Guidelines For Internal Newsletters

Say NO to Boring Emails – Effective Ways to Write Newsletters ✨ If your newsletters aren't capturing attention, they’re probably ending up in the trash. [UNSUBSCRIBE] 🙂 When I first started sending out newsletters, I quickly learned that getting people to open and actually read them was no easy task. But over time, I discovered some strategies that really work & they’re: ✅ 1. Start with a Hook that Grabs Attention I’ve found that using curiosity, urgency, or a strong benefit always draws readers in. Example: I used to send out “Monthly Updates,” but now I go for something like "5 Secrets to Boost Your Productivity This Month." A small change, but makes a big difference. ✅ 2. Know Your Audience When I began focusing on what my clients and customers really cared about—whether it was solving a pain point or helping them reach a goal—my engagement skyrocketed. Example: If your audience is mostly small business owners, focus on providing tips that help them grow their customer base or manage their time better. For instance, I once shared strategies on how to negotiate like a PRO, and it resonated so well that I got multiple replies from readers thanking me for the practical advice. ✅ 3. Keep It Concise, But Valuable No fluff, just value. Focus on delivering brief, impactful content with actionable insights. Example: Instead of the usual “Consistency is key,” I recommend something specific like "Posting three times a week builds momentum. Use a content calendar to stay organized." ✅ 4. Use Visuals to Break Up Text It makes the content more relatable and keeps readers engaged. I always include visuals—whether it’s a snapshot of me working on a project or enjoying a coffee break or useful resources. ✅ 5. Add a Personal Touch Sharing personal stories or insights has made my newsletters feel more like a conversation rather than a broadcast. Example: I often talk about my early struggles and the strategies that eventually worked for me withproven solutions. ✅ 6. Include a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA) Every email is an opportunity to guide my readers to the next step. Whether it’s clicking a link, replying to the email, or signing up for a masterclass, Example: I might say, “Reply to this email with your biggest challenge, and I’ll share a solution.” This not only encourages interaction but also shows that I’m here to help. Top creators have viral newsletters because they understand their audience, deliver valuable and actionable content, and create genuine connections. What’s your top tip for writing engaging newsletters as a creator or reader? __________________________ PS: Want to maximize your business, learn effective strategies to freelance, and grow your network? Join my newsletter with 45,000+ subscribers here: https://lnkd.in/g2WpkBjH

We had a beautiful customer newsletter... and no one cared. Up until the end of 2023, we had a highly designed version of the newsletter. It looked great, but it took a ton of time to pull together. Every send required custom images, specific copy lengths, and with no real guardrails on content, we tried to include ✨everything.✨ And it did… fine. But not fine enough to warrant the time it required and no clear strategy, so we stopped doing it. This year, I relaunched our customer newsletter — and doubled our engagement score and click-through rates. Here's the 4 steps I took to do it: 1️⃣ I redefined the purpose. The newsletter needed to be a valuable touchpoint for account managers — something that kept customers informed and encouraged them to explore more of the Lattice ecosystem through features, events, and content. Not salesy. 2️⃣ I scrapped the overly designed template and went plain-text. The emails now come directly from Account Owners (because who’s Kerry Wheeler anyways?). 3️⃣ We segmented our customers into three key groups and tailor content to each one based on what’s most relevant to them. 4️⃣ I implemented strong content guardrails. Every send now includes just two of the most relevant product updates, events, and resources — and it must be actionable today (no “coming soon” teasers). The results? Open rates held steady at ~50%, but engagement took off. Click-through rates more than doubled, and we’ve heard great feedback from both customers and AMs on how the newsletter has kept them informed and engaged.

I grew to 10k+ newsletter subscribers in 1 year. Here are the 6 biggest pieces of advice I'd give to ANYBODY growing their newsletter: 1. Focus on organic growth This is the single most important thing to do. I wasted so much time to "hack" the growth. There's no "hack". Pick a niche problem, find a target audience, identify the value your content can provide, and ship it consistently. Growth will happen organically if your content truly adds value to readers. 2. Pick a growth channel Unlike social media, newsletter has no default distribution, so you need to find the best channel to promote your newsletter. For me, LinkedIn is my growth channel to promote my newsletter. Just pick ONE channel to start. Focus is everything. 3. Content-Market Fit is EVERYTHING You achieve CMF once you've hit 5,000+ subscribers organically with good engagement (>45% open rate). For me, I hit my CMF in Oct 2024 when I hit 5,089 subs with pure organic growth. If you couldn't hit that after 1 year, maybe it's time to change your niche or audience or both. 4. Be relentlessly consistent Writing newsletter is easy. But writing newsletter consistently week after week, month after month — that's tough, very tough. Most people will give up after a few months. If you can keep showing up, keep shipping, your time will come (I guarantee that). 5. Use pre-CTA and post-CTA This is a game changer. Before your newsletter is published, post on LinkedIn as a teaser to your issue with a CTA link. After the newsletter is published, post again on LinkedIn to direct more traffic to your article (remember to gate the article + collect emails for access). I got 3,000+ new susbcribers after using this approach. It works. 6. Use Meta ads to scale Only run ads after you've hit CMF (point 3). Go to Facebook Ad Library, identify the best-performing ads that other newsletters (in your space) are running, refer to their ads creative + modify the copy based on your niche. Run and keep optimising your ads to reduce the CPA to $1 - $2. Start with Step 1-5, use Step 6 cautiously. If Step 6 works, you're unstoppable. Have any questions about growing newsletter? AMA anything in comments 👇🏻

