How to Create a KA Newsletter People Will Read
You are committed to creating regular newsletters to stay connected with your clients, customers, or members. You recognize newsletters are a great way to keep you and your products, services, and events in front of consumers, providing the information they need to feel well informed and in touch with you.
Newsletters can help drive business and increase sales. They can boost your following on social media and increase the volume of traffic to your website. When done well, they can yield an impressive return on investment.
But how do you make sure you’re producing a kick-ass newsletter that people will read? Your recipients are very likely being inundated with an overwhelming number of emails every week. So yours needs to stand out as one they look forward to opening.
1. Hook them with the Headline
It doesn’t matter how captivating the content in your newsletter if clients delete it without opening it. You want to make sure your subject line catches your readers’ attention with something clever or compelling, something eye-popping that they won’t be able to resist checking out.
If your readers aren’t drawn in by the subject line, they will keep scrolling through their inbox, saving your message for later. Later is where mediocre newsletters go to die.
Think about what you scroll past in your inbox and what you open immediately; then craft an attention-getting, eyebrow-raising, heart-clutching hook that even you would open right away. Then, when you pull out all the stops finding the right headline, you’ll accomplish the most crucial part of writing a KA newsletter – making sure it’s opened and read.
2. Get to the Good Stuff
Our instant gratification, social media scrolling, bullet-pointed lifestyle has trained us to have short attention spans. So no matter how gifted a wordsmith you fancy yourself to be, readers will not stay with you if your newsletter is too wordy.
Get to the good stuff early rather than spending too much time and too many words on the set-up. You only have a few seconds from the time they open your newsletter until the time they decide whether or not it’s worth their while to read, so make sure your opening packs a punch and that your content is laser-focused on the most important things.
3. Keep it Short, Straightforward, and Simple
Your newsletter is not the right vehicle for delivering deep, insightful, in-depth narratives that require your readers to work too hard. Customers will get lost in the weeds if you add irrelevant details that distract from your message.
Keep it simple and straightforward, knowing your intended audience and writing to them. Don’t assume they know all the acronyms, abbreviations, or terms that are second nature to you; instead, be as clear and concise as possible.
Your newsletter should be brief and easy to skim. That will show your readers at a glance that you have good stuff that you haven’t hidden behind a lot of fluff. Using an appealing layout with interesting headings, bullet points, and separate paragraphs will maximize your space and make it easy for readers to follow.
4. Be Consistent, Not Predictable
Consistency is critical in representing yourself and establishing your brand. Be consistent in the frequency, style, and delivery method used for circulating your newsletters so customers will know what to expect. Consistency builds trust, and trust builds loyalty.
But be mindful of the fine line between consistency and predictability. Predictability can breed boredom. If your newsletter is too repetitive with the same content repeatedly, readers will assume they know what the following newsletter will hold and won’t feel any urgency to open it.
You want to deliver content customers find relevant and avoid becoming so predictable that they don’t feel compelled to read each newsletter they receive. You can do this by using a recognized format and a brand-consistent voice but keeping your headlines and content fresh and intriguing so customers are afraid to miss a single newsletter.
5. Creative and Compelling Content
Just as important as catching readers’ attention with a KA headline is keeping their attention with KA content. It should be error-free, creatively and concisely written, and filled will compelling information on the products, services, and events you want to share with them.
Your goals are to keep their attention and prompt them to take action. Make every word current and relevant. Make it clear to readers why they need that product, should subscribe to that service, or attend that event.
Hook them with a captivating headline, get to the good stuff right away, deliver clear and concise content, and be consistent enough they can trust you but interesting enough to prevent predictability and boredom, and you’ll have kick-ass newsletters that make an impact on your readers and bring a return on your investment.