How To Create Email Newsletter Templates In 3 Simple Steps

Why do companies still send emails instead of using other new channels like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram etc. to promote their products or services?

The answer is simple, email is still the best form of marketing for reaching out to new and existing customers. Emails are direct and personal and you have more chance of making sales than any other channels. In the case of online buyers, 66% of consumers in the US have purchased as a result of email marketing*.

Compared to other online platforms, emails are not only cost effective but also time saving. If you haven’t started email marketing yet, here is a simple guide that will help you get started.
In this guide, you will get valuable tips on how to find an email marketing tool, how to create email newsletter templates and how to personalize them.
*Quicksprout: The anatomy of an optimal marketing email

Step 1: Find An Email Marketing Tool That Fits Your Needs

This is most important step for your email marketing. Take your time to go through various email marketing tools and select the one that you see fit. An email marketing solution can have a list of features such as:

• Behavior driven rules
• Bounce tracking
• CAN SPAM Compliance
• Click-Through tracking
• Contact database
• Image library
• Mailing list management
• Multivariate testing
• Newsletter management
• Subscribe/unsubscribe
• Template management
• Unsubscribe database
• WYSIWYG email editor
• Auto-responders
• Drip Campaigns
• Event triggered email
• Spam check
• Survey management

Don’t worry, you may not need all these features for your email marketing. Make a list of features you want and search for the tool that fits your needs perfectly. Beware, there are certain features you may have to clarify with the email marketing providers before trying their service or even purchasing from them. Usually, email marketing companies will ask you the following questions:

• What kind of Email Marketing you want to do?
• How many contacts you have?
• Are they all opt-ins?
• Will you be segmenting your contacts per campaign, country, language, etc.
• How many recipients on average per campaign?
• How often will you be sending your campaigns?
• How heavy is a campaign on average in kB?
• What is your budget?

These questions are essential for them because they will check if their servers will be able to route your campaigns properly. Also, it is important for you to see if they are able to assist you immediately and if your campaigns will be sent out at the right time. Once you have narrowed down the tool to work on, you can set up your account and start working on your campaigns.

Tip: To shorten your search for email marketing tool, check Capterra, the largest software library to get the best tool in the market.

Step 2: Create An Email Newsletter Template Or Select A Pre-Built Template To Work On

Let’s talk about how to create email newsletter templates. Working on them with an email marketing tool is cost and time saving. First of all, it costs you way less than hiring a developer or designer. According to the State of Email jobs and salaries in the U.S report, companies pay $60,000 or more for an email designer or developer. With a cost effective tool, you can create your own email newsletter template. And secondly, it saves you a lot of time and allows to work on other areas, as creating a template shouldn’t take more than an hour.

With a professional email editor, you can drag and drop blocks and create email newsletter templates. It is very easy to learn how to create email newsletter templates, but the challenging part is to come up with an aesthetically appealing template layout. There are lots of ways to structure your email newsletter templates. You can start with a block of image covering the entire space and add a heading followed by a block of text below. If you have lots of content, then separate it into various categories. For each category, choose a block of image and text and add information. Choose the type of blocks carefully, keeping in mind the ratio of 60% text and 40% image. The reason behind this rule is to avoid too many images in the email newsletter, as the more images you add the more you will attract anti-spam filter’s attention and this can land your newsletter template in the spam box. Try to balance your image and text blocks!
Once you have the email newsletter template ready, you can start adding your images and content of your newsletters.

If you prefer to choose a pre-built template, then it is very obvious to learn how to create email newsletter templates. If you’d like to see well-designed and customizable ones that are ready to be used, Mailify has the largest number of pre-built newsletter templates. All you need to do is to add your images and text and your newsletter is ready to go!

Another essential point you shouldn’t miss after setting up your email newsletter template is to create a uniform look that aligns with your company’s image. You have a set of colors, designs and graphics that helps identify your company. Copy the same pattern into your email newsletter template, this way your customers can easily detect who is sending and from which company they have received an email.

Now that you know how to create email newsletter templates, let’s see what last step you need to keep in mind.

Step 3: Apply 3 Most Important Elements In Your Email Newsletter Template

Pre-Header

Your pre-header should have 1 main goal: Give extra space to your subject line! When your recipient receives your newsletter in their email inbox, they will see the subject line and also the very first part of your content in a preview.

Most marketers don’t make anything of this preview and put a link to the web version of the newsletter. But there is no obligation to fill that valuable space with that sentence! Make it better and extend your subject line instead. Like this you can make sure that you motivate your readers to open your email.

The Body of Your Email Newsletter

The content of your newsletter should be easy to read in terms of language and font size used. Make space in between your paragraph so you can keep your reader’s attention on the message. Keep it short and precise with important links that can lead to conversion/ sales. Your CTA buttons are visible and strategically placed so your readers don’t miss them.

Add Links And Basic Information In Your Footer

A footer is normally the place where companies give their contact details, company information, telephone numbers, links to social media and an unsubscribe link.

You have various possibilities to personalize your footer. It can be used as a simple email signature with the sender’s image, job title, contact details and postal address.

Or a footer with the company’s graphic in the background and add links to social media, company details and other important information a contact must receive from the company.

Or a lot more elaborate with RSS feeds to keep contacts updated about recent articles published in your blog.

These 3 basic steps will help you get started with Email Marketing easily and quickly. Once you get familiarised with the tool, explore it and use it more efficiently to send out professional email newsletter templates!