The Art of Newsletter Writing Just Got Easier

Newsletters. For decades they been one of the most popular ways for businesses, bloggers, and organizations to keep in touch with their audience. In the beginning, they worked great, but today marketers are happy with a measly 20% open rate. Put another way, that's an 80% failure rate! (Ugh!) 

How Popular are Newsletters?

Check out some of these recent statistics: 

• Over 80% of businesses use email newsletters as part of their marketing strategy (Hubspot)
• Email is the third most influential source of information for B2B audiences, behind only colleague recommendations and industry-specific thought leaders (Wordstream)
• Email newsletters generate $38 for every $1 spent, making them one of the most effective forms of marketing (Campaign Monitor)

Why are Newsletters so popular when the open rates have plummetted?

Deep down, as a communicator, you know that the effort you are putting into your newsletters doesn't equate to a satisfying open rate. So, why are you still committed. There's a few reason: 

• Newsletters offer a direct line of communication: By collecting email addresses and sending newsletters directly to subscribers' inboxes, businesses and organizations can bypass social media algorithms and other barriers to communication.
  
  
• You click to the "relationship hope" your newsletter presents: You think to yourself how important the information is from your organizationa and how if your audience only knew that it would help build stronger relationships with their subscribers by providing valuable information, updates, and insights. Over time, this can help to build trust and loyalty.
  
  
• You tell yourself that your newsletter is "differerent" because you spent time segmenting your audience to make it personal: Many email marketing platforms allow businesses and organizations to segment their email lists and personalize the content of their newsletters based on subscribers' interests, preferences, and behaviors. While, this can help to increase the relevance and value of the newsletters, which can in turn lead to slightly higher open rates, in the end, it's usually not worth all your effort.
  
  
• Your desperate for traffic and you believe this will help: While not all subscribers may open every newsletter, those who do may click through to the business or organization's website or social media profiles, which can help to drive traffic and engagement.

The Art of Writing a Good Newsletter begins with the right technology

If you are still using old email marketing platforms that send out newsletters to "groups" of people, then you're already behind.  Think about your last newsletter sent out. If you have even one article in the newsletter that was not of interest to the reader, then you just taught the reader that you don't really know them.

Creating a newsletter begins with ensuring that your readers get ONLY the articles they want every single time. The IHUBApp has helped to increase engagement by 195% by addressing the following main painpoints that traditional newsletters do not. 

1. Deliver for an Audience of One

To create a successful newsletter, you need to understand the individual reader. With the IHUBApp, you can create categories and content channels that your readers decide to subscribe to.  You're no longer "guessing" about their interest because you now know.

2. Choose Your Frequency but Let your Audience Choose Theirs

You may want your "amazing" content to go out every day, but your audience may want it only weekly.  The reason the IHUBApp works is that your audience is empowered to choose the frequency that works for them. It's a game-changer in the newsletter game.

3. Craft Your Subject Line

Your subject line is one of the most critical parts of your newsletter. It's the first thing your audience sees, and it can determine whether or not they open your email. The IHUBApp automatically allows you to either identify your brand's weekly newsletter or grabs the latest post to capture attention.  You don't have to do anything.

4. Create Engaging Content

The IHUBApp takes care of a bulk of the heavy-lifting but you still need to ensure what you post in your Hub is of interest. Your content should be informative, engaging, and provide value to your audience. Use a conversational tone, break up your text with images and bullet points, and use storytelling techniques to make your content more relatable. Make sure your content is scannable and easy to read.

5. Personalize Your Content

Personalization is essential for creating a successful newsletter. If you have 40,000 subscribers then the IHUBApp sends out 40,000 individualized newsletters that is based specifically on your reader's interests. Sure, you may want them to read everything but that's not reasonable. Your readers are more interested in getting the information important to them. When you make it about their needs, your engagement goes up automatically.

6. Include a Call-to-Action

Some of your posts included in your automated newsletter should include a clear call-to-action that tells your audience what you want them to do next. Don't miss the opportunity to bring home your request.

7. Optimize for Mobile

Over 60% of email opens happen on mobile devices (Litmus), so it's crucial to make sure your newsletter is optimized for mobile. Thankfully the IHUBApp takes care of all this for you.