Between agency campaigns for clients and regular sends for our sister companies, we’ve written a lot of newsletters. We’ve seen emails that outperform expectations and others that limp along, fading away in ever-more-crowded inboxes.
After all these years, we know that most newsletters don’t fail because of small technical mistakes; they fail because they don’t give readers a reason to care.
These email newsletter tips are designed to help you earn opens and clicks, not just deliveries.
1) Provide value, not announcements
The fastest way to get people to ignore your email is to make it all about you, every time. Product launches, new hires, awards, company news… none of that is inherently bad to share. But does the average reader—someone outside of your company—actually care?
Readers open emails for entertainment, intrigue or clarification. Try framing your news through the user’s lens. How does this help them think differently or do something better?
For example, instead of announcing, “We won X award,” talk about the application process or what this award means in the greater context of your industry. What surprised you? What would you do differently next time? Those insights are often more interesting than the headline itself.
2) Set a schedule, and stick to it
Newsletters work best when they become part of someone’s routine. You don’t have to send weekly, monthly or even quarterly, but you do need to show up reliably. Consistency builds trust and anticipation.
(It also makes internal planning easier—you have a regular deadline to meet!)
3) Design like no one is reading (because they aren’t)
Most people open newsletters on their phones. Most skim. Many never scroll all the way down.
Prioritize clarity over being clever. Dense, overloaded paragraphs slow readers down, and that usually means losing them. Strong newsletters make the main point obvious within seconds. They provide one clear action early on. They use spacing, headings and repetition to guide the eye instead of forcing readers to hunt for the meaning.
If someone opens your email, scrolls once, then closes it, they should still know what it was about.
For more tips on drafting engaging emails, check out the recap from a previous Lioness Networking session.
4) Choose your subject line with care
Your subject line and preview text are your main opportunity to earn that coveted click. Avoid vague, general language. Be clear, specific and human. Spark curiosity. Again, ask yourself: why should the reader care?
Compare:
- “October Newsletter” vs. “3 Marketing Moves to Try Before 2026”
- “This Month’s Updates” vs. “Your Q4 Checklist (and a Shortcut)”
If you’re going to spend time revising and testing anything, spend it here.
5) Know your benchmarks, but trust your data more
Open and click rates vary widely by industry and audience. Nonprofits often see higher opens. E-commerce sends more frequently and tends to see lower click rates. B2B newsletters may have smaller lists but more deliberate engagement.
Benchmarks are helpful for context, but they can’t tell you whether your individual campaign is working. What matters more is direction. Are opens improving over time? Are clicks clustering around the same sections? Are people replying, forwarding or clicking through more consistently than they used to?
One strong month doesn’t mean much on its own. Neither does one weak send. Look at the patterns for better insights
6) Decide the goal of each email
When you have a lot going on, it’s easy to stuff everything into your newsletter. Promote a blog post, push an event, announce a product, drive social follows, nudge sales conversions—when everything is equally important, nothing stands out.
Every newsletter should have a primary job. Before you write, decide what success looks like for this issue. Is it event registrations? Traffic to a specific article? Re-engaging your list?
Once that goal is clear, structure the email around it. Put that action near the top. Reinforce it later. Let everything else support, not compete.
7) Segment by behavior, and give readers control
Basic segmentation (industry, role, company size) is great, but behavior tells you much more.
If someone consistently clicks on educational content, they’re telling you what they want to see. If another group only shows up for event invites, that’s useful information, too.
Segmentation is easier than it sounds. In tools like Mailchimp or Constant Contact, you can create groups based on user actions (overall engagement, specific links clicked, length of time subscribed, etc.). Instead of sending one generic newsletter to everyone, you can tailor future sends to match those interests.
One alternative approach that’s worked well for us is letting subscribers self-select what they want to receive. Some people genuinely only want event invitations. Others want content but couldn’t care less about announcements. Giving them that choice helps with more specialized campaigns that avoid unsubscribes.
This article was originally published by our sister site, Carlton PR & Marketing.
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