10 practical tips to increase newsletter engagement

[Ashik Sarkar9]

Design tips to increase newsletter engagement
Let’s face it: A good newsletter is as much about design as it is content. After all, if content allows you to sell an idea, design elements allow you to establish a theme.

That said, we know that budgets are tight for most businesses when it comes to email newsletters. uk telegram So, getting input from a UI/UX or design expert can seem like an unaffordable expense, even if newsletter design is a priority.

Don't worry. Even though we're not designers or UI/UX experts, we've put together some practical tips from design experts that can help you get started and improve your newsletter engagement rates.

With that in mind, let's get down to business.

#1. Let's do things right
Before we dive too deep into our favorite design tips, let's first talk about the basics.

Try to maintain a good balance between content and white space (i.e., you don't want to overwhelm the reader by writing long, drawn-out paragraphs or cluttering the layout).

Subject lines and content should be of optimal length. Experts recommend sentences between 45 and 75 characters and subject lines less than 45 for comfortable reading.

Use a responsive design with high-quality images. Or at least prioritize mobile-friendly email designs so that the user experience is not compromised.

Put accessibility first when creating your newsletter design. For example, you can add labels to images and opt for color, font, and contrast options that meet web accessibility standards.

Add an unsubscribe button for recipients who prefer to opt out of your email list. These small details increase trust in your brand.

Now, the golden rule. Always keep a clean layout that allows the reader to focus on the actual content.

For example, Clean Origins’ New Year’s newsletter highlighted their main product, engagement rings , while keeping the design simplistic and clean. It’s the perfect complement to such a luxurious product.


Clean origins newsletter
Source: Milled
Remember, sometimes less is more. If you stick to your core offering, you can't go wrong.

#2. Use your gaze strategically
If you use human faces in your newsletters, facial expressions can convey a lot of information.

According to Katelyn Bourgain , founder of the Why We Buy newsletter and an expert in shopping psychology, "The human mind loves visual cues. We naturally look for faces, and even instinctively create them from inanimate objects. It's the same part of your brain that activates when you see a face and also lights up when you see emojis."

But if you dive into human faces and features one step further, Katelyn also recommends using gazes strategically and keeping gazes close to your value proposition or CTA (call to action).

In their own words, "People will naturally follow the gaze of the eyes and are more likely to read the copy or notice the product."

#3. Opt for an inclusive approach
One of Dr. Robert Cialdini's seven principles of persuasion is togetherness, which states that if people feel more included, they are much more likely to participate in an activity.

When it comes to newsletter design, this means using inclusive elements in your designs (for example, images of people of different ethnicities or with diverse facial features).

You can also use Dr. Robert Cialdini's principle for producing inclusive content (and not just design and visuals). Some of the recommendations he offers are:

Show how you are different from the crowd

Focus on pain points you can relate to

Invoke location and family ties

Use local languages

Add unique slang

Sharing experiences


Principles of persuation - Opt for an inclusive approach
Source: Influenceatwork
Have a brand bible on hand
Another tip on the list is to have a brand bible on hand, which will help you navigate:

Color palette (for design elements, layout, and content)

Brand colors (and contexts in which to use them)

Designs for multiple channels

Ringtones for different social platforms

Format requirements

Image sizes and types

Fonts and typography

Logo specifications

Brand personalities

This brand bible will allow you to always maintain consistency with your branding and, therefore, make your readers familiar with your brand, regardless of the channel on which they interact with you.

Ultimately, in the long run, this familiarity and trust will lead to an increase in your engagement rates. In fact, there are many studies showing that trust in a brand leads to repeat purchases.

Side note: While this doesn't directly fall into the brand bible, experts also recommend using optimal grids when creating newsletter designs.

#5. Highlight your CTA (try to make it value-oriented too)
If you want to increase engagement and click-through rates on your call to action , here's a design tip you can put into practice: make your CTA button a contrasting color from the rest of the text.

For example, this is what your CTA might look like:

CTA sample - what CTA can look like
Experts suggest focusing on a single, clear CTA rather than multiple CTAs throughout your newsletter copy and using action words and verbs. For example, some of your CTAs might be “Get started now” or “Buy today!”

Other recommendations are:

Repeat CTAs at the end of the copy (to avoid making the reader scan the newsletter again).

Use buttons and graphics instead of text links as CTAs (this will allow you to convert readers more quickly).

Leave white space around the CTA to make it stand out.

And while we're on the subject of CTAs, one final tip would be to focus on the benefit of completing the task. For example, CTAs like "Sign up for free to access XYZ" will show the value you could gain from completing a task as opposed to using a generic CTA like "Sign up!"

#6. Choose a font that matches your product(s)
Another tip is to choose a font that matches your brand personality and the look of your products.

Nick Kolendar , an expert in the field of customer psychology and marketing principles, claims that your brain will trigger visual cues when looking at fonts. Here's a good example: