Email newsletters are quickly becoming a popular option in addition to direct mail. However, with the huge growth of email usage, it is becoming harder to get readers to open emails and view the content, much less avoid spam filters and junk email folders. Jakob Nielsen did an in-depth study several years ago, analyzing email newsletters and the readers’ habits. From these results, we offer several tips for you:
1) Keep the sign-up process simple—In Nielsen’s study, he found that if websites would simplify their subscription process for the email newsletters, they could increase their subscription rate by nearly 25 percent. People are now more willing to sign-up for newsletters; use this to your advantage and draw in as many people as possible.
2) The first words in your subject line and titles are critical—Nearly 67% of readers would skip reading introductions. Instead, they would tend to read the first two words of titles because that gives them an idea of if they want to read that content.
3) Include the information you want people to see the most at the start of your newsletter—Readers are typically only going to read 19% of the newsletter content. They are scanning to find the important information you have to offer. Include the items you want people to take action at the beginning. If you like at Nielsen’s report, you can see that time in viewing the newsletter decreases as the newsletter goes on.
4) Solid content is very important—This idea does not just apply to the social media world. Stories are good to include, but ultimately, people are looking for the content you have to offer them. What are the statistics? How are things working? What is useful to them?
5) Incorporate links into your newsletter—The more links you can give readers back to pages on your website, the better. This increases website traffic and creates awareness of your web presence. Side-bar links may not be the main focus of attention in a newsletter, but they still are helpful tool. Add a “Donate Now” link or the links to your social media sites. The point is to give readers as many options as possible to go back to your ministry. Of course, there is a need for moderation—having an excessive amount of links is distracting. Just use simple hyperlinks, and place them at effective points.
Remember, these email newsletters are about solidifying the relationships you have with people. Having a balance of information and stories is helpful. Take time to plan out carefully your content and titles.
Additional information taken from Jakob Nielsen’s report “Email Newsletters: Surviving Inbox Congestion”
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-- Jessica High is a Research Assistant at Christian Foundation Grants (www.christianfoundationgrants.com) which is a subscription database of foundations that provide grants to faith based organizations. iDonate.com is a website (www.iDonate.com) that allows ministries to receive non cash gifts online