Newsletters are having a moment. My inbox is near saturation point, and I still keep discovering more newsletters I want to subscribe to.<\/p>\n
Based on a survey of 500+ newsletter operators and a handful of interviews with experts, I am sure of at least one thing: Newsletters aren\u2019t going anywhere anytime soon.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n If you want to start a newsletter, whether on behalf of a large business or your personal brand, I\u2019ve built you a guide filled with data, expert advice, formats, and topic ideas. Let\u2019s get started.<\/p>\n Table of Contents<\/strong><\/p>\n How to Develop a Newsletter Content Strategy<\/a> If you have, or are planning to start, a B2B newsletter<\/a>, devote some time to your content strategy<\/a>. It will evolve and change over time as you figure out what hits best with your audience, but a solid foundation will set you up for newsletter success.<\/p>\n B2B newsletters serve a very different purpose from email marketing or email promotions. Think of the latter like more traditional marketing, where you\u2019re alerting existing customers to sales or other events and trying to get readers to click out of the email.<\/p>\n On the other hand, the value of B2B newsletters is typically self-contained \u2014 that is, your audience can read your B2B newsletter and get something out of it without having to click out.<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say that B2B newsletters never have external links \u2014 but the really good ones will curate those links for their audience and balance them with valuable content.<\/p>\n B2B newsletters are an exercise in trust-building, and they require long-term nurturing and planning.<\/p>\n It follows that your content strategy has to be reader-focused, not brand-focused.<\/p>\n I\u2019ll use HubSpot\u2019s Masters in Marketing newsletter<\/a> as a frequent example throughout this guide, since I\u2019ve been working on it for about six months now. (If you don\u2019t subscribe yet, come join us! We have fun.)<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n Newsletter subscribers are arguably your most valuable audience. Every subscriber has opted in, demonstrating some level of trust in your expertise and\/or your brand.<\/p>\n If you want to keep and grow that audience, you\u2019ve got to meet and exceed their expectations for content that\u2019s both enjoyable and useful.<\/p>\n Former HubSpotter and newsletter expert Brad Wolverton<\/a> points out another benefit to newsletter subscribers. \u201cYou own the audience,\u201d he says. \u201cYou control the message, but you can also learn a lot about that audience and how to cater to their needs.\u201d<\/p>\n That feedback loop can inform other aspects of your marketing and content strategies.<\/p>\n If you take nothing else away from this article, let it be these guidelines:<\/p>\n Provide value within<\/em> your email. As you work through the outline below, be sure that you\u2019ve identified and defined the roles of all stakeholders and provided space for discussion. (We love a responsibility matrix<\/a> here at HubSpot; they\u2019re incredibly useful during these discussions.)<\/p>\n Although you want to be confident in your answers to these questions, try to avoid rigidity. Newsletter trends come and go, audiences shift, even business objectives change. Revisiting and revising this outline post-newsletter launch isn\u2019t a sign of failure, it\u2019s a sign of adaptability.<\/p>\n When we were developing the content objectives for the Masters in Marketing newsletter, HubSpot senior director of marketing Kyle Denhoff<\/a> said, \u201cMost of HubSpot\u2019s customers are small- and mid-sized businesses that won\u2019t have big-brand advertising budgets.\u201d<\/p>\n Denhoff says that by talking to our customers and evaluating how our Marketing Blog performed, we determined that Masters in Marketing is speaking to digital marketers<\/a> \u2014 \u201cpeople who operate channels like websites, social media, email, SEO, and content marketing. And that helps us with editorial pillars and topic selection,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n \u201cWe decided to focus more on stories about social media marketing than national TV ad campaigns, for example. It\u2019s just too expensive for our target customer.\u201d<\/p>\n Denhoff also suggests looking at demographic data and media diet to develop your customer profile. Here\u2019s what ours looked like for Masters in Marketing subscribers:<\/p>\n\n What are four words that describe your voice, and four words that describe what your voice isn\u2019t<\/em>?<\/p>\n There are fun ways to approach brand personality exercises: If your newsletter drove a car, what kind would it be? If it was a meal, would it be fine dining or fast casual? (Bonus tip: Duolingo\u2019s style guide includes a section on brand personality<\/a>, and it\u2019s excellent for these types of questions.)