What Should You Include in a Business Email Newsletter?
Just like every other marketing channel, content rules still apply to email newsletters. The most important rule?
Lead with value — not sales.
If your email shows up in someone’s inbox, it should provide useful or interesting information, not just a list of reasons why your business is amazing. (That’s why people mute brands on Instagram.)
Content Ideas for Business Email Newsletters
Here are some newsletter content types that we have seen consistently perform well (more on how we know that in a moment).
💡 Tips, how-to’s, and industry insights
🎯 Share actionable advice that helps your audience solve problems or improve their work.
🏆 Employee spotlights (include milestones like work anniversaries or team achievements)
📰 Product or service updates including new offerings and a hook such ask, “You’re the first to know!”
Make Your Emails Easy to Skim
People spend an average of about one minute skimming an email newsletter. If you think about it - that’s pretty long compared to the 30 seconds you have to grab someone’s attention in a social media post.
How can you be sure your “skimmable” email newsletter is still readable? Be sure you have the following:
Short paragraphs
Mobile-friendly layout
Helpful links for those interested in learning more
External links are especially important because they encourage readers to take action, whether that’s reading a blog, downloading a resource, or booking an appointment. And, it tells you something important about how interested they are in your services.
How to Measure Newsletter Success
Like any marketing channel, email newsletters require testing. Pay attention to the metrics that tell you whether your strategy is working - and don’t get hung up on the ones that don’t matter.
Open Rates
Across most industries, open rates hover around 40%.
However, Apple Mail and some spam filters automatically mark emails as opened, so this number isn’t always accurate. This should tell you two things - 1) If your open rate is consistently lower than this 40% - you need to clean up your list (scrub any dead email accounts) and 2) Focus on the action people are taking once they open your email newsletter.
Click-Through Rates
What really matters is click-through rate (CTR). If at least 2% of your list clicks on your newsletter, you’re doing well. Those clicks should lead to actions like:
Filling out a form
Downloading a whitepaper
Booking a consultation
It could even mean sending people to check out a revamped website, or your “new” Facebook page. Even if the page itself isn’t new - but you aren’t seeing a lot of new followers on it - simply asking people to give you a follow is all they need to actually do it.
The Biggest Newsletter Mistake
Don’t send a newsletter just because you think you should.
Some business owners assume that using more marketing tools automatically means better results.
But without a clear purpose — and without understanding what your audience actually wants to read — your newsletter can easily become wasted effort.
A strong newsletter strategy always starts with value, relevance, and intention.
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Need help building your email newsletter strategy? We’re here to help!