Takeaways
- Newsletter copywriting is copywriting specifically for email newsletters.
- Email newsletters are a great way to grow an engaged audience.
- When writing your newsletter copy, it’s important to write with your audience in mind.
With the advent of the internet, most of us aren’t sending handwritten letters in the mail anymore. (I think I just dated myself).
But that doesn’t mean you can’t engage your audience with valuable letters — newsletters, that is.
What is Newsletter Copywriting?
Newsletters are emails sent regularly to subscribers on your email list.
The goal of these emails is usually to nurture the relationship and get your audience to take a specific action.
When done right, they can lead to exponential growth. Just ask Ann Handley.
In fact, newsletters are the third most popular type of content used by content marketers.
81% of B2B marketers surveyed said they use newsletters to engage their audience.
What is the goal of an email newsletter?
While we know from Copyhackers’ Joanna Wiebe that “every email is a sales email,” newsletters can have various goals. And you should absolutely craft your call to action based on this goal.
Wondering how you can use email newsletters for your brand? Here are some use cases, along with specific examples to inspire you.
1. Share your content
This newsletter from Trello is a resource roundup that includes links to a guide as well as several articles.
The newsletter ends with a final call to action, inviting readers to try new Trello features.
2. Promote your event
If you have a webinar, training, or another event, share it in your email newsletter and give subscribers an opportunity to register.
Consumer research brand PickFu uses their monthly newsletter to promote their weekly webinars and any conferences they’ll be attending that month.
Invite readers to enter a promotion/giveaway
If you’re running a giveaway, you can use your email newsletter to encourage and remind subscribers to enter as Plum Guide does in this newsletter.
3. Promote your product or service
It’s okay to sell directly in your newsletter. Just make it a habit to provide value as well.
Tattly shares articles they think subscribers would like in their newsletter while promoting their glow-in-the-dark tattoos.
4. Answer frequently asked questions
Your prospects and customers will always have questions about your product. Your newsletter is the perfect way to answer them.
Camera gear manufacturer Moment puts a common customer question front and center in their newsletter and provides answers with links to shop.
5. Announce a new product/service or a product update
Newsletters are a great way to share updates with your audience.
Yoto, a screen-free audio player maker, uses their newsletter to update readers on the latest updates to their mobile app.
6. Educate your customers on how to use your product or service
Even if your audience has already purchased your product or service, your newsletter is still important.
Use it to educate your customers on making the most of your product or service after a purchase.
Fragrance manufacturer Dossier uses the email newsletter below to educate customers on how to get the most out of their perfume.
7. Invite subscribers to follow your brand on social media
Using follow buttons in the footer of your newsletter is a great way to drive traffic to your social media channels.
All the newsletter examples in this section include social follow icons in the email footer.
Newsletter copywriting: How to actually write your newsletter
Now that we’ve established what a newsletter is and given you some great examples, let’s walk you through newsletter copywriting.
Like all conversion copywriting, newsletter copywriting is focused on the intended audience — in this case, your email subscribers — and the desired outcome.
When preparing to write your copy, there are several questions you will need to answer.
Who are you writing for?
Before you start writing, it’s important to be very clear about your audience.
Who are they? What challenges are they facing? Why did they sign up for your newsletter? What have they tried before your product or service that didn’t work?
What product or service are you selling?
While your email is meant to nurture and engage subscribers, your goal as a business is to sell your product or service.
When writing your newsletters, it’s important to remember what you want to sell. That way, you can properly frame your copy with that goal in mind.
How can your product or service solve their problem?
Even if you’re not explicitly selling in your newsletters, it’s still important to show your reader how your product or service can solve their problem.
Dig deep into their pain points. Make the connection to your product or service, and show how it can fix these pain points for them.
Time to turn those questions into some copy!
Useful newsletter copywriting example
Newsletter emails are one type of lead nurture emails.
The video below from the Copyhackers Tutorial Tuesdays series provides step by step instructions for writing a lead nurture email for SaaS.
It includes an email template that can be modified for other industries as well.
You can grab the email template here and follow along with the video below.
Other considerations for your email newsletter
Nailing your email copy is just one part of the email marketing battle.
Here are some other parting gift tips to help you get great results with your newsletter campaigns.
- Send your newsletter emails on the same day and at the same time every time.
- Use a from name that your readers will recognize.
- Use compelling subject lines to increase your email open rates.
- Where possible, use a single call to action in each email.
Looking for resources to level up your copywriting skills? The free Conversion Copywriting 101 course from Copyhackers is a great starting point.
Enroll now for free to learn how to write conversion-focused copy for emails, landing pages, websites, and ads.
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