How we (HubSpot) boosted newsletter leads by 89% this year. We just hit a pretty big milestone: an 89% jump in newsletter leads and an 8% bump in open rates. How'd we do it? We stopped aiming for sheer volume and focused in these three moves: 1️⃣ Tailored Offers, Not Generic Freebies We now tailor offers to each audience segment—like a curated business ideas database for early-stage founders or over 100 productivity prompts for AI power-users. As we learn more about our subscribers, each segment will get exactly what they're looking for, rather than whatever's in our archive. 2️⃣ Quality Subscriber Acquisition We filtered out bots and cut low-quality sources, which boosted open rates by 8%. But it's more than housecleaning; it's about building an engaged subscriber base. By leaning into organic social and teaming up with newsletters that share our editorial DNA, we attract subscribers who genuinely look forward to each send—even if it means limiting scale. 3️⃣ Partner with Creators Instead of blindly buying clicks with large publishers, we partner with independent creators who treat their newsletters like a community. Working together on offers and editorial has upped conversions and cut our cost per lead compared to traditional channels. We're not just hitting targets—we're building an engaged audience that comes back every week. What other plays are you seeing work these days? #b2bmedia #contentmarketing #newsletters

If I had to build my 60,000+ subscriber newsletter again from scratch today Here’s the 6 things I’d do ⬇️ Story time: starting my newsletter I went against a lot of best practices and yet I grew to 60,000 subscribers and over $180k in sponsor revenue in year 2. Sharing my tips below… ➡️ 1. The 50 Subject Line test Most newsletters fail because they pick a topic they *should* talk about and not something they are passionate about talking about. If you can’t write the newsletter for a year, you won’t see significant money. Sit down and write 50 subject lines about all the things you’d want to write about. Then categorize them and figure out who would benefit from those. ➡️ 2. Th 10 person survey I’d next find 10 people who fit that description and ask if you could send the first few newsletters to them for feedback. This gets you into the rhythm of producing while ensuring your format resonates. ➡️ 3. The 6 month test Once you’ve received feedback, I’d commit to a 6 month test of one format. Most newsletters fail because they simply can’t stay consistent. Sponsors and subscribers are looking for stability. Build the muscle of showing up. ➡️ 4. The 90/10 sales rule Most of you are starting a newsletter as a sales vehicle to your products…. And that’s OK but I’m starting to see newsletters that don’t add any value. They just sell. Focus on 90% value. 10% sales. This increases your referrals because no one refers commercials but they do refer documentaries. ➡️ 5. Network effects There are two network effects I’d focus on right from the beginning: - who do I know that reaches my audience on social? - who do I know that reaches my audience via email? Find 5 people in both cohorts who is just a few steps ahead of you and ask for a shoutout in exchange for a dedicated promotion of their product when you hit 10,000 subscribers. Here’s a sample script to steal: Hey ______! I love your content about X helping Y achieve Z. 6 months ago I started a newsletter helping those same people solve the following pain points: - pain point - pain point - pain point I’m now confident in the format, value and feedback I’ve received and looking to partner with a few people to help cross promote each other’s content. I know I’m a few steps behind you so I’d do a promo now and then again when I hit 10k as part of my 10k celebration! Here’s the copy for the promotion so you can see what (newsletter) is all about: Insert Promo copy Let me know what you think! Appreciate you, Name ➡️ 6. Inject yourself Many newsletters miss the opportunity to build emotional connection with their audience. Ways to build connection: - images - life updates - stories Those are the 6 things I’d do if I was starting my newsletter again today from scratch before I ever touched paid marketing. Let me know what you think!

