| Email newsletters are clogging your inbox. And it's not | | | | For those of us who send out periodic email |
| just you. It's everybody. Email newsletters are a great | | | | newsletters, there are a couple lessons we can learn |
| way for people to stay in touch with their audiences | | | | from all this. For starters, if you're using a standardized |
| and everybody knows it. And that means everybody | | | | newsletter template, consider changing to a less |
| has a newsletter and they all want you to sign-up, | | | | structured and more conversational format. And by |
| giving them your email address along with an invitation | | | | the way, this includes the title. Don't reference "monthly |
| to email you with whatever they might be offering. | | | | newsletter" in the subject line. Instead, use something |
| This is not entirely a bad thing. Fact is; we're receiving | | | | more timely and unique. Use a title you would write to |
| more free information than we ever have before. All | | | | a friend, something that looks more personal. |
| these merchants are trying to capture our attention | | | | Anyone who uses Outlook knows that the preview |
| and gain our trust with valuable content. And of course, | | | | pane allows you to glance inside the email before |
| we have to option to sign up for whichever | | | | actually opening it. This is where the standardized |
| newsletters we might be interested in so the | | | | format can really hurt you. If the contents are just |
| information we're getting is essentially by request. But | | | | straight text and appear more conversational, the |
| the sad reality is that most email newsletters never | | | | chances of having the email opened goes up |
| get read. In fact, a recent study found that only 19% of | | | | dramatically. And a strong timely subject line adds to |
| email newsletters ever get looked at. That's bad news | | | | that probability as well. |
| for those writing them. | | | | Once the email is open or at least being viewed |
| If you've had any experience with email newsletters, | | | | through the preview pane, make absolutely sure your |
| you'll know that they tend to fall into two buckets. In | | | | opening sentence or two are dynamic and captivating. |
| the first bucket, you'll find the cookie-cutter newsletters | | | | Make sure those opening words are well-written and |
| with standardized formats, nicely crafted colorful | | | | that they clearly define the value available to the |
| layouts, interesting sidebars and perfectly positioned | | | | recipient if they read further. This is the biggest mistake |
| articles. In the second bucket, you'll find the emails that | | | | of standardized newsletters. They always have some |
| come to you regularly from a provider you signed up | | | | boring standardized text at the very top. Don't do it. |
| for but that look more like a personal text email than a | | | | Make sure your opening sentence is unique for each |
| formal newsletter. And as it turns out, these two | | | | newsletter and encourages the recipient to continue |
| approaches deliver very different results. | | | | reading. |
| The probability of having a conversational text-based | | | | Taking this approach may reduce the perceived |
| email read are far greater than having a standardized | | | | formality of your newsletter but it will definitely increase |
| and html-formatted newsletter read and it's because | | | | the number of people who read it. Don't get caught up |
| recipients perceive the former as a personal message | | | | with the formality issue. If you're presenting valuable |
| and the latter as spam. Of course, it doesn't take long | | | | information, your clients will respect you plenty. The |
| before they realize that the supposedly personal | | | | sad reality happens when you send out valuable |
| message is spam as well but if the opening sentence | | | | information and nobody knows because nobody read |
| or two are captivating enough, the recipient may | | | | it. You're better off catering to people's natural |
| already be caught in the web and destined to read the | | | | curiosities and writing your periodic newsletters in a |
| whole thing. | | | | casual and personal way. |