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Your email newsletter has less than a minute to succeed or
fail with your readers. In fact you've only got 51 seconds
to generate a response.
According to the Nielsen Norman Group "Email Newsletter
Usability" study they found users spend an average of
51 seconds on each of the newsletters they read that are
in their own inbox.
Yikes!
How can you make an impact in 51 seconds?
Having published DEMC now since 1995, I am frequently
asked what makes an email newsletter succeed. Today I'll
share 6 of my top tactics for success.
1) Write for scanning
Only 19% of readers actually read an e-newsletter thoroughly.
69% skim and the remaining users just glance at them
before moving on to the next item in their inbox.
The keys to writing for scanning are -
* Keep paragraphs short
* Use bulleted lists
* Write sub-headlines
* Create numbered lists
2) Current, Relevant Content
There are 4 main reasons users subscribe to newsletters
* Information on work related news
* Reports on prices / sales
* Information on personal interests / hobbies
* Information on events / deadlines
Your e-newsletter needs to focus on the content your readers
are interested in learning more about. It has to be a must-
read or you'll quickly lose readership.
Content that is timely and discusses current events, recent
studies and the latest news will get better readership.
What else can you do to make your newsletter's content
stand out?
3) Get User-Generated Content
When you can get your readers to interact and participate in
your e-newsletter you engage all of your readers. Readers
like to read the comments and discussions of other readers.
Consider including some of the following in your newsletters -
* Surveys, Polls and Quizzes
* Discussion Board Content
* Article Comments
* Readers' Submissions (Articles / Stories)
One of the easiest techniques to get started with User-
Generated Content is to use your e-newsletter to answer the
common questions your customers and prospects ask you
about.
Share these questions and answer them by writing from
your own experiences. Then ask other readers how they
would answer the question.
User-Generated Content is invaluable in helping you
connect with your readers and build relationships.
Which leads to the 4th success tip . . .
4) Build Relationships
Email newsletters are powerful because of the relationship
they foster between you and your readers.
I can not tell you how often I talk with subscribers who
have been reading DEMC for years and it is like talking to
an old friend. Through DEMC they have come to know me.
As a result of knowing me these readers feel comfortable
doing business with me.
Building a relationship is as easy as writing your newsletter
with a personal touch. Write as though you're talking with
your reader on the phone or across a table.
Be yourself and you'll build a list of readers who like you.
Those readers who don't like what you have to say will
unsubscribe and you'll weed out unlikely customers.
5) Let Readers Decide Frequency
When should you email your newsletter?
Why not let your readers tell you . . .
If you can allow readers to select in a preference center
what and when they want to hear from you - Do it.
But not all of us have the ability to provide a preference
center and send out on the reader's selected schedule.
So what's an easier option -
Recently, I read a case study that discussed the best day
to email your readers is on the same day they signed up to
your list. The case studies' tests found emailing on the
user's sign-up day increased opens and conversion.
If a subscriber signs up on Monday - email on Mondays.
If a subscriber signs up on Tuesday - email on Tuesdays.
If a subscriber signs up on Wednesday - email on Wednesdays.
You get the idea.
The logic behind this strategy is that the day of the week
a person signs-up is the day that the individual has more
time to review the web and read articles and more.
So if your e-newsletter goes out weekly, then send the
Newsletter to the subscriber on the weekday he/she subscribed.
If you send monthly - send that weekday of each month.
Note: The same principle can be applied to sending out
autoresponder follow-up email messages. Send the
follow-ups on the leads sign-up day each week.
6) Monazite Your List
One of the best tactics to encourage you as a publisher
to keep publishing your e-newsletter is to sell ad space.
Just publishing a newsletter to encourage your prospects to
buy or to get your customers to buy more often can start out
as a good idea but you may give up on your e-newsletter.
A tactic to keep you going, month after month and year
after year is to sell ad space in your newsletter.
The little extra income from the sold ads works wonders to
give you an incentive to get your e-newsletter out to your
subscribers.
And one of the most frequently asked questions I get
from customers is where can they go to buy ad space in
other e-newsletters. E-Newsletter advertising is in demand.
Here are a few resources I'll share with you for listing
your e-newsletter to get ad revenue. (Plus if you're looking
to buy ad space in newsletter these sites are a good
place to start.)
List your newsletter -
http://www.directoryofezines.com
http://www.srds.com
http://www.emailresults.com
http://www.returnpath.net/postmaster/
And if you're looking to list your newsletter in multiple
directories just do a Google search for - ezine directory -
you'll bring up a ton.
The "Email Newsletter Usability" study found that users
like to get email newsletters. 51 seconds of a users attention
may seem too brief to benefit your business but I'll tell you
from experience it is not. Use the 6 tips discussed to
make your e-newsletter a success!
###
Abbie Drew
DEMC Editor
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