18 cases that prove that newsletters don't die
Reports of the newsletter's death have been greatly exaggerated. Here are 18 examples that prove the newsletter has never been more vibrant.
Successful small businesses share a common trait: they harness the power of newsletters.
With engagement rates that beat any social media platform there, newsletters have never been more alive. Indeed, emails are forty times more successful at acquiring new clients in comparison to Facebook as well as Twitter.
What's holding you back from developing one?
In this post, we've chosen 18 of the best examples of email newsletters. From gorgeous designs to beautiful prose, any of these can inspire you to create your own.
1. Ann Handley
Every letter is personal to you It's as if Ann writes to you. Ann keeps her promotional messages or news hyperlinks out of sight on the back of each mailer.
Rules can be broken, especially in the case of writing that has a great response from your readers. Do not be afraid to try new ideas.
2. Alexandra Franzen
Flush with 13,000 subscribers, Alexandra Franzen 's newsletter is another standard of the text-based type.
A lot of the information you receive from newsletters is that it a) should stick to a specific schedule and) have constant content.
Alexandra doesn't do any of these things.
The newsletters she sends out are "weekly-ish" Some weeks, you'll receive two emails from her, others, none.
Content-wise, she flies against the rules of consistency as well. Alexandra alternates between sending quality essays and playlists and lists of sources.
But it absolutely resonates with the readers of her blog.
If being consistent is stopping you from creating your own newsletter, then consider following the advice of Alexandra. Of course, her approach is effective because her newsletters are targeted at the same audience.
If you send dog training advice in one message and write an essay about stamp collecting in the following, it's unlikely to have the same success rate.
The litmus for experimenting or breaking "the norms" is that the content is current. So long as it's pertinent and interesting, you are able to play with its format and frequency.
3. Dave Gerhardt
Expert in marketing Dave Gerhardt has a daily newsletter. He covers all things B2B (business-to-business) digital marketing.
Dave makes sure to keep things short in his emails. They're purely text-based and categorized as: Thursday Thoughts and Content Corner, Job Alerts, and even End of Week Wisdom. Its variety is appealing to marketers at different stages of their careers.
Dave's introduction is also an excellent example of ways to get people signing up.
A pre-written tweet can be particularly inspired, as it allows supporters to show their support for your efforts. Take a look at the exhibit below .
Setting up a system for writing and promoting your emails can make it easier to manage both. After all, you just need to fill in the blanks to save valuable time.
4. Ben Toalson
Email by email is a great way to simplify an important subject for your subscribers.
This is exactly what Ben Toalson, 's Video Content Marketer uses for the content of his newsletter content. The process of making videos can be intimidating however, with Ben's top-of-the-line tips, you'll be able to take a breather.
Inbuilt in the email, it is predominantly text-based. Images are carefully used to illustrate his trial and trial and.
Half-essay and half-instruction guide, Ben explains what he did and didn't test and then leaves the reader with some of the most valuable lessons he's learned.
Similar to Ben, you could use your newsletter to provide an opportunity to showcase your knowledge in a relatable way. Humans connect with each other and so, don't be shy to talk about your mistakes as well as your successes.
5. NextDraft
Dave Pell's weekly newsletter NextDraft can be described as an amalgamation of his top weird and fascinating stories.
There's a wealth of useful newsletters on the market. What makes NextDraft stand out is that it's hand-curated. It's a bit like your buddy who forwards your favorite news snippets to you with a handwritten note attached.
Dave's newsletter is no mean accomplishment: Dave sends his newsletter out daily and every piece that he posts is significant. What makes this special rather than irritating is his perspective on the news: it's witty and irreverent, making you want to see the world from his perspective.
6. Austin Kleon
Austin Kleon, the author of Steal like an artist ,runs a weekly email newsletter . It's a top 10 list of his most cherished items from the week's events, whether it's writing, art or even news.
The content is short so it's easy to read them quickly and discover the content that piques your attention.
Simple concept that has a major impact. Austin currently has an email list of over 85,000 and counting.
Austin's email just goes to show that there is no need for a complex concept to create a newsletter. The sharing of your top ten items of the week could be just as effective as writing essays that are soul-searching -which is great news for anyone who loves a listicle.
7. Energy Medicine Yoga
Startups are also able to create effective newsletters, as Energy Medicine Yoga illustrates. The newsletter is effective by avoiding over-selling. Instead, it's enchanting and inspiring with passages like this.
Newsletters for business can be difficult to master, but Energy Medicine Yoga is able to maintain their relaxed tone.
8. Animalz
Another one of the marketing newsletters? Yes, but it's an effective one from the Content Marketing company Animalz .
Their newsletters are clever, personable, and packed full of insights. Take, for instance, this introduction to one of their newsletters.
Even though it's a business-oriented newsletter, the tone stays informal and casual, which makes it much more likable. This means that you're more likely to continue reading.
