If you’re only just starting out, but have no idea what your newsletter should look like or could do or if you’ve had your email list for a while, but have kinda let it lapse, then this post can help you sketch out an outline for your newsletter.
It doesn’t have to be perfect. This is just a pencil sketch and you can reach for the eraser at any time.
The big picture
This part is simple – this is where we get your toes wet!
- What are your business colours?
- What are your fonts?
- What words does your business evoke?
Simple things that you may already have down somewhere. Remind yourself of them now. These will form the basis of your template.
The strategy
Okay, now for some strategy questions.
- What does your newsletter do differently from your other content e.g. blog posts etc.?
- Will you be doing any special series or offers for things like Christmas, Valentines Day etc?
- What about recurring content? Will you have a regular tip section? Inspirational picture?
Making sure your newsletter does something differently from your other content will give it extra value. Planning ahead for events in the calendar will help you come up with content ahead of time. And having recurring content will give your newsletter consistency – people will get a feeling of what to expect from it.
Define your newsletter
Say you’ve just met a really lovely woman at an event. You feel like she’d get a lot out of your newsletter, but she’s got to go in one minute. What would you say to her?
This will be the copy that goes with your sign up form.
Small steps, gorgeous
Newsletters might seem niggly or just too big. I hear you. And I get it. Start by taking up that pencil and sketching out a few lines. You don’t have to commit to it as a finished piece, but it’ll give you some sense of what you can do, if you apply yourself to it.
