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How to Design an Email Newsletter 

Benjamin.M.V.

We all have been there. You start using a product/service, and you see on the site a subscribe form to their newsletter to claim 10% on your next order; you thought, why not?

Fast-forward a month or two, and you have an email inbox clogged up with email newsletters that you have not even opened, your initial excitement for the business has all but expired. You were not impressed by some of the email newsletters, and you do not have time or inclination to try anymore.  

The unsubscribe button is appearing more and more inviting now.

How can you avoid this situation from happening with your email newsletter? Read on and discover how to produce attention-grabbing visuals for your newsletter that converts.   

1. Decide on your Email service provider 

Before getting started, you'll need a way to distribute your newsletters. Even though there is a considerable quantity of applications available for doing so, very popular ones are MailChimp, Constant Contact and Campaign Monitor.

Email-marketing-service-provider-mailchimp

The best ESP's provide:

  • Straightforward campaign management
  • Templates creation capability
  • Send many emails without becoming blocked for spamming

2. Identify your target audience 

Email-marketing-target-audience

Your recipients have opted in to get your updates, so be confident they are your priority. Learn who your readers are, and always keep them in mind when making your newsletters. What are they considering? What do you need to share?

It might be that you want to notify individuals of a brand-new service you are offering or an upgrade to a current one. Or, that you wish to share news about supplies, previews, or reductions. Before you start into your newsletter's layout, it is essential to nail down precisely what it is trying to attain.  

Consider how you would speak with the recipients if you're with them. Newsletters are usually friendly and casual, therefore write the way you would talk. This will make your email newsletter easier and faster for subscribers to digest.

3. Decide the design layout 

Newsletter-ideas-reallygoodemails

Assessing different newsletters is a fantastic means to help you decide what is ideal for your brand and your subscribers. Consider what makes the newsletters you like function better than others. An excellent place to find a lot of examples is reallygoodemails. Insert the style of the newsletter you are aiming for and draw inspiration from a library of related newsletters. 

4. Single focus in messaging

Email-marketing-design-single-messaging

This email from Persona sells one story and does it well.

Whether you're trying to match specific branding guidelines or something more imaginative, make sure your newsletter communicates a single message.

So many attempt to shoehorn each link from their website to the newsletter. Noise is bothersome. Maintain your attention tight - precisely what material would you want your reader to come out with?

5. Give your email an identity

Email-marketing-design-illustration

Create a design that is original and reflects you, your company, and your message.

Epic! conveys a powerful message with an amazing illustration.

6. Add segment headings

Headings and names are crucial but tricky to perfect. Pay attention to what catches your attention when you are scrolling through a newsletter or a web page. What brings you in? You may design a brilliant layout; however, it might be bypassed if your heading is not intriguing enough. Headers and content are equally significant.

7. Ensure the header is on brand

email-marketing-design-header-example

Make sure the header is clearly branded.

The header will appear on each newsletter that you send out, which means you have to spend time getting this right. The most crucial issue is that it features your name or logo, so that the reader understands immediately who the email is from.

Beyond this, the header must immediately communicate the brand's values and create an emotional reaction in the subscriber, which makes it feel as they are receiving a superbly designed gift... not a bit of spam.

8. Remember to design the footer

Email-marketing-footer-design

The footer design can be minimal but is the place for key info.

The footer is in many ways as significant as the header, giving the layout a feeling of completeness. It is the place in which the reader expects to locate contact information. Additionally, it may have a simple way for readers to share the newsletter or portion of its contents with buddies through social networking platforms. And it should certainly include a link permitting them to unsubscribe.

Making it difficult for folks to unsubscribe isn't going to help your newsletter become any more popular. It is a lot more useful to understand that those who've subscribed wish to get your newsletter, and it is also more probable that good design will engage your readers. It is far better to have 50 newsletters that are read and appreciated than 500 consigned to the bin.

9. Use images to compliment the text

Choose images that reflect your brand. Take some time to make the picture look as great as possible with Photoshop or Canva. These days brands have started incorporating gifs into the newsletter to make it more visually engaging.

BONUS-Create gifs using Canva:

Step 1 - Login to Canva (Side note – You will need the pro plan to access this feature)

How-to-make-gif-on-canva-1

Step 2 - Decide on the dimension you want to use

Step3 - Add in elements you want in your GIF

How-to-make-gif-on-canva-2

Step 4 - Click download button which is present on the top right corner

How-to-make-gif-on-canva-3

Step 5 – Change the file type to GIF and hit download

How-to-make-gif-on-canva-4

Step 6 – Upload the gif file into the email template you are using

How-to-make-gif-on-canva-5

10. Build anticipation in the subscriber

Newsletters are fantastic for building a feeling of anticipation. News does not need to be something you have done - possibly share a few of your fantasies and hopes for your business. In case you have got a product launch in six months, then take your viewers on this trip with you - both the ups and the downs.

Get folks as excited as you are about what it is you are working towards.

11. Steal like an artist

Always stay on the watch for interesting things to have in your newsletter. Bookmark inspiring web pages, write down cute quotes, shoot pictures. Write about your own experiences. It is much simpler when you sit down to set your newsletter with each other to feel as if you are not starting from scratch.

12. Test before you send

Before you send out your newsletter, check it out by mailing it to yourself first. View it in multiple browsers and different mobile devices. There are always things that could go wrong, whether that has to do with the wording, the pictures or the technological delivery. You are more likely to detect errors if you place yourself in the opinion of the contributor.

Email newsletter design wrap up –

  1. Decide on the format of the newsletter (Sales/ Weekly)
  2. Draw inspiration from reallygoodemails
  3. Set up the document in Canva/Photoshop
  4. Permit the user to view the email in the browser of their choice
  5. Design the email newsletter header
  6. Design the main part of the newsletter
  7. Add social media handles
  8. Do not forget to include a footer

 Related concepts to explore: 

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