Email Newsletter Format Issues

Robert F. Abbott, the author of A Manager's Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for Results writes this article on email newsletter format issues.

Email Newsletter Format, Part 1: The Header

Managing Subscriber addresses: At the top of your email message you see the header, where you insert addresses and a subject heading. It all looks simple enough, but there are some email newsletter format tricks and tips you should know, and one very important warning. Let's start with that warning:

In addressing your email newsletter, do not put subscriber names or email addresses in the TO or the CC (Carbon Copy) field. Addresses in either of these fields are visible to all recipients, and if you have one unscrupulous person on your list, that person could start sending spam to the rest of your list.

Always put email newsletter subscriber addresses in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) field where no one but you will see their addresses. This is very important in retaining their confidence. In fact, this might now be the single most important point to remember if you send an email message to any group.

So, to whom should the email newsletter be addressed? Probably yourself. You can use your regular address, or set up a special address for the newsletter only. One other thought: use the CC field as a place to put the name of someone who wants to make their address known. For example, if you include a special offer by a third party in the newsletter, you can CC that third party, and as a result provide a backup email address.

Subject line: Make this line as strong as possible. It's the hook that encourages the reader to scroll down the page to your article(s) in the email newsletter. Try looking through the subject lines of the newsletters you now receive, and see what works for you.

The simplest approach, and an effective one, is to put the name of your email newsletter in the subject line. That works well if readers find the content consistently helpful or interesting. But don't depend on just the name - here are some ideas for other hooks that may increase readership.

Make it descriptive, since many email newsletter readers quickly scan the subject lines and hit the Delete button if it doesn't immediately grab their attention. If that descriptive text hints at a solution to a problem shared by your readers, then you've got a winner.

Here's another subject line tip that may help you increase readership. Several email newsletter gurus recommend putting the date of the issue in the subject line, and I've tried that myself. In the limited testing I've done, it seemed to increase the number of clicks on the embedded ads.

This is how a recent subject line for Abbott's Communication Letter looked to my subscribers:
April 27-05 Communication Letter - Communication & Company Size

Explanations: April 27th is, of course, the date. Communication Letter is an abbreviation of the name of my email newsletter; and "Communication & Company Size" is the title of the article that week.

Altogether, the whole subject line seems a bit long, but it does cover several bases, so it's what I'll use until I've done more testing.

In summary: Don't look at the header of your email newsletter as something to be glossed over or completed quickly. It can, quite literally, make or break your newsletter.

Email Newsletter Format, Part 2: The Body

When subscribers' email readers (programs) receive your text newsletter, they will display it in all kinds of ways. Not only are there different programs, but each one has several customization options.

One of the problems arising out of this diversity is line length. In extreme cases, recipients will get one extremely long line for each paragraph, because their email programs have not wrapped the lines (ended each line after a specified number of characters and moved the text onto a new line). In other cases, the lines may be too long for comfortable reading.

How do you deal with this? Opinions vary, again. Some publishers recommend you hit the RETURN key at the end of each line (hard returns), to make sure the text wraps. Others advocate setting a line length (65 characters or less) in the Preferences section of your email program.

If you do use hard returns, use a fixed-space font like Courier or Monaco. That way you can simply set your margins to an appropriate line length and hit the return key at the end of each line. If you forget and use a variable-space font (like Arial or Times), your readers will get all kinds of variations, since many of them will use different fonts. You can also change your fonts back to something you like again after putting in the hard returns.

Apostrophes and quotation marks: Many of us use these symbols liberally when we write, and quite frankly they improve the reading process. But, be sure you use the appropriate versions of these marks, which means using the straight foot and inch symbols, rather than curled apostrophes and quotation marks.

If you don't do this, some of your readers will get a message in which all apostrophes and quotation marks have disappeared. It will look like you don't know how to spell, or worse. Overcome this problem by using the Find & Replace function in your word processing program to make the changes quickly and easily.

And, it may seem obvious, but if you send out a text email newsletter, separate the paragraphs with double returns. Don't try to use tabs or spaces to set off a new paragraph - in many cases the formatting will go astray and your readers won't know you are starting a new paragraph.

If your original document doesn't use double returns, you can change it over quickly and easily, using our old friend, the Find & Replace function in your word processing program. Put one return symbol in the Find field, two in the Replace field, and hit Change All (or whatever your program uses for these terms).

One thing you can generally ignore is the font or typeface (unless, as noted you're setting line lengths). Many readers will set their email programs to display all text messages in a font of their choosing, and likely won't see the font you use anyway.

After drafting your email newsletter, email a copy to yourself before sending it to your list. Even better, send it from one program and receive it with another. If you're like me, you'll be surprised at the problems that pop out when you do this. Not only content, but also formatting and links may look different, and you'll likely find errors that were not at all obvious in the original version.

While we're on this subject, don't forget to test the links you place. Click on each one to make sure it takes you where you want it to send your readers.

Summing up, be conscious of your formatting techniques when you create a text email newsletter. A little bit of extra attention will keep the text itself from getting in the way of your message.

Email Newsletter Format, Part 3: Privacy and Unsubscribing:

As you likely know from personal experience, the value of email has been greatly tarnished by spam, unsolicited messages, online junk mail. So, many subscribers and would-be subscribers care very much about the exposure of their email addresses.

Since this issue is so important, articulate a privacy policy for your email newsletter. Will you rent, sell, or exchange the names of your subscribers to other organizations or persons? While most of us have no plans to do so when we are small, that opinion can change as we grow our list.

Quite frankly, once your list gets to a certain size, you may be able to earn quite a bit of money by renting it out. Many magazine and subscription publishers find that the difference between a profit and loss is list rental income.

If you do decide to keep the list names strictly to yourself, post a message to that effect somewhere, either in the email newsletter itself, at sites where you collect the names of subscribers, or both. By posting, and adhering to, a privacy policy, you will get more subscribers.

If you're not sure whether you will or will not sell or rent the addresses, then put a note to that effect instead. Many companies do this by saying something like this: "Would you like to receive information messages by email from our valued partners?" To that, of course, you add a checkbox. The default position should be off, which is to say, subscribers have to click on the box to receive those mailings. And, needless to say, you must then respect the choice they make.

You must also make it quick and easy for subscribers to say good-bye. Each issue of your email newsletter should contain information explaining how to unsubscribe or be removed from the mailing list. There are many forms this information can take. To choose one, go through the email newsletters you now receive, and decide which you like best. Then, prepare your own notice, using this one as a guide. Of course, you will not copy anything directly, which would be plagiarism.

On the flip side, add information to each email newsletter that explains how to subscribe, and consider, too, putting in a line asking recipients to pass along your email newsletter to someone else who would benefit from it. A simple reminder like that could help you build your list, painlessly. Recommendations from a trusted colleague or friend will boost your subscriber list quickly.

Summing up, develop a privacy policy and stick to it. In addition, give your subscribers an escape hatch they can access quickly and easily.

Next, read my article on email newsletter tools , that explains which programs you can use to start your newsletter.