What is in Newsletters on Websites in 6 Helpful Elements
Understanding what is in newsletters on websites is critical when 79% of B2B marketers think that newsletters are the best way to distribute content. This makes newsletters one of the best and most important marketing methods that companies/brands can use. The six elements that are in newsletters on websites are:
- Organization.
- Branding.
- Tone.
- Design.
- Font.
- Images.
What are Newsletters
Purpose
Companies and Brands use newsletters to share relevant news, stories, updates, products, sales, and other information to their users, clients, partners, customers, readers, etc. Newsletters are a way to make sure readers are on the same page as the brand and up to date in current events in the field by:
- Bringing readers up to speed on current events.
- Explaining where and why the brand stands on current issues.
- Going into details about the affects other industries and world events have on their industries.
- Keeping readers coming back by including interesting factoids and data.
What Newsletters are Not
Newsletters are not an essay that tries to convince the readers of a premise or thesis statement. They should be more a friendly letter about current events or updates in the relevant field to the brand (or about a part of a different field that affects their own field).
They are not a conversation with readers. They can start one, but there’s very little feedback from readers on them (unless you say something that badly offends your readers; then you get lots of loud feedback). Thus, Newsletters should only contain facts and logic that can be backed up with sources with some common pathos (feeling) sprinkled in for understanding.
What is in Newsletters on Websites
Layout/Organization
The first element that is in newsletters on websites is its layout or organization. Make sure your newsletters are easy to quickly scan since most readers don’t want to read all of it. Make sure that it is organized logically and labeled clearly with headers and critical/main ideas are bolded. As a general rule, keep 3-5 similar elements and items together. Make sure that the way you organize/categorize elements is logical and easy to pick up on. This helps with the feeling of unison in the design and gives a sense of what to expect that helps users find things easily.
Buttons and links help website and app designers guide users from the newsletter to pages that go into more detail on a topic, leading them to/through your site. Buttons can be designed a number of ways, but are usually a different color than the background and circle or oval shape. Buttons can be personalized further to give them a unique feel to make the website design more personalized for the brand.
Branding
The second element that is in newsletters on websites is the branding of the company. Branding is a combination of the place in the field of work that the company does, values that the company has along with what customers care about, and the personality and tone of the company that sets it apart from the competition. This is represented by symbols, icons, logos, colors, word choice, graphics, and other things. For marketing purposes, good branding makes it easier to tell what you do, what your values are, why consumers should favor your brand, etc.
Newsletters should have the brand’s logo clearly placed at the top of the first page. It also should have the brand’s values and goals in mind in its wording and images. For example, a brand that wants to focus on sustainability should use greens and leaves for colors and symbols while a brand that focuses on inclusivity should have bold colors and people holding hands as symbols (as logical for what is being conveyed in the text).
Tone
The next part that is in newsletters on websites is the tone of how it was written. A writer’s tone can be hard for readers to discern unless the writer is clear and does not expect the reader to read their mind about the writer’s intent and meaning. Tone is usually conveyed through the words the writer chose, but the organization of phrases, clauses, sentences, and paragraphs also contribute to a writing’s tone. Even how you start a sentence changes the tone of your writing.
Design
The next part that is in newsletters on websites is what it looks like to the user. Make sure there is good contrast between colors and keep in mind the color-blind when choosing colors (look up common types of color blindness for this). The best colors for design of a website newsletter depend on what the website is for, who will be using it, and what the tone of the site and the owners want and like.
More professional websites usually have neutral/cooler colors as their main colors with a primary or secondary color for accent to give a formal/subdued feeling. For a more casual and comfortable tone, websites usually have more warm and brighter colors to make their users more calm and relaxed.
Font
A font is the design or a consistent way that letters in words are written. The critical effects of the type of font that content is written in are: the readability of it, the tone and character of it, the mood or emotion of it, the personality, and the branding. Picking specific fonts will build certain expectations, so pick one for your newsletter that matches your tone and your (or your businesses) personality while still being easy to read by those with reading disabilities. Keep the font size nice and large both on desktops and mobiles for those with visual disabilities.
Images
Craftily, newsletters designers use images to reinforce facts, topics, and other information. Images include cartoons, graphics, graphs, and photographs (yes, stock images too). Since most people are visual learners, use beautiful yet relevant images to reinforce ideas of the text. It is best to use/make your own to avoid copyright and make your site unique. Whatever images you use in the newsletter should be large and clear without being garish or overwhelming. If possible images, particularly cartoons and graphics should be flatter rather than 3D; this makes the image smoother and more a part of the overall design (this also makes the newsletter load faster).
Summary
Companies and Brands use newsletters to share relevant news, stories, updates, products, sales, and other information to their users, clients, partners, customers, readers, etc. Newsletters are not an essay that tries to convince the readers of a premise or thesis statement. They should be more a friendly letter about current events or updates in the relevant field to the brand (or about a part of a different field that affects their own field). The six parts that are in newsletters on websites are:
- Organization.
- Branding.
- Tone.
- Design.
- Font.
- Images.
