How to develop, execute, and measure a successful newsletter content strategy

Email boasts about four billion daily users – more than double that of Facebook – and this number is expected to grow in the coming years. Email’s personalized appeal and massive user base make it a powerful tool for driving sales and keeping existing customers engaged. For this reason, many brands leverage newsletters as a strategic marketing tool and channel. 

Newsletters allow you to add a personal touch to your email marketing strategy, offering value and insight to customers. When users sign up for newsletters they expect to be informed, not sold to. In order to succeed, you’ll need to create a strong newsletter content strategy. Fortunately, at Aimtal, we specialize in executing excellent newsletter content and strategies (among other things) for our B2B clients.  We’ve outlined seven steps to ensure your newsletter is a success.

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We know you’re likely a marketer with limited time. Want a quick-hitting answer? Watch this episode of Marketing in a Minute to learn our top tips for creating a winning newsletter strategy in under 60 seconds. 

7 must-haves in any successful newsletter strategy

1. Define your newsletter goals

Keeping specific goals in mind helps inform your decisions about your newsletter strategy, including style, topics, CTAs, and tone. Concrete goals are also crucial to measuring success, which we’ll touch on later.

Think about your overall marketing goals and initiatives, and then decide how a newsletter can help achieve them. For example, If your goal is to increase conversions by 20% for a specific buyer persona this year, tailor your newsletter messaging to speak to that specific audience.

First, what can you offer in your newsletter that others can’t — what value will your subscribers receive in exchange for their email address? Second, how will you steer your readers toward the conversion point you’re working to achieve?

To maximize your success, focus on creating SMART goals. Increasing conversions by 20% for a specific buyer persona this year is a SMART goal because it’s:

• Specific: you want to increase conversions by 20% this year, not get some new customers.
• Measurable: you can measure the number of new conversions you get, and compare it to numbers from previous years.
• Achievable: Increasing conversions by 20% sounds reasonable and possible, but increasing conversions by 10,000% does not (although, if that happens, you’re definitely doing something right!).
• Relevant: Increasing conversions is pertinent to your marketing goals, but finding out what your customers’ favorite colors are probably isn’t.
• Timely: You want to increase your conversions this year, not at some point.

Once you’ve identified your newsletter goals, it’s time to think about who you’ll be emailing.

2. Research your audience

A newsletter can be an excellent marketing tool if you offer relevant insights to your audience — and a huge annoyance if you aren’t. Your email marketing strategy will only succeed if you know your target audience and how you can help, motivate, entertain, and inspire them.

If you haven’t identified your ideal customer or audience segment yet, here are a few ways to narrow it down:

Build audience personas:

Think about who uses your product. Use that information to create unique audience personas, or representations of your target audience’s traits and behaviors. Some questions you should be able to answer about each persona include:

• What are their demographics?
• What values and beliefs do they hold?
• What industry do they work in?
• What’s their job title??
• What problem does your product solve for them?
• What are their main challenges?
• What information would they find useful?

Once you have your audience personas defined, decide where each one falls within your lead generation funnel.

One buyer persona may be looking for high-level information about your industry, so they spend a lot of time on your blog reading how-to guides and explainers. Another persona might already use your product, so they’ll be more interested in updates and tips to get the most out of their purchase.

Create different email lists for these audiences in your email management software, and tailor your content accordingly. The end goal of your newsletter is to inform and engage, but your audience segments will find different kinds of content useful, so make sure you’re giving the right information to the right people.

Use your existing analytics:

If you have a website, you should have a Google Analytics dashboard set up for it. These analytics can tell you a lot about the people who visit your website. They’ll also tell you where visitors spend their time, showing you what type of content your audience finds valuable.

Check your competitions:

Who are your competitors marketing to? What kind of information do they include in their newsletter? Taking stock of who your direct competitors are trying to reach can lead to great audience insights–all free of charge.

Ask your audience:

If you already have an email subscriber list, use it! Consider sending a short survey or poll to understand better what your audience is interested in. You can also leverage your social media audience by creating LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter polls or asking for feedback.

Creating well-defined audience segments should be one of your main priorities. In fact, 50% of marketers surveyed by Aimtal said that audience research was the most important area to focus on when creating a newsletter strategy.

That number is telling – it’s an industry-wide best practice, so your competitors are likely also researching and segmenting their audiences. To create a newsletter that truly stands out, you need to know exactly who you want to reach and what they want to know.

