How to write great newsletter content

How to write great newsletter content

If you’ve received a few newsletters in your time, you’ve probably seen the good, the bad and the ugly. Today, I am going to be teaching you how to create great newsletter content that gets your readers hooked.

How many emails land in your inbox every morning? If you’re anything like me, a fair few. 

I, like many other people, receive an influx of emails every day that I pay little to no attention to. Unless it is directly intended for me or the subject line and preview has reeled me in, the likelihood is that my thumb is going to swipe it allll the way into the trash. 

Now, this isn’t surprising to me because I know that the average open rate for emails is currently sitting at around 16.97%.

You may be looking at the title of this blog and wondering ‘’Well, if the open rate is so low, why would you encourage me to write MORE emails? Is my time not spent better elsewhere?’’ 

I understand why you may be thinking that! But, you would be wrong. 

Today, we aren’t just talking about any old email. We’re going to be talking about how to write a great email newsletter. 

In this blog, I am going to be teaching you how to write incredible newsletter content that will have you sitting comfortably in that 16.97%.

As newsletters should not be a sales pitch, (we’ll touch on this one later) it is a great chance to nurture your list and hold a place in their lives. Even if that place is with their morning coffee before the day gets started.

81% of marketers say their most used form of content marketing is email newsletters. With that statistic in mind, it’s only right that I teach you how to hit the ground running and get that newsletter content nailed.

It’s a newsletter, not a sales pitch!

I mentioned that I would touch on this again and, I’m making sure it is the first thing on this list because it is super important.

The point of a newsletter is to be able to educate your list while giving them a look into exactly who you are while building their trust and establishing a relationship all at the same time. You just won’t get there if each newsletter that you send is flooded with sales and promotions. 

Having the occasional reminder in there about a deal you have on is fine. But 99.9% of your content needs to be aimed at nurturing your audience, not selling to them. So, make sure that your newsletter content isn’t inundated with sales pitches and discount codes.

Keep the sales pitch close to your chest for now and focus on writing a great newsletter that people are excited to open each time it lands in their inbox. If you want to learn a bit more about how to write your content in a way that builds loyalty with your customers, we have the perfect blog here.


Newsletter content that has purpose:

In order to keep those that receive your newsletter engaged, make sure that you have something to say. 


By the end of your newsletter, you want your readers to feel like they have gained something from reading. This makes them trust you and builds anticipation for your next one!
How to write great newsletter content

So, before you get stuck in writing your newsletter, make a plan.

 Figure out what it is that this newsletter is about, what points you have to make or what you would like to educate your readers about. Doing this will also make it easy to collate any information needed for your newsletter as you will know exactly what you’re looking for.

Making sure that your newsletter is cohesive and flows nicely makes for a better reading experience. This is something that you need to nail in order for your newsletter to thrive.

Keep your newsletter structured

Since a newsletter is a regular publication, it’s important that your readers know what to expect. You want your newsletter to be an exciting part of your readers’ day. They should be opening it with a buzz, excited to read whatever awesome content you’re sharing. 

To build this buzz, you need structure. How you structure your newsletter is entirely dependent on your business, industry and the information you want to share. But start by picking a few clearly defined sections. 

These sections could be, for example: 

  • Industry news

  • Quote of the day

  • Industry job opportunities

  • Book recommendations

  • Product recommendations

  • Opinion blurb

  • Photo of the week


Look at your newsletter like a traditional newspaper (remember those?). It has dedicated sections and specific columns in every issue. Whether readers are interested in sports headlines, political news or Garfield comic strips, they can rely on the newspaper to always have that section and always in the same place.

Readers jump ahead to their favourite sections of a newspaper. They should be able to do the same with your newsletter and a reliable structure will make sure of it.

Design design design!

The content of your newsletter isn’t just going to be copy. To keep the reader engaged and intrigued, make sure that the content of your newsletter also has some good design.

An average of 319.6  billion emails were sent in 2021 - a number that is expected to continue rising every year.

Don’t let your email get lost in the commotion. You want your newsletter to stand out.. While they’re scrolling past other emails and mass deleting, you want them to think “Hold up, I always enjoy reading this newsletter!’’ and save it from entering the deep dark depths of your trash bin. 

A lot of that initial attraction comes from your design.

How to write great newsletter content

First, make sure your newsletter matches your branding. Colours, logos and fonts should all be on par with your other business materials. This helps readers associate the newsletter content with your business. Awesome newsletter = awesome business. 

Pull your readers in with a catchy subject line. If your newsletter has a name - such as our Ninja newsletter: The Marketing Brain Box - try putting this name at the start of the subject line. When readers are scrolling through their inbox, this will help them identify your newsletter from the thousands of other emails. 

Make sure to use a tagline somewhere at the top of the page to give folk a juicy taste of what’s inside!

You’ve already decided on the exciting sections of your newsletter. But, there is a difference between creating these sections and showing them to the reader.  


Break up the sections visually with images and headers. 

Remember we discussed jumping to a section? At a glance, it should be obvious where each section starts and ends. People love imagery and it’s a great way to mix up your content while keeping the readers attention. 

Good newsletter content will connect with your readers:

At the end of the day, we all like to feel thought of.  Even if we know the name field in an email is automated, seeing our names in an email still makes us feel special!

How to write great newsletter content

It’s simple. Put in peoples names. “Hey John”, “How are you, John?”. 

You can gather this information upon sign-up. Instead of only asking for an email address, ask for a name. Even if it’s just a first name, that’s all you need!

Top tip: Don’t include a comma after your first-name field. Otherwise, if subscribers haven’t entered their name, instead of “Hey John,” you’ll get “Hey      ,”. Just a very awkward space-comma situation.

Structure your wording so readers know you’re speaking to them directly and the content was written with them in mind.

 “I read this book last week, and I immediately thought of you. I think you’ll love it”

You thought about me?! Well, I’ll just HAVE to give it a go!

You get the picture.

Make it the best newsletter experience they’ve ever had:

When people receive your newsletter in their inbox, the aim of the game is that they will think ‘’Oooh! I’m going to keep that for later so I can read it with a cuppa.’’ 

How to write great newsletter content

A good way to do this is to make sure that all of the content in your newsletter interlinks. With some newsletters you will find that they are just an amalgamation of different pieces of information with no real thread connecting them. This is the opposite of what you want. Think carefully about how you can connect it all so that it reads beautifully and allows you to hit your newsletter goals.

In order to make this a reality, you need to be consistent. Not just with the frequency of your newsletter, but also with the content, copy and design. If you’re able to do that, over time, your newsletter will be something your readers look forward to whenever it pops into their inbox.

Another great way to write a cracking newsletter content that your list can’t wait to submerge themselves in is to use humour! Keep it light hearted and fun where you can. Get a little antidote in there, use some meme’s. 

The world around us can feel a bit dark and dreary at times. Make it your mission to brighten up their day with a laugh or a little bit of fun.

Ready to start writing?

So, now you have all of the information you need to write the best newsletter content ever. (I may be biased). This is the time to get started on yours and get it out to your list.

Gather up some brilliant information that you want to tell your list about.

Make it into a readable structure. 

Add an attractive, on-brand design and some personalisation. 

Then prepare to send it to your list. 

Don’t forget that newsletters are regular - so once you’re done, get planning the next one!

If you want to know more about the power of newsletters and how to nail that content, we cover this - and many other marketing wonders - in our Marketing Automation Academy!

 It’s an amazing space where you can learn from experts, improve your content writing (including critique from the Ninja experts) and be supported by others who are on the same journey as you. Learn more here.

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