The number of email users is projected to reach 4.3 billion in 2022.
For the savvy email marketer, that growth is great news.
But there’s a caveat to that. While the number of email users is steadily increasing, the number of emails sent to them is rapidly increasing. Research shows that the average office worker gets 121 emails in their inbox every day.
That’s a lot of competition.
That’s why you need to ensure that you employ the best newsletter design ideas in order to keep your subscribers engaged.
What is newsletter design and why should you care?
Newsletter design encompasses everything from the way your email looks to the way it flows as the reader reads. And you should care because 51% of recipients unsubscribe from poorly designed newsletters. That means losing out on the revenue they could have brought in over their lifetime.
What is Email Newsletter Marketing (And Does it Still Work)?
Email newsletter marketing, according to BigCommerce, is a marketing strategy that involves sending informational, product-focused content to your email list via an email. Email marketing best practices advocate 90% informational content and 10% promotional content in your newsletters.
Despite the rise of more modern marketing channels like social media and chatbots, email still reigns supreme as the marketing channel that drives the highest engagement levels. Here are 3 reasons why:
Email is Personal
Unlike social media, email is a more personal means of communication. When a subscriber gives you their email address, they are actually inviting you into their life. And when they get an email from you, it’s more meaningful than a tweet or Facebook post because of that.
After all, they did sign up because you can solve one of their problems.
Newsletters Keep You on Your Customer’s Radar
Even if you are not promoting any product, it’s important that you send out your newsletters. By so doing, you ensure that you are top of mind when your subscriber needs your product or service.
Research shows that 71% of consumers are more likely to do business with a brand they are familiar with. And there’s nothing better than newsletters to help your subscribers become familiar with you.
People Check their Email Daily
Most people check their emails at least once daily. This makes email a more effective method of communication – particularly for marketers and businesses. This means your newsletter is more likely to be seen than a YouTube ad or other social media ads.
Now that you’ve seen why email marketing is a necessity, let’s move on to our newsletters.
11 of the Best Newsletter Design Tips You Should be Using
Looking for inspiration for your next email newsletter marketing campaign? Here are some email design ideas for you to consider. These apply to all your email newsletters from your newsletter introduction emails to your promotional newsletters and everything in-between.
1. Use Colors Wisely
Gone are the days of sending dull plain text newsletters. They don’t just cut it anymore.
Your newsletters should be colorful and vibrant so as to attract your reader’s eyes and elicit a required response.
So how do you use colors wisely?
Use a color scheme that reflects your brand
Branding is a crucial part of your marketing. And that goes for your emails too. If the colors in your email don’t reflect your brand, it will disorient your subscribers if they go to your website from your email. It also breeds distrust as your reader won’t be sure if the email is from you.
Employ the power of color psychology
Color psychology deals with the way in which different colors affect your readers’ emotions and influence their behavior. When it comes to creating the best newsletter design, it means using colors that inspire excitement and increase engagement.
2. Use an Unconventional Layout
Most email designs feature an up/down layout. Try spicing things up in your newsletter design by taking a different approach to the way your email flows. For example, you can use a curved layout that draws the reader’s eyes along a curved path.
Another way to spice up the layout is to make your email look like an infographic. This makes it more pleasing to the eye and interesting to read. The result is an Increase in engagement.
By going against the grain, you create a novelty. And everyone loves things that are unique.
3. Use Visual Cues to Direct Your Readers
For a more powerful email newsletter that drives engagement, use visual cues to direct your readers to the most important parts of your newsletter.
Visual cues are design elements in the form of a picture (or even text layout) that give a reader subtle cues of where to go next in your email. They especially point to those areas that require a reader’s engagement, like a call to action for example.
4. Go Mobile or Go Bust
One of the most critical elements you need when designing your email newsletter is mobile responsiveness.
According to Statista, the estimated number of emails sent in a year is expected to reach 333.2 billion by 2022. What does that have to do with your email newsletter design? Well, only the fact that more than two-thirds of those emails are opened on a mobile device.
This means as you look for email newsletter design templates, make sure they are mobile responsive. If they are not, you risk losing out on a big number of your subscribers. Mobile responsiveness is not just a function of websites, it affects your emails too.