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3. Define your messaging and tone

Once you know who you’re writing to, think about what you want to say and how you want to say it. If you’ve created a cohesive brand identity, be sure your newsletter messaging matches the rest of the content you create. If you haven’t, take some time to think about your values and how you want customers to perceive you. At its most basic, messaging answers, “What does your company do, and why does it do it that way?”

Setting the right tone in your email requires considering your audience and goals. Starting your newsletter with “Howdy, ya’ll?” is fine for southern-based millennials, but it might not be for older English professors. Your content should also influence your tone, but try to stay upbeat whenever possible.

Remember that email is a highly personal form of communication, and your tone may want to reflect that. Try to be personable and concise; they’ve given you access to their inbox so that you can give them quality information quickly.

4. Align newsletter topics with other marketing initiatives 

Before you send out your first newsletter, you need to develop a content plan. First, reference your goals and decide what kind of newsletter best suits your needs. If you want to guide users to resources on your website, strategically plan which content pieces you choose to create a narrative or solve a problem.

If you plan on using your newsletter to answer questions or explain industry trends, make a list of relevant topics and pick one or two per edition. Create a cohesive three or six month newsletter content strategy plan that takes your reader on a journey. If your plan and your content are engaging, your readers will start to look out for your emails to find out what happens next.

When brainstorming content ideas, you don’t need to start from scratch. The newsletter is part of your larger content marketing strategy, so align it accordingly. Make sure the content and branding match the rest of your marketing channels, like your social media and website. For instance, if you’re highlighting a Customer Love Month on your social platforms, feature a customer success story or offer a giveaway in your newsletter. Create a couple of monthly social posts encouraging your followers to subscribe to your newsletter, and include your social channels’ links in your emails.

Newsletters are also a great place to showcase your other content marketing efforts. If you have a fantastic blog, link to the latest posts. The same goes for videos, customer testimonials, webinars, etc. – any related content that you’re proud to show off. The more helpful, informative content you share, the more your email list will grow.

5. Optimize your newsletter content and settings

A clean, readable newsletter is essential to a successful email strategy. You’ll need a strong, attention-grabbing headline, an interesting and informative email body, and a call-to-action (CTA) to help achieve your goals. Here are a few best practices to consider before you start writing:

Subject Line:

Research suggests seven-word headlines are the most effective. Your subscribers signed up for your insights, so let them know the theme or topic before they open it.

Preheader:

The preheader is the text displayed directly after the subject line. Mailchimp recommends preheader lengths of between 30 to 80 characters for best results. Think of it as a short lede expanding on the subject line, designed to engage your subscribers with your content.

Email Body:

This is the most crucial part of the newsletter, so get right to the point. Try to stay between 100 and 300 words. A custom-branded graphic can be a great way to break up your copy, but keep them relevant and use them sparingly.

CTA:

It’s best to limit your CTA to between two and five words. It should be engaging and let the reader know how they’ll benefit from clicking on it.

Signature:

Let your reader know who this email is coming from. Newsletters are more personal than monolithic sales and marketing emails, so have it come from a specific member of your organization. For newsletters focused on thought-leadership, consider using your CEO. If you’re sending out monthly product updates, have it come from a product team lead.

Footer:

Use the footer of your email to include short, relevant information about your company, including social media links and contact information, as well as the ability to share the newsletter with a colleague or, sigh, unsubscribe.

Design: 

A marketing newsletter should have strong graphic design that aligns with your brand's visual identity to ensure consistency and reinforce brand recognition. High-quality visuals can capture attention quickly, make the content more digestible, and convey professionalism. To make newsletters more visually engaging, use a balanced mix of images and text, incorporate your brand’s colors and fonts, and ensure the layout is clean and easy to navigate. Adding interactive elements like GIFs or embedded videos can enhance engagement and keep subscribers interested​.

One final note: 41% of email users are most active on mobile devices, so make sure to optimize your newsletter for mobile.

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6. Measure your newsletter strategy success and make adjustments

Once you’ve started to send out your newsletter, your email management software should provide you with statistics. There are many different metrics to measure your success, but these three should give you a good summary:

• Open Rate: According to Mailchimp, you should aim for an average open rate of about 34%. You might need to spice up your subject line and preheader if you notice a lower-than-average open rate. The timing of when you send your newsletter can also impact open rates. Generally, the middle of the day and the middle of the week are the best times to arrive in your readers’ inboxes.
• Clickthrough Rate (CTR): The clickthrough rate measures the percentage of people who clicked on your CTA. This average rate is about 10.5%. If you’ve got a high open rate and a low CTR, you’ll need to rethink your CTA and perhaps the body of your email.
• Unsubscribes: This metric tells you how many people opted out of your emails. If you see this rate increase much past .01% of your email list, you’ve got a problem and should look for ways to adjust.