How I grew my email list 9x in 10 months using LinkedIn (80% of my growth came from these 5 tactics): I started writing daily on LinkedIn back in July 2024. But I didn't really try to leverage LinkedIn to grow my email list until later that year (around Aug/September). And since then, I've added 8,000+ new subscribers to my newsletter. Here are the 5 tactics I used to turn LinkedIn followers into email subscribers: Tactic 1: CTAs in Posts 2 approaches here: • Option 1: Include links directly in your posts (higher conversion, lower reach) • Option 2: Put links in the comments (preserves reach, still drives signups) My recommendation: If you’re getting 1,000+ views per post, start including occasional direct links. Otherwise, use the comment strategy. Tactic 2: Featured Section Most people waste this feature. How I use it: Instead of featuring my newsletter, I promote 1 lead magnet. Because lead magnets typically have higher perceived value and convert better. The key here: If your goal is to grow your list, stick to ONE offer. Multiple options create decision paralysis (and hurt conversion rates). Tactic 3: Custom Profile Button This is criminally underused. Instead of a generic “Connect” button, I have a custom “Visit my newsletter” button that appears on every post I make. It's passive, works 24/7, and can be your #1 or #2 driver of subscribers. Setup tip: You may need LinkedIn Premium, and there are different button options Tactic 4: Welcome DMs When someone connects with me, I just don't accept the request. I also send them a welcome message. There are 2 ways to do this: • Lower ask: Share 2-3 of your best posts to build goodwill without asking for anything in exchange • Higher conversion: Share a targeted lead magnet Pro tip: Ask a qualifying question first, then send a personalized resource based on their response. Tactic 5: Viral Giveaways & 2-Step Method These 2 tactics are very similar (which is why I combined them), but here's the nuance: Traditional giveaway: Create a valuable asset, post about it, ask people to comment to receive it. When they comment, their followers see your post = exponential reach. 2-Step method: Create a post that's valuable in and of itself but offer an additional resource for anyone who comments. The big difference is that the giveaway post just prompts people to comment without giving any value upfront. Both approaches consistently get me 70-90% opt-in rates on my landing pages, though. I've had 2-step posts that generated more subs than some giveaways The beautiful thing? You don’t need to immediately try all 5 tactics to see results. Pick 1-2 and start executing them consistently. I promise you'll start to see the difference. Hope this helps! PS - I created a more in-depth text & video breakdown of these 5 tactics. Want to check it out? Comment "grow" and I'll send it over. (This was actually a module from a recent cohort-based course I ran!)

Traditional email marketing is dead... And no, it wasn’t AI that killed it. It was inbox fatigue. We’re done with bland promos and one-way blasts. Now? We want to be entertained, educated, emotionally hooked. The best brands today don’t just send emails, they build experiences in your inbox. Here are 2 new types of email strategy that actually work: 1. Email as Entertainment: Let’s talk about NUDE PROJECT. They send chaos, in the best way possible. Their emails read like a group chat meets underground zine: chaotic storylines, Gen Z memes, interactive graphics, and cliffhangers. You’re not just reading, you’re part of the ride. It’s unpredictable, unfiltered, and totally them. ➡️Result? Passive followers turn into die-hard fans, eagerly waiting for the next episode. 2. Email as Education Now look at Gohar World. They’ve turned email into a museum. Every send is a beautifully crafted experience: whimsical guides, historical nuggets, product stories, and curated “world-building” moments. They’re not selling they’re storytelling. ➡️The goal isn’t conversion. It’s context. Because context creates curiosity. And curiosity builds desire. 🚫 The old “10% OFF, BUY NOW” formula? Dead. The new inbox? Story-first. Weird. Human. Visually rich. Emotionally sticky. Drop your fav newsletter below #EmailMarketing #NewsletterStrategy #BrandStorytelling #GrowthMarketing #DigitalInnovation #RetentionMarketing

