How many email marketing newsletters do you think your customers receive on a weekly basis? And, even more importantly, how many do they actually engage with?
If they’re anything like the average consumer, they’re fielding 100s of personalized emails every single day — a consequence of the fact that 8 in 10 content marketers lean on email campaign marketing most heavily, compared to other forms of content marketing. Without checking click-through rates, you probably already know that most of these messages — including your company newsletter — are landing face first into the internet’s very own Great Beyond: the spam box.
Fortunately, we have some good news. You’re about to learn how to climb out of that dreaded spam folder and straight to the top of your audience’s inbox. Let’s break down the power of a well-written newsletter and explore 10 top email newsletter templates of 2023 that can inspire every marketer.
What Is an Email Newsletter?
At its most basic level, an email newsletter template is a powerful tool used by businesses and organizations of all shapes and sizes. They feature regular updates, sent to email subscribers so they can brush up on your latest company news, product releases, helpful content and more. While a newsletter can take any form you like and contain all kinds of different information, there are two basic approaches: the customer newsletter and the internal newsletter — also referred to as an employee newsletter.
Today, we’re focusing on the former, because that’s where all your juicy marketing content can flourish. (Hint: It can also help inform your re-engagement emails and make them more effective.)
If your business doesn’t already have an email newsletter, you’ll probably want to start on it, like, yesterday.
As you write, remember that the goal is always to share relevant and valuable information with your network of customers, prospects and subscribers. Think of a newsletter as a direct gateway to your audience: What would you like them to know?
We could go on for a while about all of the benefits associated with an effective newsletter, but for now, we’ll cover the top three:
Three birds, one stone: Done right, your newsletter can be the ultimate example of successful multitasking. There’s hardly a better medium that allows you to share great content, promote sales and drive traffic to your website all at once.
Boost brand awareness: Circulating a regular newsletter will give your customers a better understanding of your organization and help you to stay top of mind.
Highlight your company culture: From wide-reaching company news to individual employee spotlights, take this as an opportunity to show off your organization’s true colors beyond an advertisement.
Like we said, we could go on for a while here, but we’ll spare you to get to the good stuff — our favorite newsletter examples. To make a long story short, by developing a compelling newsletter that gets opened, read and inspires action, you’ll be well on your way to nailing your next mail marketing campaign.
Top 10 Newsletters of 2023
Looking for that one company newsletter idea that will change the game? How about 10?
Let’s take a look at our favorite newsletter template examples and see what separates the real deals from the mere pretenders:
1. Brafton: The Content Marketer
Yeah, that’s right, we’re tooting our own horn — but for good reason.
Brafton is a lot of things: creative, boundary-pushing, diligent. But, we’re not modest for the sake of modesty. Our email newsletter — The Content Marketer — highlights industry best practices, employee profiles, tips and tricks on getting more out of your content marketing and so much more. On top of that, our in-house newsletter design team continually whips up incredible imagery to go along with each piece of content, and our CTAs grab the reader’s attention.
Our newsletter combines the competencies of expert writers, designers and content strategists to produce an end-product that aligns with email campaign marketing best practices: engaging, visually appealing, informative and intuitive (from subject line to CTA, and all in-between), to name a handful.
2. InVision
InVision’s content is like the Ryu of email newsletters — it’s an all-around fantastic product with no discernable weaknesses. Crisp imagery, excellent and varied content, clear and engaging CTAs, a mobile-friendly design — it does everything well.
The newsletter content ranges from helpful tips and tricks to thought leadership-based pieces with internal subject matter experts and even exclusive giveaways. There’s something for everyone here.
Since InVision creates digital product design platforms, the bar’s been set pretty high on the graphics front, but the company has cleared it with ease. This newsletter’s design is simple but eye-catching. The CTAs pop and the whole product screams “these people know what they’re talking about.”
If you’re not terribly familiar with InVision, this newsletter will pique your interest by showcasing its unique voice and viewpoint on digital design.
3. MOO
There’s a lot to say about this creative MOOsLETTER — like the fact that it deserves a spot on any list of creative newsletter names. But let’s skip to what makes it especially unique: the online printing and design firm’s incredible GIF game.
Just get a load of this:
Animating the newsletter’s imagery gives it that extra pop and immediately grabs your attention as you scroll through the email.
We can all learn from the MOOsLetter’s example and remember that company newsletters don’t have to be static or stodgy. They can find that happy medium between SME-driven thought leadership showcases and a barrage of cat GIFs.
Just adding a touch of movement — and let’s be honest, the example here is not the world’s most complex or smoothest animation — spices things up and guides your audience to the most important pieces of newsletter content.
4. Litmus
Your email newsletter should serve as an opportunity to showcase your company’s deep level of industry experience and expertise. Let prospective and current customers know that you’re constantly thinking about ways to improve your corner of the business world with insightful, thought-provoking pieces.
Email marketing solutions provider Litmus hits the mark in this regard, sharing its thoughts on email design best practices. The design elements aren’t too hard on the eyes, either, which is always a prerequisite for effective and engaging newsletter content.
5. The Washington Post
It may be a bit of a cheat to call out a newspaper publication rather than a B2B or B2C company, but frankly, a good newsletter is a good newsletter. Back in 2017, The Washington Post won a Webby Award for its newsletter — and today, it continues to delight newsletter subscribers.
The layout and design elements are elegant, and the copy is clear and concise. Readers know they’re getting a carefully curated list of the most important news items from one of the most trusted voices in journalism. The lesson to take away here is this: Don’t make newsletter subscribers work for the information they value most. Let your newsletter design facilitate their search for truly impactful insights.
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6. Lumi
One of the biggest mistakes you can make when designing newsletter emails is to assume that the people reading them are sitting in front of a traditional desktop computer. It’s no secret that the world’s gone mobile, but to reinforce just how far the pendulum has swung in favor of the smartphone, consider this: 55% of email is now opened on a mobile device.
Lumi’s newsletter design is a prime example of how to optimize for mobile devices. The layout is clean and easy to navigate, and the content is concise and visually appealing. It’s a great example of how to make your newsletter accessible and engaging for mobile users.
So there you have it — our top 6 favorite email newsletters of 2023. These examples demonstrate the power of a well-designed and engaging newsletter that can capture your audience’s attention and inspire action. Use them as inspiration for your own newsletter and watch your email marketing campaigns soar.
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