9. Glitch
I wish all technology updates were as beautiful a package as this.
Glitch 's illustrated and pink-hued email is distinctive because of all the good reasons. With lots of white space you are able to read the content quickly. The email also includes a distinct CTA button (call-to-action) that asks users to upgrade.
10. AfterShokz
Headphone makers Aftershokz came up with a striking black and white newsletter.
Monochrome can be a straightforward and efficient method of creating a strong visual effect. It's been found to help viewers and user concentrate on the information and messaging . It helps the photo to blend into the background.
This means that their message resembles an advertorial instead of a typical newsletter.
11. Tigers Are Better Looking
There is no need to invest thousands of dollars in order to make an appealing publication. Sometimes, all you need is the perfect splash of paint.
Lifestyle and culture newsletter Tigers Are Beautiful makes use of color easily and effectively. The company uses a typical Mailchimp newsletter template. But their logo and color-blocking make the overall look more attractive.
Simple can be effective. A splash of color will tie the entire look together. Psychology of color recommends that you be confined to three colors at most that is the main color, a complimentary, and accent color.
Tigers choose their colors from their logo and their pink background. each of their boxes being colored in one or the other.
12. The Newsette
Newsletters and GIFs: a union made in heaven or is it a recipe for long loading times?
Both. Make sure to only use them if pertinent, and make sure to make sure they are small in size using a tool like Ezgif to optimize them.
For example, here's The Newsette The Newsette's welcome message which includes a GIF. It's fine without it, but it adds an element of entertainment and is in line the branding of their site that is animated.
13. Harry's
Shaving company Harry's has developed a reputation for unique and quirky newsletters. The majority of their newsletters are illustrated instead of photos, which is unusual for an online retailer.
Harry's is also at the forefront of the charge of a new trend of comic-strip style, or illustrative informational graphics, newsletters. This is a great way to provide instructions or for helping readers imagine themselves in the context of.
They use it below to demonstrate how to use their latest product in just a few steps.
You don't need drawing skills to create an illustrative newsletter like the above. Templates from Canva can help you do just this.
14. Peloton
What's not to love about the idea of having an email designed especially specifically for you? Personalized email messages increase the rate of click-through by 14 percentage and converts by 10%.
For a long time personalization has been synonymous with your name at the top of your email. But things have evolved, and today, it is possible to take it far beyond that.
Take Peloton , for example, which sends "your month-in-review" messages that include your statistics as well as the previous example of personal encouraging messages. It's useful, and inspiring, since it provides you an idea of your fitness routine.
15. MicroQuiz
The name implies that Tris J. Burns' MicroQuiz newsletter revolves around a quiz. Each week, he poses an easy poll and announces the results in the next week.
Simple, but efficient. After only four months of operation, Tris has seen his new subscriber rates grow and engagement rates increase.
A quiz or survey particularly when it's short and easy to take will be appealing to your readers when it's just for enjoyment.
The impact is even greater if it helps them make the right decision, such as in the example below.
16. GoDaddy
GoDaddy 's campaign to help users find the perfect site builder proved extremely successful having an open rate of 58 percent .
17. Penguin Random House
Penguin Random House promoted click-throughs on their newsletter with this guessing game.
The subscribers were asked to choose a book's title from an array of emoji. This is the sort of game which book lovers would be able to ignore.
It's not complicated to replicate an enticing guessing game such as this. Each picture is merely linked to a book's product page.
Interactive content can be entertaining Of course, however, it is also beneficial like the following example proves.
18. Litmus
The email from Litmus incorporates animated elements in order to showcase the access switcher. With just one click, you can increase the contrast and dimension of text.
There's also an alternate version for email clients that don't support interaction.
This way, they can showcase the switcher in action. With both models, they showcase their product's capabilities and make the user more likely to try the switcher them-self.
The power of email newsletters has never been more relevant
Newsletters aren't dead, as these email newsletters have shown.
Email newsletter ideas can be found in a jumble of. Swing at a search engine without thinking, and you'll see a dozen posts just like the one above, however what sets these articles apart is that they can help you inspire yourselves with the examples.
However, with a few exceptions their designs and approaches can easily be replicated. The only thing that isn't as well as your own unique view on the subject matter.
You should be inspired however don't be scared to try a different route when it is the best option for you.
If an open format for your newsletter works for you, go for it. If a more structured format helps you to create a newsletter more regularly, then have at it. What is important to remain constant is the relevance to the people you are sending it to.
Here are some further findings to consider:
There aren't any pictures or fancy designs in order to make your newsletter. Text-based newsletters are just as powerful.
Newsletter design doesn't necessarily involve Photoshop and graphic design. The use of brand colors or a Canva created comic strips can make you get noticed in the reader email inbox.
Keep your readers amused and entertained with engaging material. Readers enjoy quizzes and puzzles.