Subscriber engagement isn't a vanity metric –– it's an influential factor that can make or break your email deliverability. Want to boost your open rates, improve inbox placement, and supercharge your email ROI? Here are 5 proven strategies to increase subscriber engagement and improve your email deliverability: 1. Optimize For Subscriber Quality, Not Quantity Having a large list email list means nothing if they are all low quality subscribers. Subscribers who come from questionable sources, or who don’t have a real interest in your content, are far more likely to disengage or mark your emails as spam. This hurts your reputation with ISPs and decreases your inbox placement. You’ll see better open rates, more engagement, and improved deliverability when you focus on QUALITY over QUANTITY in list-building. 2. Segment Your Audience Subscribers aren't numbers in a spreadsheet, they're real people. Group your audience based on factors like demographics, purchase history, and engagement level. Then, create targeted campaigns that are tailored to the specific needs and interests of each segment. This allows you to deliver hyper-relevant content that resonates –– and resonance is great for your engagement KPIs. 3. Personalize Your Messages Generic "email blasts" are a thing of the past. Use subscriber data to tailor your content, offers, and sending frequency to each individual's preferences and behaviors. The more relevant and personalized your emails are, the more likely subscribers are to open them, read them, and take action. 4. Nail Your Timing The timing of your email sends can dramatically influence engagement metrics. Sending a discount code immediately after someone leaves your site with a full cart can be the perfectly timed offer that seals the deal. Sending a discount immediately after someone just PURCHASED a product from you is a great way to ruin an otherwise positive experience. Use data to optimize send times based on email category and subscriber behaviors. 5. Continuously Test And Optimize Contrary to what some marketers would have you believe, email isn't a "set it and forget it" strategy. You need to constantly be testing different elements like subject lines, content, offers, and calls-to-action. More importantly, you need to ANALYZE those tests and use them to continually refine your approach. These five tactics are the most effective way to kickstart a virtuous cycle: More emails hitting inboxes → More engagement on those emails → Stronger sender reputation → Improved deliverability Implement these strategies, and you'll show ISPs that your emails are not only wanted, but valued.

7 Ways I Grow My Newsletter Without Spending A Dollar 1. Word Of Mouth The best marketing tactic in the world is a valuable product. My newsletter is awesome. So readers tell others about it. Seems obvious, but most creators spend more time looking for "growth hacks" than they do improving the newsletter itself. 2. Optimized Social Bios My Twitter and LinkedIn bios are designed to drive people to subscribe to my newsletter. There's a clear call to action in the bio and the link takes people straight to my newsletter signup page - not the home page of my website. 3. The ConvertKit Creator Network and SparkLoop The best newsletter recommendations tools around. 4. Pre-Promotion Of Upcoming Issues On Social Media It's fine to promote your newsletter after it comes out, but it's more effective to do so BEFORE it's published. Teasing it with the specific value people will get from reading that issue gives people a clear reason to subscribe so they don't miss it. 5. Signup Forms and Links Everywhere If you read one of my blog posts (old or new), it's impossible to not know I have a newsletter. There are forms at the bottom of every post and mentions of the newsletter with links to my signup page within the content of most posts. 6. Cross-Promotions The single best way to get new subscribers for free is to find someone with a similar audience and offer to promote their newsletter in exchange for them promoting yours. When a cross-promo works well, do it again a few months later. And again a few months after that. 7. My Podcast and YouTube Channel Just like with my blog posts, it's impossible to listen to my podcast or watch the episodes on YouTube and not know I have a newsletter. Most importantly, the topics of my podcast are in alignment with the topics of my newsletter. If you listen to my show because you're an expert who wants to grow their business... Chances are you're going to be interested in my newsletter which is about... (You guessed it!) Learning how to grow your expertise-based business. Speaking of which... If you haven't checked out my newsletter yet, you can do so at the link on my profile. It's in my bio. 😉

I've worked with newsletters doing $1M-$50M in revenue. Here are the 3 subscriber growth tactics they're using that almost no one talks about: 1. Custom landing pages Old method: • Run multiple ads • Create one generic landing page to convert visitors New method: • Review your Meta ad library • Identify the top-performing segments • Create custom landing pages addressing those segments • 2-3X your conversions Example: The Assist found one of their best ads targeted at director-level women. So they built a landing page specifically calling out this audience in the headline and messaging. 2. Send deeper engagement signals to Meta Meta learns who to target based on the data you send it. If you only send a "signup" event, Meta will keep targeting people who submit emails but never engage. Instead, send richer signals like newsletter clicks, calls booked, or products purchased. Meta will then find more subscribers who actually engage with your content. How to do it? Meta’s Pixel + Conversions API (CAPI) • Pixel tracks browser actions (e.g., page view, signup) • CAPI sends richer server-side data (e.g., purchase, email click) • Tools like Segment, Stape, or Zapier make setup simple 3. Qualify readers at signup For B2B newsletters, 100 targeted readers > 1000 random readers But without qualification, you risk building a list where only 10% match your target audience. Here’s how to avoid that: • Like Workweek, ask for job title, years of experience, company name, company size, and your role during signup • Use tools like ZoomInfo or Clearbit to enrich subscriber data automatically: The benefits are several: • Show sponsors you’ve hyper-targeted readers and charge them more • Send more personalized emails • Optimize ads toward higher-LTV subscribers (even if CPL is higher) • Build niche offers for different segments