If you don’t go mobile, chances are your subscribers will opt out of your list. Go mobile, or go bust.
5. Use a Handwritten Font to Draw Attention
Handwritten fonts don’t just add to the visual appeal of your newsletter, they can be used for greater purposes.
The first way to use a handwritten font is to draw attention to a particular part of your newsletter. Because of its stark contrast to the other fonts in your email, it will stick out like a sore thumb.
The second way you can use a handwritten font is as a way of giving your newsletter a personal touch. Because of the way letters were signed in the days of snail mail, our brains are wired to treat a handwritten font in a newsletter with affection. And that will definitely drive engagement and boost the success of your newsletter campaign.
6. Apply Borders to Sections
If your newsletter features different sections, use borders or frames to keep everything organized and neat. Even if those sections may be unrelated, the borders will make them all flow.
This technique works especially well if your newsletter features different products.
Don’t worry. Even if you are on a budget, you can easily find free email templates that can allow you to put borders to good use.
7. Pay Attention to Typography
An element not to be forgotten when crafting a newsletter is the copy. Yes, your message may read powerfully, but that doesn’t mean it should look bland.
Employ typography (the visual element of words) to make your email copy more visually appealing.
In simple words, spice up your copy by using interesting fonts. If it means designing your own eye-catching fonts, then go for it. But do make sure that the fonts you use are web safe fonts as some fonts don’t display well on other email clients.
A point to note, however, is that you should keep the number of fonts in a single newsletter to a minimum of 3. More than that and your copy will become too “busy”. Too many fonts detract from the message you’re trying to convey.
8. Use Images – Carefully
Images are a great way to give life to your newsletter. As they say, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. When it comes to your newsletter design, be careful about how you use images. This is because some of your subscribers disable images while some email clients don’t display background images at all.
In light of this, a few things to consider when using images in your newsletters are:
- If you don’t need a background image, don’t use one.
- Make sure your email looks good and works even without images.
- Use alt text to describe the images you use.
- Never use images to convey important information in images.
With that being said, images do help drive engagement and help readers know at a glance what your newsletter is about. So do use images and make sure they are clear, crisp, and relevant to the message.
9. Keep Your Text Short and Concise
The ultimate purpose of a newsletter is not for readers to spend all their time on it. It’s actually to drive visitors to your website or offer.
This is why you need to keep your copy short and sweet.
If your copy is long, your reader will get carried away in reading and ultimately forget to click your call-to-action.
Besides, research says that the average person has an attention span of 8 seconds. If in those 8 seconds you don’t manage to drive your point through, chances are your reader will disengage.
10. Design an Irresistible CTA
Even if your newsletter features 90% informational copy, you should still craft an irresistible call-to-action button for the 10% that features an offer.
Remember, you are marketing to subscribers who have shown interest in what you have to offer. Every opportunity you get to show your product or service must be maximized.
So how do you design an irresistible CTA:
- Make sure it’s prominent. You can do this by using a color that’s in contrast to your emails color scheme.
- Size appropriately. Don’t be shy and make a small CTA that will need a magnifying glass to see. On the other hand, don’t make it so big as to be obnoxious.
- Use clear and direct wording. Be bold about your CTA copy, your readers must know exactly what you want them to do.
While you should have one prominent CTA in your newsletter, you can also link to the same offer in some parts of your email copy – if need be that is.
11. Make Sure Your Content is Scannable
People rarely read emails word for word – particularly in this age where everyone is on the move. This is why you need to make sure your newsletter is designed in such a way that your readers can easily scan its content.
For text-heavy emails, this means breaking your text up into sections and using subheads. For image-heavy newsletters, make sure there’s enough white space for the images to stand out individually.
The Best Newsletter Design – Let it Be Your Next
With these tips and tricks up your sleeve, the next newsletter you create should be the best your subscribers have seen. If you can nail your newsletter design, reader engagement will increase, as will your revenue.
So go ahead and revamp your email marketing campaigns with a brand new look. Of course, you may not have to use all them, simply pick the best newsletter design ideas that fit in with your brand and your message.
What do you think is the best newsletter design idea from this list?
Share with us in the comments below!
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