Your email newsletter builds trust with your email subscribers, which can turn them into loyal customers! Grab our secrets to writing engaging email newsletters to keep your customers opening them (and buying from you).
Hey, y’all! One of the most important cogs in the wheel of my business is my email list. I CANNOT stress enough the importance of that list because it’s one of the key components that separates successful Craftpreneuers from unsuccessful business owners.
Craftpreneuers spend tons of time making their products and then promoting them, right? We utilize Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Etsy, and other avenues to get the word out about our products and try to sell them.
Don’t get me wrong, those sites are useful tools for any business, but they shouldn’t be your ONLY way of connecting with your customers.
Why?
Because those people who look around or even follow you aren’t “your” people. They are customers of Facebook, Instagram, Etsy, or wherever you found them. And the hard truth is that if those sites shut down, they take “your” customers with them.
So how do you avoid that potential dilemma? You build an email list.
Benefits Of An Email List
There are many advantages to having an email list, not the least of which is connecting with your customers. Successful businesses build engaged email lists and grow those lists for a reason: because it’s worth it, y’all!
Here are a few benefits of having an engaged email list:
- You own your list. It can’t be taken away from you if social media shuts down (or your account gets shut down).
- An email list makes it easy to stay in touch with your customers. Just send a quick email newsletter announcement about your sale or new product!
- Email builds connection and trust.
- Customers on your email list are more likely to purchase your products than social media followers are.
How To Use Your Email List: The Effective Email Newsletter
Here’s another hard truth: having an email list will do you NO good unless that list is an engaged one – a list that you email regularly to share compelling content that makes readers want to open, read, and click.
Ultimately, your email newsletters have two purposes:
- Help your perfect person (#1 purpose)
- Sell your handmade items to your perfect person
Pro Tip: EVERY email newsletter that you send to your subscribers should be 80% helpful for your perfect person and 20% sales.
Over time, your engaged email newsletter will turn readers into loyal customers!
How We Structure Our Email Newsletters
Y’all, I have done A LOT of testing with my email newsletters. Through trial and error (and a whole lot of mistakes), I have finally landed on a system that works really well for my business. I’m sharing it with you, so you don’t have to start your email newsletters from scratch.
Using a general email newsletter outline is CRUCIAL for making writing my emails easier (no more “I don’t know what to say”!).
My outline helps me to:
- Write my emails quickly AND effectively.
- Connect authentically with my perfect person through conversational emails.
- Share new or important information.
- Address pain points that my perfect person is facing.
- Sell my products.
Remember, your email newsletters are about engaging with your subscribers and building trust with them so that they become loyal customers!
Newsletter Ideas: Our Email Newsletter Outline
Here is our general outline for all our emails:
Section 1: Quick Introduction And “Hello” To Readers
Here’s where you connect with your readers. Tell them what you’ve been working on, what you did last weekend, or something else relatable, so they get to know the person behind the crafts.
Section 2: Share A Quick Mention Of 3-4 Recent Blog Posts (link to those posts)
- Blog 1: (topic) – share a brief synopsis and link (1-2 sentences). If they want more info, they’ll go read it.
- Blog 2 (topic)
- Blog 3 (topic)
Section 3: Give 2-3 Quick Tips To Help Your Perfect Person Solve Their Pain Points.
Have supply chain issues been bringing you down? Here are a few tips to make the most out of the supplies you already have!
- #1 Tip
- #2 Tip
- #3 Tip
Section 4: Close Your Email Newsletter
This is another area where you can connect with your readers and help build that trust. Maybe give them an interesting detail about upcoming plans, a teaser about a new project you are working on, or an announcement about when they can catch you in person (or by live video!).
Then, close out your email.
Section 5: The “P.S.”
THIS is the section where you can CASUALLY mention your products. This should not be a hard sell, y’all, because NO ONE likes that. If someone feels like you’re going to sell them something in every email you send, they’ll stop opening your newsletters.
If people knew that every time they opened your email, they would get some really cool tips, wouldn’t they read it? After all, getting someone TO READ your emails is 95% of the challenge!