Your newsletter content strategy doesn’t end when you hit send. You should monitor each edition’s success and adjust your content to improve results. To better understand which elements of your newsletter content appeal and engage your readers the most, try A/B testing content. To do this, send two different versions of your newsletter, one to each half of your audience list. Here are some elements to experiment with: 

• Casual vs. formal tones
• Headline styles
• Emoji usage
• Time of day and day of the week
• Design elements and color palettes 

Staying up-to-date with your newsletter analytics can also inform your content. If you notice that one of your audience segments constantly interacts with your newsletter at a lower rate, you might not be providing the relevant, engaging content they’re looking for. Head back to step two of our guide and start your content strategy process over for that audience segment–the more thought you put into your tailored content, the more likely you are to succeed.

7. Think outside the box when it comes to newsletter marketing platforms

Marketers should get creative with newsletter content by exploring non-traditional platforms and integrating creative formats. For instance, launching a newsletter on LinkedIn allows brands to engage active followers, fostering a more targeted audience interaction. Additionally, using platforms like Substack, which combines blogging with email newsletters, can help you reach a broader audience by leveraging both web and email distribution. By exploring these alternative platforms, you can tap into specific niches and communities, enhancing your content’s relevance and impact​​.

Thinking about trying a LinkedIn newsletter strategy? It’s worth it! We helped a global B2B client reach over 20,000 subscribers on their newly launched LinkedIn newsletter within just one month!

Moreover, integrating multimedia elements such as podcasts, webinars, and interactive content within your newsletters can significantly improve reader engagement. Brands like Spotify have started incorporating personalized playlists and music recommendations directly into their email communications, providing a unique and interactive experience. 

Another innovative approach is using platforms like Instagram and YouTube to share video newsletters, where short, visually engaging updates can be posted and shared across social media channels. These strategies diversify your content delivery and cater to many audience preferences, ensuring broader reach and higher engagement rates​. 

Strong B2B newsletter and email marketing examples

We reviewed popular types of newsletters from top B2B brands and found the best email marketing examples to help spark inspiration.

Adobe 🔗

The Adobe & You newsletter keeps readers updated on the latest digital marketing and design trends, news, and insights. It also offers practical tips for maximizing Adobe tools and software, particularly for current customers. Adobe expertly balances thought leadership and product-focused content, providing valuable information without appearing overly self-promotional. By sharing use cases and announcements, they effectively build interest and engagement.

Salesforce 🔗

Salesforce offers a role-based B2B newsletter that allows subscribers to customize the content they receive. Whether you are a CEO, IT professional, or commerce expert, the newsletter provides relevant and valuable insights tailored to your specific role. This personalized approach demonstrates Salesforce's expertise in building a strong, well-loved brand by catering to the unique needs of different audience segments.

HubSpot 🔗

HubSpot's newsletter, The Hustle, is a daily email that covers business, tech, and culture news in a witty and engaging manner. Known for its high-quality content, The Hustle delivers concise and insightful summaries that keep readers informed and entertained. HubSpot has leveraged The Hustle as a successful marketing channel by using it to reach a broader audience, build brand loyalty, and drive traffic to its main site. This approach allows HubSpot to establish a strong connection with its subscribers, providing value while subtly promoting its products and services.

ServiceNow’s The Lead Line 🔗

ServiceNow’s LinkedIn newsletter has over 360,000 subscribers, demonstrating the reach companies can achieve on the social media platform. The newsletter releases on a biweekly cadence and each edition focuses on a key topic. The content is relatable, engaging, and full of helpful tips and insights for its audience. By leveraging the LinkedIn newsletter feature, subscribers can easily comment on, engage with, and share the newsletter with their peers. Not too long and not too short, the newsletter features multimedia elements like video and graphics with an intro to a topic that links out to resources for readers to learn more. By using LinkedIn newsletters, ServiceNow is able to reach new audiences and encourage engagement and sharing of their brand and content.

All the news(letter) that’s fit to print

In conclusion, email marketing remains a powerful tool with its extensive user base and personalized appeal. By implementing a well-structured newsletter, you can drive more sales, engage existing customers, and build stronger brand loyalty. Crafting a robust newsletter content strategy that aligns with specific goals, audience research, tailored messaging, and engaging visuals is essential for success. Stay committed to optimizing and measuring your newsletters to crush your marketing goals.

Want more? Head to our YouTube channel to learn the latest and greatest insights on strategy, tactics, and trends from the Aimtal team.