7 Tips for the Perfect Newsletter in Times of Corona

The corona crisis is a challenging time to communicate with your customer. Here are 7 tips to send the perfect newsletter, even in times of corona.

1. Be creative with your subject line

A good subject line is very important. It is the first thing the receivers see and determines whether or not they will open the email. As a company, you need to stand out in the crowd and a great subject line can help you with this. Keep in mind that personalized subject lines work the best to create the perfect newsletter.

The subject line needs to describe the content of the newsletter. Make sure you keep it short and to the point. Since people are not fond of subject lines that are too long, you can limit your subject lines to 50 characters. Longer subject lines can automatically be shortened on a mobile version.

Try to avoid spam words like ‘free’ or ‘be quick’, otherwise the spam filter might detect it as spam.

2. Have a clear CTA (call to action) in your newsletter

It is crucial to have call-to-actions in your newsletter. With your CTA you need to tempt your readers to click trough and go to your website where they can complete a desired action. Make sure your CTA is in line with the content of your email and that it leads to a certain activity on your website.

3. Above the fold

It’s recommended to put your best content on top of your newsletter. This way, your audience immediately sees you provide them with valuable content. This is a very important tip, since approximately 80% of the receivers remain above the fold and don’t bother to read further.

4. Make it easy to opt-out to your newsletter

Give your audience the option to opt-out and unsubscribe to your mailing. This way you’ll make sure there are only relevant email addresses in your mailing list. The less uninterested people on your list, the higher your click-through rate will be. And that’s the goal you need to achieve. It is all about quality.

A receiver who is not interested and doesn’t want to see your newsletter, will be irritated if he can’t unsubscribe. This will lead to a negative company image.

5. Be personal

Try to speak to your audience in a personal way. By speaking more personal on the one hand and sending your content on the other hand, the chance of interaction will be higher. This way your newsletter will better fit the receiver’s profile.

Furthermore, you can send the newsletter from your own name. This makes the newsletter more personal. Nowadays you see this a lot, Ellen from ZEB or Sofie from Zalando. You will remember the names and will be more likely to open mailings from this company in the future.

Please do not use a no-reply address. This takes all the personality out of the campaign. Make sure the receiver can write back to you.

6. Think about your layout!

The layout of your newsletter is extremely important. Make sure your text is not too long. People will not read it entirely (see: above the fold).

Also make sure it is readable. When your texts or images are glued together, people have the tendency to stop reading. It does not look good and it does not work. Use enough empty spaces, preferably between every block of 5 sentences at most. A CTA works also better when it stands out and not between a lot of text.

Give your newsletter some structure. Use relevant titles and subtitles. Also try to have some variety in your newsletters. Maybe use a list or a top 5.

7. Measure the results of your newsletter

Finally, a follow-up of your results is important. Measure your results and keep track of them. How many recipients do you have? What was the click-through rate?

Analyse the figures and compare them with your previous newsletters. What went better? Where can I improve? You will have a better picture of you audience and the quality of your newsletter will rise!

Conclusion

During this COVID-19 crisis, there is a lot of confusion and insecurity. Your customers want to be informed. Writing a good newsletter to communicate, is extremely important. Follow these 7 tips to write the perfect newsletter and inform your audience.