<\/p>\n However you get there, I find that landing on a list of adjectives is the most useful. If your customer profile is 20-somethings, your voice might be youthful and irreverent. If you\u2019re catering to C-suite execs, it might be more buttoned up.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also helpful to define what your newsletter isn\u2019t<\/em>. For instance, we decided that Masters in Marketing was not <\/em>arrogant, presumptuous, repetitive, or boring. These guidelines are just as helpful, especially with multiple writers involved.<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t as mushy or subjective as it sounds at first glance. Do you want your readers to feel energized and ready to spring into action? Do you want them to feel contemplative and introspective?<\/p>\n We want our Masters in Marketing readers to feel like what they do matters \u2014 marketers are often relegated to \u201csidekick\u201d roles, and we wanted to build a newsletter that was empowering and energizing. When we research people to feature, we look for experts who can give our readers a \u201csecret weapon\u201d that helps them elevate their marketing.<\/p>\n As with users of HubSpot\u2019s customer platform<\/a>, we want our newsletter readers to be surprised and delighted. This is central to our editorial approach; we\u2019re specifically looking for marketers who are doing things differently.<\/p>\n You know who you\u2019re writing for, you know how your readers should feel, but \u2026 what exactly are you writing about<\/em>? If you\u2019re planning on launching a newsletter, you probably started with something like an elevator pitch. Has anything changed as you worked through the first part of this outline?<\/p>\n In other words, when you write a great newsletter, how do you know<\/em> it\u2019s great? Masters in Marketing<\/a> is personality-driven, and even though it packs a punch, we keep the format light and skimmable. We decided on a lesson-based format that delivers on both of those promises.<\/p>\n I love SWOT analyses<\/a> because they help answer the question of where your newsletter fits in against the competition. What are your competitors doing well? What can you do better, or what can you do that they can\u2019t?<\/p>\n Don\u2019t be afraid to go super niche. Depending on your other goals and strategies, a small but focused subscriber base can be as or more valuable than a large subscriber base with broad interests.<\/p>\n In an article I wrote on B2B newsletters<\/a>, I found that the Ferrari Market Newsletter<\/a> earns a reported $2 – $4 million in yearly revenue \u2014 with only about 5k subscribers.<\/p>\n If you have content offers, sponsorships, or other external links, how will that be balanced against the newsletter content itself?<\/p>\n Recall that readers don\u2019t want to click out of your email. So if you\u2019re including links, they better be darn good ones.<\/p>\n What editorial or brand guidelines are in place, and how will those be implemented and enforced? You likely already have guidelines for your brand, but consider whether the newsletter will translate those into a more personable voice, who will edit the newsletter, and other practical concerns.<\/p>\n This could even include logistics like what day(s) of the week you\u2019ll send your newsletter.<\/p>\n In a HubSpot survey of nearly 400 marketing and advertising professionals between October 2023 and May 2024, emails sent on Mondays and Tuesdays performed the best.<\/p>\n\n These are not absolutes. I once worked for an organization with many subscribers in a country where the workweek began on Sunday, which made Sunday one of our best-performing days for sending emails.<\/p>\n I\u2019ve spoken several times with Lia Haberman<\/a>, the founder of the ICYMI newsletter<\/a> and a recent master in marketing. She\u2019s always emphasized this point: Hire creative writers. Readers don\u2019t want to read marketing copy or comms-approved messaging.<\/p>\n Will you provide narrow focus, broad coverage, expert insights and interviews, etc.?<\/p>\n Even loosely defining the scope of your newsletter will help you maintain the consistency readers are looking for.<\/p>\n How will your newsletter support existing business offerings? Will it be paid, freemium, and\/or have ads or sponsorships? Will you promote it across other platforms?<\/p>\n Alexis Grant<\/a>, who founded the newsletter They Got Acquired<\/a>, told me that because she has an engaged, niche audience, she\u2019s been very successful selling sponsorship space, even though her subscriber base is a relatively modest 7k+.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen people think about media and content businesses, they\u2019re often planning to monetize through advertising or sponsorships, which require having a massive audience to make it work.\u201d<\/p>\n\n But newsletters are different, she says. \u201cYou don\u2018t have to do that with a B2B newsletter. And that\u2019s kind of why I love them. There’s so many different ways to monetize.