Email Newsletter Example: Putting The Outline Into Practice
Let’s put it into practice. Here’s what this outline might look like in action (a shortened version):
Hey, y’all! I managed to take some time off this weekend and get outside to enjoy the warm spring weather with my dogs! It made them happy, and felt so good to be out there!
Here’s what’s new on the blog:
- Quick and Simple Ladybug Grapevine Wreath – You’re gonna love how this one turned out!
- Patriotic Deco Mesh Grapevine Wreath – Perfect for Memorial Day!
- DIY Summer Road Trip Inspired Wreath – This one will inspire you to hit the road.
Helpful Tips for This Week:
- Favorite Cleaning Tip – Never vacuum again when you use a Roomba!
- Favorite Crockpot Meal – When you want to spend your time crafting instead of cooking, this quick and easy recipe will let you do both!
- Favorite Time Saver – Use the leftovers from your crockpot meal this way to feel like a completely different meal with no extra cooking.
I hope you’re able to get out and enjoy the weather this weekend – it’s gonna be gorgeous outside!
Damon
P.S. I just added a TON of new springtime wreaths to the Etsy shop. Grab yours before it’s gone!
See? It’s that simple! And when you use an easy-to-follow template like this one, there’s no more agonizing over what to say to your subscribers. Just follow the template, be authentic, and watch your business grow as you build trust.
How To Make A Good Email Newsletter: Final Tips
- To keep your readers engaged and opening your emails, send your email newsletter once a week, on a regular day of the week, so they come to expect to hear from you.
- In order to decide which day of the week to send your newsletters, take some time to think through what people are doing each day of the week (I write mine on Wednesdays and send them out on Thursdays).
- Have a purpose for every email newsletter you send.
- Talk directly to your perfect person, so they start to feel that connection with you.
- Include a call to action: directions for what to do if they want to find out more (or check out your sales page). Adding a button is great!
- Your email newsletter is all about your perfect person – not you! Make it helpful for them.
FAQs
If you have a few questions about writing engaging newsletters that turn your readers into loyal customers, you aren’t alone! Here are some common questions I see and their answers.
What makes a successful email newsletter?
The key is to focus on your customer – their needs and pain points. By following that general 80-20 rule, your emails are mostly filled with things that help your customer and only touch on self-promotion.
Put your customer first, and you’ll have successful email newsletters!
Should I include pictures in my email newsletters?
Generally, I would say no because studies on email deliverability rates (how many emails make it INTO your subscribers’ inboxes instead of being FILTERED into the SPAM folder) show that images can make your emails look like SPAM.
That said, I do occasionally include an image, but I try not to more often than I do.
How long should I make my email newsletter?
In our crazy, rushed world, shorter is better. Or phrased more accurately, concise is the word of the day. Say what you need to say, but try to keep it short and sweet.
Make your email newsletters easy to skim in just a few seconds and include any essential links so readers can access what they want quickly.
More Business Help
There you go! Email newsletters in a nutshell. I hope our email newsletter outline helps you write engaging emails to your readers that they’ll look for in their inbox each week.
Ultimately, knowing your perfect person will help you create engaging email newsletters. Can you identify what they think they need? Can you offer them solutions for their problems?
Treat your email subscribers like personal friends, and you’ll have the right approach.
Check out these posts for more business inspiration:
- The Crafters Guide to Managing Imposter Syndrome
- 4 Ways to Build an Email List and Help Your Craft Business
- 5 Reasons You Need a Virtual Assistant
- How to Open a Shop and Sell on Etsy
For more business help, check out my business coaching page.
If you have any questions about wreath-making supplies, please leave a comment below or post your comment on our How To Make Wreaths Facebook Group.
Also, if you are interested in more info on learning how to sell wreaths, how to make wreaths, where to buy supplies, and being in a community of like-minded crafters, check out our Creative Coaching Subscription Group.
Finally, if you’re interested in learning how to successfully build your creative business, join Damon’s Inner Circle.
If you love to craft, check out our Eat. Sleep. Craft. Repeat. t-shirts and click on the picture below!