re here to show you exactly how to build an impactful newsletter that engages your readers and turns them into clients!

Writing a newsletter from scratch isn’t easy, but it’s worth the effort. After all, 64% of small businesses use email marketing to reach their customers- and with 4 billion daily email users, there are so many reasons to get started today!

When writing a newsletter, you need to consider:

• The content you’re sharing

• Your audience

• Your email layout

• The best email distribution service

Your small business newsletter should be a valuable marketing tool that, at the same time, provides something of value to your subscribers. 

To help you accomplish this, we’ve compiled a list of best tips on how to write a newsletter that works for you.

While there are a lot of steps necessary to take your letter from start to finish, this roadmap will show you where you need to customize, where you need to stick to the basics, and how you can keep subscribers hooked from the first time you land in their inbox.

How to Write a Newsletter That Works for Your Small Business 

You don’t need to reinvent the wheel when writing a newsletter for the first time. It’s a tried-and-true tactic used by millions to reach consumers. That being said, you and your business are unique, which means that your online letter should be, too. 

Constructing Content

Before you begin developing content, ask yourself why you are writing a newsletter. Are you updating your subscribers on news and events? Are you providing readers with a run-down on content you’ve produced over a certain period of time, i.e. blog posts or videos? Your content should be focused on accomplishing that goal.

It’s worth repeating that you need to know your target audience when you create marketing content. What kind of content is valuable to your reader? Do they want industry-insider information? Do they want a discount? This is crucial to identify before writing your newsletter for the first time.

Choosing a Layout

When you have the function of your letter pinned down, you need to then choose the layout.

It’s extremely important to consider the type of content you’ll be sharing when deciding on a layout. Will you be sharing large blocks of text? Try a newspaper column style. Sharing a ton of images? Blocking off different sections with clear headers would be better. 

Regardless of which style you go with, remember to keep things simple and easy to read. These letters are meant to quickly share information, and no reader wants to have to dissect your publication to get to the point.

Distribution

There are a number of email distribution services out there, and all have their own merits. Some offer nonprofit discounts, while others have great built-in form creators, and others are as customizable as you can imagine. More popular choices include Flodesk, Mailchimp, Constant Contact, and HubSpot.

Building Your Small Business Newsletter

Newsletters are a great way to promote your small business while providing valuable content to your community. Email letters offer consistent client communication that we consider to be one of the 3 Key Elements in Every Successful Marketing Plan. With this in mind, take a look at a few tips on how to build your newsletter.

• Signing up – At the bottom of this article, you’ll find a clear “Subscribe to Hear Brand & Co.” section. We make it easy to subscribe, and we also make it clear what the value of the content is.

• Signing out – At the same time, you don’t want to hold anyone hostage. It’s common practice to have an opt-out link at the bottom of your email.
• Offer incentives – How many times have you seen “subscriber exclusive” discounts? Discount codes, free webinars or pamphlets, exclusive content of any kind- offer some kind of incentive to gain new subscribers. 
• Catchy subject lines – The average email open rate across all industries is less than 20%. If you want to grab interest, you’re going to need to do it from the subject line. This is also where it is important to know your audience, and what information is valuable to your reader.

Our Summary

Email marketing is key to any marketing plan. You’re writing a newsletter to interact with your customers, provide them with valuable content, and to grow your small business. To do that, you’re going to need to build an email letter that helps you relate to your subscribers, sharing the information they want (and likely need), and keeping them coming back for more.

Ready to take your marketing game to the next level? Her Brand & Co.’s Marketing Mastermind will help you go beyond the basics and catapult the growth of your small business. Apply today for the next cohort!