How to Write the Best Email Newsletter–With Examples

What is an email newsletter?

An email newsletter is an email that businesses send out to a list of newsletter subscribers. Email newsletters are commonly sent out weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. You can use your newsletter to tell subscribers what your business is up to, whether you’re developing a new product, overhauling your customer service center, or offering a sale, you can make sure your newsletter subscribers are in the loop.

There are lots of benefits to writing an email newsletter, especially if you write quality newsletters that your subscribers enjoy. Email newsletters are a good way to let customers know about new products or services you’re offering, as well as sales and limited-time offers. You can also preschedule email newsletters, that way you’re a fixture in your subscribers’ inboxes and they keep your business in mind.

Email marketing can provide several benefits, and newsletters are an important part of that. However, you need to remember that email design and content are important because you don’t want subscribers to feel like they’re being spammed with the information they don’t care about.

Understanding the basics of email marketing can help you write a better e-newsletter. You need to start by grabbing readers’ attention with a good subject line and header, then you need to deliver interesting or valuable content that your subscribers want to read. Following some basic email newsletter, examples and tips can help you make your newsletter a welcome sight in subscribers’ inboxes.

The first thing you need to do is start with the header. Your header, especially the subject line, is what’s going to catch the attention of readers, so make sure your headline says what the email is about in an interesting way. Readers should know from the subject line that they’re reading your weekly or monthly newsletter, and they should have some idea of what you’re going to talk about.

Including the right graphics and other information is important. You should start your email by telling subscribers who you are, which you can do in the header and introduction of the email.

You should also include your contact information in the header or somewhere near the top of your newsletter, that way readers can easily contact you if you have any questions. As far as your header goes, you can also include your company name, company logo, and company colors for branding.

As important as it is to follow an email design guide, your content is undoubtedly the most important part of your email newsletter. The best email newsletter examples give you a good starting point in terms of layout and design, but you need to provide subscribers with information they want to read.

At the end of your email newsletter, make sure you’re giving readers an easy way to opt-out if they no longer want to receive your emails. If unsubscribing from your newsletter is too difficult, people are going to think you’re doing that on purpose.

What to include in a newsletter?

When you’re writing an email newsletter, it’s important to make sure you include everything that an email newsletter should have. Looking at online newsletter examples is a good starting point, but e-newsletter content and design can vary quite a bit from business to business. So, what should you include in a newsletter?

A good email newsletter starts with a quality header, so you need to make sure your contact information, subject line, and the header within your email are all good. Your header should include your company name and logo as well as your contact information, that way readers can contact you if they have any questions or feedback about your newsletter.

As far as the subject line goes, the goal is to catch readers’ attention and let them know what the email is about.

The actual content (the news) in a newsletter is the most important part. It’s up to you to decide what’s big news for your company, but the goal of this newsletter is to keep readers in the loop.

It could be that you’re working on a new line of products, or maybe you’re completely overhauling your website to accept more forms of payment. Whatever the case may be, your email newsletter gives you an opportunity to connect with your customers and let them know what’s going on within your business.

At the end of your e-newsletter, you need to include an unsubscribe link that allows readers to unsubscribe from your newsletter, that way they can stop receiving your newsletter if they don’t want to read it anymore.

As far as e-newsletter formats go, you’ve got a lot of different options. Making your emails look good is important, but what’s even more important is choosing a format that fits your content. Here are some of the popular email templates you might want to try if you’re writing an email newsletter.

One option you have is to replicate the look and feel of an actual newspaper. Newspapers are something a lot of readers are familiar with, and the format was specifically designed for delivering important news.

You can include headlines throughout your newsletter to help break things up and make it easier to read, and you can even use fonts and colors that make your email look more like a newspaper. A faux newspaper is an especially good idea if you cater to an older audience.

If the newspaper is a little too old-school for you, you can always opt for an e-magazine style. E-magazines have been popular on the web for years because they’re a great way to deliver the latest news and other important information.

Your e-newsletter can include interviews with employees, columns where you or others share your thoughts about a particular topic, and photos or videos that customers have sent in. You have a lot more freedom design-wise if you’re opting for a magazine look instead of a newspaper, so feel free to get creative.

Holiday newsletters offer another popular format that helps businesses connect with customers during seasonal events.

Take a look at holiday newsletter examples to see that they typically feature festive designs and themed content that resonates with the time of year. You can incorporate holiday-specific color schemes (like red and green for Christmas or orange and black for Halloween), seasonal imagery, and special promotions.

The key is to maintain your brand identity while embracing the holiday spirit. For example, a retail business might send out a holiday gift guide newsletter featuring product collections organized by recipient type, complete with cheerful imagery and time-sensitive offers.

School newsletters represent yet another effective format, particularly useful for educational institutions and organizations that work with students. School newsletter examples often follow a structured layout that balances information with engagement.

A typical school newsletter might include sections for upcoming events, student achievements, important announcements, and educational resources.

Many successful school newsletters incorporate visual elements like student artwork, photos from recent events, and infographics explaining new policies or programs.

They often use color coding to separate different departments or grade levels, making the information easy to navigate for both parents and students. Calendar-style sections are particularly effective for highlighting important dates and deadlines.

With Mailchimp, you get access to lots of different templates that you can edit to fit your needs, whether you’re looking for the best enewsletter examples or a good format for order receipts. You can view all the different templates by heading over to our templates page.

Our Minimal template is great if you want to focus your newsletter on text, while the Gallery template is best if you want to include graphics as the focus of your emails. Take a few minutes to browse some of our templates and you’ll find something that fits your needs.

Another benefit to Mailchimp templates is the fact that you get complete control. Not only can you customize the content within your emails, but you can also customize Mailchimp templates with the Mailchimp template builder.