\u201d<\/p>\n There isn\u2019t one single correct way of organizing an email newsletter<\/a>, but there are a few key building blocks, according to HubSpot\u2019s Ultimate Guide to Email Newsletters<\/a>:<\/p>\n From Line. <\/strong>This includes both the \u201cfrom\u201d name you see in your inbox as well as the email address the newsletter is sent from. <\/p>\n Subject Line and Preview Text. <\/strong>This is your best shot at hooking readers. Keep it short, natural, and start a story that your readers want the ending to. <\/p>\n Eyebrow. <\/strong>The greeting before your main headline should draw people in. It also might reflect your main branding. <\/p>\n Body Copy. <\/strong>The bulk of your email should be easy to read \u2014 think short sentences and paragraphs, bullet points and bolding, and a personality-driven tone. <\/p>\n Images. <\/strong>Images can break up text, show off branding, grab readers\u2019 attention, and even inspire them to share. <\/p>\n Calls to Action \/ Linked Text. <\/strong>Rein it in! Too many links can overwhelm, so use them carefully and strategically. Links should always benefit your readers. <\/p>\n Social Sharing. <\/strong>Make it easy for your readers to share with their friends and networks. <\/p>\n Request for Feedback. <\/strong>Asking readers for feedback builds a stronger relationship with them, and it helps you build a stronger newsletter. <\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/span>This anatomy lesson comes from the HubSpot pros who produced the excellent free ultimate guide to newsletters<\/a>. It has a lot more details and examples on the nuts and bolts of newsletter writing.<\/p>\n <\/a> <\/p>\n In our survey of 500+ independent newsletter operators, we asked what formats drove the highest of five metrics: open rate, click rate, revenue or profit, driving website traffic, and conversion rate.<\/p>\n Two of the top-performing formats were expert Q&As or interviews and listicles, step-by-step guides, recipes, or tutorials.<\/p>\n\n We asked respondents about a total of 11 newsletter formats:<\/p>\n Expert Q&As or Interviews There\u2019s lots more where this came from \u2014 check out our free download on the future of newsletters<\/a> \u2014 but here\u2019s how every format drives open rates, according to 500+ newsletter operators:<\/p>\n\n That doesn\u2019t mean you should abandon your great idea for a newsletter that curates long-form articles or deep dives. You know your audience best, and open rates are just one metric.<\/p>\n Based on the survey results and the subject-matter interviews I conducted, here\u2019s some trends in newsletter content strategy that we\u2019re seeing:<\/p>\n\n Remember that you\u2019re writing for real people \u2014 other people like you \u2014 and tell the stories you\u2019d<\/em> want to read.<\/p>\n Developing a small but engaged audience may be more valuable to the future of your business. Build trust and loyalty by offering something that nobody else can.<\/p>\n Personality and expertise are why you sign up for newsletters like Anne Helen Peterson\u2019s Culture Study<\/a> or John Paul Brammer\u2019s \u00a1Hola Papi!<\/a> \u2014 they\u2019re good writers with smart, critical takes on culture, and they\u2019re fun to read. Take a page from their notebooks, even if you\u2019re writing about car gaskets.<\/p>\n In the age of AI-powered personalization, there\u2019s no excuse for treating your email subscribers like a monolith. Take advantage of technology to segment by geographic location, interests, or behaviors. Read more about AI segmentation tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n Click-through rates aren\u2019t yet a KPI of the past, but marketers are recognizing the long-term value in metrics like:<\/p>\n Subscriber growth and health <\/a> <\/p>\n Examples: <\/strong>Masters in Marketing<\/a> (HubSpot), Lenny\u2019s Newsletter<\/a> (Lenny Rachitsky), Link in Bio<\/a> (Rachel Karten)<\/p>\n\n Lenny\u2019s Newsletter, which features lots of expert interviews, immediately names and contextualizes each expert at the top of the email (see above).<\/p>\n There\u2019s a link to listen to or watch the full interview, but there\u2019s also a skimmable list of bulleted takeaways for easy reading.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Identifying, reaching out to, and interviewing experts can take quite a bit of time, so give yourself a long lead for interview-based content. On the plus side: If you\u2019re the sole newsletter writer, interviews are a great way to bring in new perspectives, opinions, and ideas.<\/p>\n Examples: <\/strong>Newsletter Examples<\/a> (Brad Wolverton), After School<\/a> (Casey Lewis), Really Good Emails<\/a> (Matthew Smith)<\/p>\n\n Really Good Emails is really good at two things: Sharing really good emails, and making really good GIFs.<\/p>\n Aside from the focused case studies, CEO Matthew Smith & co. are enjoying themselves, and it shows \u2014 which keeps it on my subscription list.<\/p>\n The intros are grabby and full of personality, which gets readers excited about case studies, which have a (perhaps unearned) reputation as being a bit dry.