How to create the perfect email newsletter

Do you finally want to start a newsletter for your Nonprofit?

Email newsletters can help boost your sales dramatically but most Nonprofits simply overlook its significance. Email open rates are still very high, making an email newsletter a solid investment – if you do it right.

Keep these tips in mind, and start it off right!

Find a Focus! 

If you want people to read your newsletter, you need to give them a compelling reason to do so. Pick one vertical and stick to that. You can always segment your newsletters for other aspects of you business if you want to.

With Killer Subject Lines

You want to give subscribers a compelling reason to open your newsletter instead of ignoring it. For example, you may want to lead with “first 50 donors receive a $100 gift card to _____.”

Just make sure to keep your subject line relative to your email. Nobody appreciates being tricked.

Information First, Solicitation Second

The second thing to keep in mind is that you are writing a newsletter, not a sales letter. People subscribe to a newsletter to get information, not get a hard-core donation solicitation delivered to their inbox. When you give a subscriber something for nothing, you create a sense of obligation in them. You have provided something valuable and they might feel they owe you.

Keep It Short, Sweet and Simple

When writing your email newsletter, deliver the content to come in small, easily digestible chunks. Make sure to include relevant images to illustrate your content. You don’t want to overdo it with pictures and videos, so keep in mind that everything you add has the potential to slow a subscriber down when they scroll through your newsletter.

Add Video – And Mention It In Your Subject Line

Video is hugely popular, and recent research shows that simply including the word “video” in the subject line of an email increases open rates by 19%. If videos are already part of your marketing mix, then you should include them in your newsletter. Even a short, 30 second video can add a lot of appeal. Videos are also a great way to convey your mission in a creative and meaningful way.

Make Opting Out Easy

Make sure that you offer an easy-to-see, easy-to-use way for your subscribers to opt out of getting your newsletter. No supporter enjoys the feeling of trying to unsubscribe and not being able to do so.

Keep your constituents in mind and create content they will find value in. As long as you put your subscribers’ needs before your own, you can create a great newsletter that will help you grow your Nonprofit.