Want to form a personal connection with your audience? Are you looking for a way to increase brand awareness? Do you have an exciting new promotion on the horizon? If so, then you should consider starting an email newsletter writing campaign.
Email newsletter writing can be a lot of fun. And it’s a great way to improve customer loyalty and keep your surf biz top of mind. In this article, I discuss the basics of newsletter writing and provide a few helpful tips to stop your readers from hitting the dreaded unsubscribe link
So whether you use MailChimp or some other free email newsletter platform, this article is for you.
Establish the goal of your email newsletter
There are many different types of newsletters out there. But which type is right for your immediate message, goal or needs?
This is the first thing you need to establish.
For some brands or surf businesses, the answer is easy. You want to increase sales or promote a new product. Others simply want to keep their customers informed about what’s going on with their business through company updates. There are also surf biz owners who use newsletters and email templates as a way to build relationships and connect with current and potential customers on a deeper level.
No matter what your goal is, be sure to keep it in mind as you move forward with the creation of your newsletter. Here are just a few more examples of the different newsletter types:
- Share a new blog post or brand/company news
- Promote an upcoming event
- Invite readers to enter a competition or promotion
- Promote a special product or time-sensitive offer
- Answer frequently asked questions
- Educate readers on how to use your product/service
- Share user-generated content
Keep your target audience in mind when writing your newsletter
If you read my articles, you’ll know that I’m bullish on one thing.
That is, always write your content with your audience in mind.
To do anything but that is to produce content that will do little more than entertain the one person who doesn’t matter in this equation – you.
With that being said, your newsletter should be focused on providing value to your target audience. Whether that’s through helpful tips, interesting news or stories, make sure the content is something that they’ll appreciate.
Think about what format would work best for your audience as well. This will play a role in how successful it is.
If you’re targeting business email clients, they might prefer a more traditional format with shorter articles and concise copy. On the other hand, if you’re targeting a consumer audience, they might prefer a longer format with more valuable content.
There are benefits and drawbacks to both formats, so it’s important to think about what would work best for your audience. If you’re not sure, you can always experiment with different formats in A/B testing to see which one gets the better response (and which ones tank your open rates in the spam folder).
Make sure your content is interesting and relevant (flex your creative skills)
If you have the choice between avoiding being rude and avoiding being boring, opt for the latter.
The reason I say this is that while nobody likes a rude person, nobody even remembers a boring person. That being said, you don’t want to offend anyone.
That’s never cool.
Instead, you simply need to make your content pop by being interesting, relevant and captivating with your words. This is easier said than done. But there are a few key ways you can make your content more interesting.
- Use humour. If you can find a way to make your readers smile or laugh, they’ll be more likely to enjoy and remember your content. Just be careful not to overdo it. Too much humour can come across as unprofessional
- Another way to add interest to your writing is by being relatable. Write about topics that people can relate to on a personal level. We all like feeling understood, so if you can tap into that, your readers will appreciate it
- Lastly, try to be original in your approach. There’s nothing wrong with taking inspiration from others, but don’t copy their work exactly. Find your unique voice and use it to share your stories with the world
By following these tips, you’ll be on your way to creating helpful content that’s not only interesting but also memorable. And isn’t that what we all want?
Write in the same way that your reader speaks
Last but not least, remember that you’re speaking to a specific person.
Whether it’s a budget-conscious surfer, a semi-retired frother or a pack of wave-hungry blokes seeking the ultimate surf trip, you need to write to them in the way they speak.
To do this, you’ll be required to do some homework. Read forums, Facebook groups and other popular websites related to your niche. See what kind of language is being used and get an understanding of the types of things your target market is interested in.
Once you have a good grasp on this, begin incorporating some of this lingo into your own writing. By doing so, you’ll not only sound like an expert but your marketing efforts will also ensure you come across as someone who really understands their needs… making them much more likely to convert into paying clients or customers!
Bonus section: Email newsletter best practice
Writing excellent content for your daily, monthly or weekly newsletter is the most important part of the marketing battle. But you can also sign up for other newsletters from brands relevant to your business in order to get newsletter ideas and helpful information.
Oh… and read this part of the guide for some bonus tips on how to make your newsletter shine (and keep your email subscribers engaged at the same time).
- Send your newsletter emails on the same day and at the same time every week, fortnight or month
- Use a recognisable “sender” name when distributing newsletter emails
- Tinker with email subject lines and pre-headers to increase open rates
- Use only one Call to Action (CTA) in every newsletter
- Proofread your newsletter to avoid embarrassing (and costly) mistakes