most newsletters don’t fail because email is outdated. they fail because the basics aren’t right. don’t waste time, money, and your audience’s attention span.
email newsletters are still one of the highest ROI channels out there but only when they’re done right. and “right” means more than hitting send.
🎯 standing out in the inbox
people get hundreds of emails a day. your newsletter needs to be:
- recognizable: give it a name worth remembering. consistent subject lines help reduce spam filtering and increase opens.
- relevant: make it specific to your industry or niche.
- repeatable: create a flexible template so you’re not reinventing every month. working smarter, not harder.
- steal smart: browse Really Good Emails, Email Love, and Milled for inspiration. avoid heavy-image designs that land you in spam folders. function over flash.
📬 list size means nothing if no one opens
stop blasting emails to people who don’t want them.
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clean lists = higher open rates = better ROI.
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add a simple sign-up form to your website and make it visible.
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focus on opted-in contacts who expect to hear from you. clean your lists regularly.
- segment your list. talking to everyone the same way is the fastest way to get ignored. better personalization, better engagement, better results.
📊 track what matters
you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
start with these benchmarks:
- deliverability: the percentage of emails that actually make it to an inbox (not a spam folder). low deliverability? your list may be outdated.
- open rate: the percentage of recipients who open your email. this is impacted by your subject line, preheader, sender name, and timing. you know, all the things we mentioned above.
- clicks per unique open: of the people who opened, how many actually clicked something? this shows how compelling your content and calls to action are. aim for 10% or higher.
- review your click map. are people clicking buttons, images, or text links? how far down do they scroll before dropping off? this tells you what’s working and what’s getting skipped.
“every agency has told us we’ve been “above industry average”… but what does that mean to us? nothing.”
we get it. what does it mean to you as a business owner? yes, opens and clicks are a start. but the real power is connecting those metrics to site visits, form fills, and actual revenue. if you’re not tracking that yet, we should talk.
✅ before you hit send…
we know these things may seem like a no-brainer. but, you’d be surprised how often they’re not.
before you worry about design or copy, make sure the fundamentals are in place:
- is the “from” name recognizable and trusted?
- did you test across devices, browsers, and inboxes?
- subject line and preheader: does it make sense out of context or draw attention?
- are design elements linked to your site or relevant assets?🔗 p.s. if there’s one thing you take away from this it’s link. it. all.
proof it. then proof it again. don’t let sloppy execution kill trust before the first click.
the bottom line
email newsletters can work incredibly hard for your brand. but only if the people behind them are just as invested.
