You’ve just spent all that time putting together your latest email newsletter. But don’t hit send just yet! Here are five things you should check before sending out your newsletter to make sure you’ve checked all the boxes.
1. My email newsletter reads well
To optimize your newsletter content for easy reading, paragraphs should be short, 3-4 sentences long. Huge blocks of text will lose readers but subheadings can break up different sections and make it even easier to skim through quickly. Keep the most important information above the scroll line, in case someone does not scroll. Using too many different fonts and sizes can be visually confusing, so be consistent with the style. And definitely don’t forget to check for spelling and grammar mistakes. Send your test email to the biggest grammar geek you have on your team to alert you to any slip-ups, and always be sure to spell-check.
2. My content is compelling and relevant
Your subscribers opted to receive newsletters from you because they are interested in your content. The content in your newsletter should apply to everyone you send it to. If the content is more specific, consider segmenting your subscription list to target different audiences. The content in your newsletter should also include clear calls to action. You want to keep readers engaged and interested, but the newsletter does have a purpose beyond that.
3. My email newsletter is user-friendly
No one wants to read an email only to find broken or forgotten links. Not only is this not user-friendly, but it also defeats the purpose of you sending an email newsletter in the first place. It’s really important to make sure your links are working. So actually click on them, all of them, and check for yourself. Double-check to make sure everything that’s supposed to be linked is indeed linked. This includes anchor text, CTAs, social media follow/sharing icons, and images.
Don’t forget to also Include all your sharing buttons linked to social media and email to make the content easy for readers to share. It’s also a good idea to have alternate text for all your images, in case the images don’t load for some subscribers. In the same line of thinking, the email should make sense without those images. Be sure to test all of the common browsers, email providers and devices, including mobile phones and tablets to ensure everything displays the way you imagined and that it loads quickly.
4. My subject line works
Subject lines are often the sole decision-making factor behind whether or not someone opens your email. You want it to be punchy and compelling, with a call to action that subscribers will follow. You can experiment with different types of subject lines until you find what works for your subscribers. If you’re using any dynamic tags such as [FIRSTNAME] or emojis in your subject line, check to make sure they’re functioning properly and pulling in the correct information. To avoid landing in peoples’ spam folders, be sure to avoid buzzwords, exclamation points and misleading information.
5. Do a function test
And finally, be sure to do a function test. Make sure you send yourself multiple test emails so you can check them in different browsers and with email providers, both on a computer and mobile device. When testing the functionality of your email, make sure you keep an eye out for the footer of your email too. You need to have an easy way for your subscribers to unsubscribe from your email by law.
Now that your email newsletter is ready to go, double-check your list of subscribers to make sure you’re sending it to the correct one and hit send.
