Even in the social media age, email newsletters remain highly relevant according to a recent survey. Nearly 79% of survey respondents reported that email newsletters were still relevant while 97% rated email newsletters as an important or very important source of business management advice.

 

When planning your newsletter, you should stick to a schedule. Of all the best practices, this is the one that counts. Regularity is more important than creativity. Try to set a schedule and get the newsletter out on time. The survey showed that readers preferred newsletters on a weekly (42%) and monthly (27%) frequency. Weekly newsletters must contain highly relevant, almost essential, content in order to retain readers.

 

Your newsletter should use a consistent sender and subject tag line. Make sure the sender is recognizable to your audience. The survey indicated what “who” a newsletter is from is more important than “what” the subject is. Try to keep the subject line short and compelling. Write one main article that provides the most information.

 

You should include your own personal touch in your newsletter. It’s also okay to use up to 25% of the newsletter for business promotion. Include links to other relevant information from all sources, including research reports and other information you drew on in writing your article. Adding relevant links to your website and offers will provide better tracking and conversion.

 

Design with email reading habits in mind and keep the overall design simple for easy readability. By putting highest value links near the top, you’ll make it easier for readers to take desired actions. Move images below the fold as readers with image blockers won’t see blocks in preview pane. Guide the reader’s eye by using design elements to make an email or newsletter easy to scan.

 

Design with the email preview pane in mind because most readers see an email in Outlook’s preview pane. Make sure the most important information displays there. Avoid clutter: you only have six seconds at most. Focus your message on what will compel a customer to read and take action.