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>If you have niche expertise, this is your time to shine. The best newsletters in this category provide expertise and commentary that you really can\u2019t get anywhere else.<\/p>\n Examples: <\/strong>Kayleigh Moore\u2019s newsletter<\/a>, Craft Talk<\/a> (Jami Attenberg)<\/p>\n\n Kayleigh Moore\u2019s newsletter, about all kinds of writing, starts with a personalized greeting. Moore then immediately launches into a behind-the-scenes experience \u2014 writing questions she gets asked \u2014 and promises a quick lesson just for you.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Even if the topics are outside your industry, I recommend subscribing to a few newsletters that indulge your own interests and hobbies, whether that\u2019s pizza or pop culture or pottery. Regularly reading different writing styles on diverse topics will only make you a better newsletter writer.<\/p>\n Example: <\/strong>ICYMI<\/a> (Lia Haberman)<\/p>\n\n Lia Haberman, one of the experts I talked to for this article, does a particularly good job getting a lot of industry trend analysis and updates into one email.<\/p>\n Headings are clear and consistent from email to email, and she uses emoji, bullet points, and bold type to make sure her one-second summaries really do take one second to read.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Another category for the niche experts to strut their stuff, industry trend analysis has<\/em> to be skimmable and fun to read. No matter how much you want to know about a particular industry, it\u2019s unlikely you\u2019ll have time for a deep dive on your morning commute.<\/p>\n Examples: <\/strong>They Got Acquired<\/a> (Alexis Grant), The Freelancer\u2019s Year<\/a> (Lindy Alexander)<\/p>\n\n They Got Acquired founder Alexis Grant, who I also spoke with for this article, has a very specific focus: It \u201cshares stories of companies that sell for $100,000 to $50 million, revealing insights that lead to life-changing exits.\u201d<\/p>\n Having a captive niche audience means that even though Grant has a relatively small number of subscribers, they\u2019re very valuable, both to her and to sponsors.<\/p>\n Pro tip: <\/strong>Alexis Grant uses an AI segmentation tool to make the most of her educational content. New subscribers are invited to take a survey that narrows down their demographics, and she can segment accordingly.<\/p>\n Examples: <\/strong>SEOFOMO<\/a> (Aleyda Sol\u00eds), Work Life<\/a> (Atlassian)<\/p>\n\n Atlassian, the makers of Trello, has a twice-monthly newsletter with announcements, tips for a more productive work life, and stories from its own playbook.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a combination of several kinds of newsletters mentioned here, and that blend makes it more fun to read than just a report or guide.<\/p>\n
\n What is newsletter content strategy?<\/a>
\n How to Develop a Newsletter Content Strategy<\/a>
\n Newsletter Content Trends<\/a>
\n Newsletter Content Ideas<\/a> <\/p>\nWhat is newsletter content strategy?<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n Stick to a regular publishing schedule.
\n Focus on educational content. <\/p>\n1. Define your content objectives and voice.<\/h3>\n
Build a customer profile.<\/h4>\n
Describe your newsletter\u2019s personality.<\/h4>\n
Know how you want your readers to feel<\/em>.<\/h4>\n
Sharpen your elevator pitch.<\/h4>\n
List the hallmarks of a great newsletter.<\/h4>\n
Identify your niche.<\/h4>\n
Balance promotional and creative content.<\/h4>\n
Develop and enforce editorial and brand guidelines.<\/h4>\n
2. Define your editorial approach.<\/h3>\n
How will you achieve a personal, authentic voice?<\/h4>\n
Decide on content and format types.<\/h4>\n
3. Identify monetization strategies.<\/h3>\n
4. Use the anatomy of an effective newsletter.<\/h3>\n
Key Elements<\/h4>\n
Newsletter Content Trends<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\n Influencer Takeovers
\n Listicles, Step-by-Step Guides, Recipes, or Tutorials
\n Image-based Content or Infographics
\n Video-based Content
\n Mixed Media Content
\n Long-form Articles or Deep Dives
\n Two to Three Short- to Medium-Form Articles
\n Quote or Stats Roundups
\n Lists of Short Blurbs Followed by Related Links
\n Interactive Content <\/p>\n1. Shift Toward Person-centric Content<\/h3>\n
2. Importance of Niche Targeting<\/h3>\n
3. Creator-style, Personality-driven Content<\/h3>\n
4. AI-driven Segmentation Techniques<\/h3>\n
5. Metrics Beyond Traditional Email Marketing<\/h3>\n
\n Organic buzz and conversation
\n Social media mentions
\n Reader engagement and replies <\/p>\nNewsletter Content Ideas<\/h2>\n
1. Interview-based Content<\/h3>\n
2. Expert Insights and Case Studies<\/h3>\n
3. Personal Stories and Behind-the-Scenes Updates<\/h3>\n
4. Industry Trend Analysis<\/h3>\n
5. Educational Content Tailored to Specific Audience Segments<\/h3>\n
6. Actionable Resources (Reports, Guides)<\/h3>\n