Whether you want to completely overhaul an email template or change a few colors, you can make those changes even if you’re not an email design expert. You can even add or remove chunks of content within your emails. If you want to create a perfect email newsletter, you need to make sure you’re customizing your newsletter template to fit your needs.

Creating engaging content for newsletters

Successful newsletter marketing relies on developing content that resonates with your audience. Your subscribers want meaningful updates that align with their interests and provide tangible benefits.

A well-crafted blog newsletter combines various content types to maintain reader interest. When planning your content strategy, consider including the following:

• Industry updates and expert insights: Share relevant marketing news that impacts your readers, break down complex topics into actionable insights, and highlight emerging trends and best practices. You can also feature expert opinions and analysis to add credibility to your content.
• Behind-the-scenes content: Showcase your company culture and team members, share project development processes, and highlight upcoming events and launches. Connect your social media accounts with newsletter content to create a cohesive brand presence.
• Customer-focused elements: Include customer testimonials that build trust, share success stories that demonstrate real results, and feature user-generated content. Address common customer questions to provide practical value.
• Educational resources: Link to valuable blog posts that dive deeper into topics, share industry research and statistics that inform decisions, and provide how-to guides and tutorials. Offer exclusive tips and tricks that subscribers can't find elsewhere.

All content should encourage readers to take action while providing ongoing value. Consider these proven strategies for maintaining engagement:

• Personalization: Segment your audience based on interests, tailor content to specific reader behaviors, and address subscribers by name when appropriate. Create targeted content paths that match different user needs.
• Content structure: Use clear, scannable headlines that grab attention, include visually appealing elements that enhance readability, and keep paragraphs concise. Incorporate relevant images and graphics to illustrate key points.
• Storytelling techniques: Share authentic company stories that resonate with readers, use narrative elements to illustrate points, and include personal experiences that create connections. Create emotional connections through compelling storytelling.

Consistently delivering relevant content that informs and engages keeps subscribers informed while building lasting relationships with your audience. Remember to monitor engagement metrics and adjust your content strategy based on what resonates most with your readers.

A compelling subject line determines whether your newsletter succeeds or fails at encouraging subscribers to engage with your content. Your subject line must balance intrigue with transparency while delivering clear value to your readers. Effective newsletter subject line strategies include:

• Monthly roundups and updates: Share your latest blog posts and marketing news in subject lines like "February Highlights: 5 Game-Changing Industry Updates" or "Your Monthly Digest: Latest [Industry] Trends + Expert Tips."
• Time-sensitive announcements: Alert subscribers about upcoming events or limited-time offers with subject lines such as "Last Chance: Early Bird Pricing Ends Tomorrow" or "Breaking News: [Industry] Changes You Need to Know."
• Value-focused messaging: Highlight relevant content that provides ongoing value through subject lines like "3 Expert Strategies to [Solve Common Problem]" or "Exclusive Guide: Maximize Your [Specific Goal]."

To maximize the impact of your subject lines, consider these proven best practices:

• Length and structure: Keep subject lines under 50 characters to prevent truncation in mobile inboxes. Front-load important information to capture attention immediately.
• Personalization elements: Include subscriber names, company names, or reference past interactions to increase relevance. Example: "Jane, Your Custom [Industry] Report Is Ready."
• Testing and optimization: Use A/B testing to understand which subject lines drive higher open rates. Test different tones, lengths, and value propositions.

Crafting subject lines that combine clarity with compelling value propositions maintains healthy open rates while building trust with your audience.

Common mistakes to avoid in email newsletters

Even well-intentioned email newsletters can fall short when common pitfalls aren't addressed. Critical mistakes that hurt newsletter performance are:

• Over-sending and inconsistent timing: Bombarding subscribers with too many emails or sending at irregular intervals can lead to fatigue and unsubscribes. Instead, establish a consistent schedule that your readers can anticipate and appreciate.
• Poor mobile optimization: With most subscribers checking email on mobile devices, newsletters that don't display properly on smartphones risk immediate deletion. This includes hard-to-read fonts, images that don't scale, and buttons too small for touchscreens.
• Missing or unclear calls-to-action: Without clear direction, readers may consume your content but never take meaningful action. Each newsletter needs a focused purpose and obvious next steps for subscribers to follow.

Luckily, you can easily avoid these common pitfalls with:

• Schedule management: Create an editorial calendar that maps out your marketing news and blog posts. Stick to a reliable sending schedule that aligns with your subscribers' preferences and expectations.
• Mobile-first design approach: Test your newsletters across multiple devices before sending them. Ensure all elements - from images to unsubscribe links - function properly on various screen sizes.
• Strategic CTA placement: Every newsletter should encourage readers to take action, whether visiting your social media accounts, reading a full blog post, or engaging with relevant content. Make these CTAs prominent and compelling.

Newsletters are worth the payoff

Writing an email newsletter is a bit of work, but the potential payoff is well worth it. A well-crafted email newsletter can make subscribers feel like a part of your business because they get to keep up with all the important news and updates.

With email templates and a little creative writing, you can find an email newsletter format that fits your business from start to finish.

If you’re looking for newsletter examples or templates, Mailchimp can help. Mailchimp has tons of templates available, plus you can use our email builder to edit our templates to fit your needs. If you need help writing a quality email newsletter, try Mailchimp today.

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Key Takeaways

• Email newsletters are a powerful way to connect with your audience and share important updates about your business.
• A good email newsletter includes a clear header, attention-grabbing subject line, and engaging content tailored to your subscribers.
• Choose a newsletter format that fits your audience, whether it's a newspaper style, e-magazine, or festive holiday theme.
• Personalization, concise content structure, and visually appealing elements help maintain subscriber interest.
• Leverage customizable templates and tools to create professional, branded newsletters that resonate with your readers.