Yesterday, I saw my father reading a newspaper and asked him if he could lend me the entertainment section.
“Yeah! take it; I never read it anyway.”
And it just occurred to me; is this how email subscribers feel when we send them newsletters with the information they’re not interested in?
That hurt a bit but I was fueled by this feeling. So, I researched and jotted down the different categories of email newsletters to send to my subscribers but only the type they will value.
If you wish to do the same, read and understand the different types of newsletters before sending one.
But before we begin, let’s have some clarity about what exactly is an email newsletter?
What Is an Email Newsletter?
In simple words, an email newsletter is an update or report that a company or brand sends out to its subscribers periodically.
It is the most common category of email. It may consist of information collected from your brand itself or your subscribers, depending on the type of email newsletter.
You must be sure about 2 two major things before drafting a newsletter. These are mentioned below;
2 Things to Consider Before Sending an Email Newsletter
An unrelatable newsletter is like a portrait of the Mona Lisa; no matter how well crafted it is, people will find nothing in it to care about (coming from a big Da Vinci fan!).
So, to keep your email newsletter relatable for your readers, you must be sure about 2 things;
1. Who is your target audience?
You should have a clear idea about your target audience, their interests, and the kind of content they like receiving from you.
This will help you improve click-through rates and reduce unsubscribes, whether through unsubscribe links or automation tools that keep inboxes clean.
2. What kind of content do you plan to send?
Think about the content of your newsletter. Are you trying to nurture relationships with your subscribers, boost sales, increase brand awareness or maybe do all of these?
Once you have a clear understanding of these 2 things, then move on to selecting the type of email newsletter that you will send your email subscribers.
Which Types of Email Newsletters Are You Planning to Send?
First, you need to understand the broad categories your email newsletter falls under. These types depend on your target audience and are as follows;
1. Company email newsletter
Does your company have plenty of stuff to brag about? Then company email newsletters are what you need.
As the name suggests, your company’s email newsletters will consist of news, updates, and internal information about your company. These are sent out to all employees or staff members of your company.
This email newsletter can include achievements of your company, a letter of appreciation for those who went out of their way to achieve success, company culture, or a heads up about your organizational goals.
It’s the perfect source to keep all company members updated and informed.
2. Consumer email newsletter
Pretty self-explanatory as well, consumer email newsletters are sent out to your readers or subscribers.
They are designed to nurture relationships with your readers or boost your company’s sales by offering something to them.
According to statistics, 31% of B2B marketers say that email newsletters are perfect for nurturing leads. Consumer newsletters can be created in multiple ways to keep your subscribers interested and engaged with your brand.
We will discuss these types later.
3. Organizational email newsletters
“Why create separate newsletters for employees and consumers when you can create one?”
We’re not saying this; that’s what people who opt for organizational newsletters say.
Organizational newsletters are designed in such a way that they can be relatable for both the members of your organization and your subscribers.
Just make sure you don’t mention any insider information and mention everything good about your company in this newsletter.
10 Different Types of Email Newsletters Based on Content
The following types are differentiated by the content or intent of each newsletter. You can find pre-made templates of these different types of newsletters at Unlayer. All of them are beautifully designed and can be customized with great ease. Let’s see what your type is;
1. Reporting email newsletter
In simple terms, reporting newsletters are reports collected by an editor or team of editors. They are written with a journalistic viewpoint.
Real and influential reports are collected and assembled to form a reporting newsletter. If you follow TMZ, you know what we are talking about.
The reporting newsletters have a higher frequency of sending emails, i.e., weekly or bi-weekly.
2. Curated email newsletter
What if someone does all the hard work of finding and gathering the information you would be interested in?
That’s what a curated newsletter is.
They consist of valuable articles, links, and suggestions collected from multiple sources to offer something of value to subscribers.
Without a doubt, it’s one of the sweetest gestures shown by any brand and helps a great deal in improving relationships with subscribers.
3. Practical email newsletters
Practical newsletters are created to give your users quick, helpful, and easy tips.
It’s another great way to build better relationships with your customers and boost your emails' engagement rates.
You can create an ideal practical email newsletter by endorsing your own product and explaining how it can be used to benefit your customers.
Here’s one such email newsletter from The New York Times.
4. Blog style email newsletter
As the name states, the blog-style email newsletters feature a collection of informational blogs.
If your brand has active blog pages and you want your readers to benefit from them, you can send them blog-style newsletters, etc.
Just like Unlayer sends blog newsletters to its customers to benefit from the tips, suggestions, and examples mentioned in these blogs. The best part about such a newsletter is that it doesn't require extensive personalization or lengthy content.
All you have to do is link the most useful blog content in this newsletter, and you are good.
Here. have a look:
5. User-generated email newsletter
Creating a user-generated newsletter is a very smart strategy, and users love it!
A user-generated newsletter consists of reviews, testimonials, or case studies of your users. Subscribers like it because it gives them a feeling of authority and relatability.
After all, why wouldn’t they like something that involves them?
This interactive email newsletter is ideal to keep your subscribers interested and engaged with your brand. Also, it can help your brand to collect valuable feedback from your customers.
6. Promotional email newsletters
Promotional email newsletters are pretty popular among users as well.
Statistics say that 49% of respondents like to receive promotional emails from their favorite brands. You can send promotional emails to introduce sales, discount offers, or new products.
The main goal of your promotional email newsletters will be to make sales and increase profit. Depending on your brand's preference, you can send them any time of the year or on special holidays.
7. Visually focused email newsletter
Research says that we process visual information 60,000 times faster than text.
Using this idea, some companies plan to send out email newsletters that focus more on embedding videos and images to provide more information to users through visual content.
It’s a great strategy to boost engagement in your email newsletter and keep your subscribers hooked to your newsletters.
Just like this attention-grabbing newsletter from The Outline.
8. Seasonal email newsletter
Honestly, people will love anything about a holiday, so seasonal or holiday email newsletters are a must.
You can offer value to your customers by sending holiday email newsletters in multiple ways. You can give them tips to celebrate the holiday with recipe suggestions, decorative ideas, gift suggestions. And best of all, you can promote your items with special discount offers.
Statistics say that in 2019 alone, holiday sales surpassed the trillion-dollar sign. All the more reason to promote your items or products.
9. Event Newsletters
Event email newsletters are also called invitation newsletters.
If your company hosts many events, you must opt for this newsletter. It will include the date, timings, locations of each event, along with attractive images embedded in it to excite your readers to respond.
Many readers look forward to receiving event newsletter emails from their favorite brands.
Here’s one such example from Wistia.
10. Hybrid email newsletter
Without a doubt, it is the most popular kind of email newsletter, and it’s pretty obvious why!
The hybrid email newsletter consists of a mixture of different types of email newsletters (promotional, curated, blog, etc.).
Users love it because they can find a variety of stuff in a single newsletter. You can go with this type if you plan on updating your readers in multiple ways.
The Crux
Well, we have pretty much said everything already.
All you have to do now is roll up your sleeves, select the perfect type of newsletters that your subscribers will love, and start creating.
Good luck!