If you’re not mailing your list weekly, you’re losing money.
If you don’t mail at least once a week, half of your subscribers won’t remember you the next time you reach out.
I’ve been sending newsletters for over a decade. So I’ve learned a thing or two about how to be consistent with it.
One of my secrets is using proven newsletter templates.
Templates act like a mental crutch. You pull them up whenever you need to create something and then simply fill in the blanks.
You can download the cheat sheet with all the templates mentioned here.
The Listicle
This is the easiest way to create a newsletter fast.
Enter: The listicle. It’s the fast food of content, and let’s face it, sometimes you’re in a drive-thru kind of mood.
Imagine this: you want to teach your audience how to boost their conversion rates. You know, that golden metric that turns browsers into buyers.
Your aim? Quick, actionable tips.
Maybe it’s “7 Proven Ways to Optimize Your Call-to-Action Buttons” or “5 Hacks for Making Your Landing Page Stickier Than a Honey Pot.”
See what I did there? I simply threw together a few tips to achieve the desired outcome. Listicles let you take big, daunting tasks like improving conversions and turn them into bite-sized, digestible nuggets.
Oh, you’re thinking listicles are lazy writing? Spare me. Done right, they’re not just a laundry list; they’re a curated guide. Your reader wants to know you’ve sifted through the chaff and found the gems, right? And let’s get real. In the digital age, the human attention span rivals that of a goldfish. A listicle is like a fishing hook—short, shiny, and to the point.
Here’s a simple template you can use:
1. Introduction
2. Tip 1
3. Tip 2
4. Tip 3
5. Wrap up
For each tip, explain:
– What the tip is about
– Why it works
– How to implement it
Each one of those points can be expressed in 1-2 sentences. Easy. Fast.
Offer Actionable, Quick Fixes.
The case study
This one is the most personal of all the templates I’ll share.
Enter: The case study.
Your audience has seen the stats, read the tips, and maybe even messed around with a tutorial or two. But they’re craving something real—proof in the pudding, as they say.
This is where you go from generic advice to tangible results. Nothing screams ‘real-world application’ louder than a well-crafted case study.
Let’s circle back to our recurring theme—boosting conversion rates. This time, however, the title is different: “How I Increased My Conversion Rates by 35.49% in Just 14 Days and Increased My Digital Product Sales to $2,341.28 a Day.”.
Now, who wouldn’t click on that?
In this narrative, you’re both the scientist and the lab rat.
Here’s the template:
First, present the problem. Lay it bare: “I was losing money every day with a conversion rate as flat as a pancake.”
Then, unfold your methodology:
– What A/B tests did you run?
– What variables did you manipulate?
– What was your thought process?
– What tools did you use?
– What went wrong?
– What worked like a charm?
– How can your audience implement that?
The good ol’ tutorial
You’ve got wisdom to share.
Your audience looks up to you, not just for quick fixes but for that secret sauce, that recipe for success. And guess what? A tutorial is your chance to hand them the cookbook. This is where you break down “improving conversions” into a walk-along journey, not just tossing a map in their lap.
Imagine a tutorial titled, “The Ultimate Guide to Crafting Call-to-Actions That Convert Like Crazy.”
Sure, a listicle might’ve given them the ingredients:
– action verbs
– benefit-driven language
– scarcity tactics.
But you’re not just handing over a shopping list; you’re in the kitchen with them, showing them exactly how to blend those ingredients into a Michelin-star dish.
Your tutorial is the GPS navigation to their destination.
Here’s how:
1. Start by identifying the problem (A)
2. Identify the desired outcome (B)
3. Lay out how to go from A to B in a sequential order.
Here’s a simple template to use:
- Intro: You’re at step A
- Step 1
- Step 2
- Step 3
- Conclusion: Congrats, you’ve reached your destination
To avoid your how-to newsletter being too long, focus on small and easy to achieve outcomes. As an example, don’t talk about how to reach one million views with your writing. Instead, focus on how to write great headlines to get more views.
This will give you more to write about, and make sure it’s actionable and digestible.
The collection
You know what’s better than a single ace up your sleeve?
An entire deck of them. Sometimes your audience doesn’t just want one pathway to success. They want options, a toolkit, and a Swiss Army knife of resources they can use.
Enter: the collection.
Think of it as your personal recommendation list. You’re the seasoned traveler in the lobby, sharing hot tips on local spots.
Resources can be:
– Tools
– Books
– Tweets
– Plugins
– TedTalks
– Podcasts
– …
So back to my conversion example.
The title could be something like “5 Game-Changing A/B Testing Tools That Will Skyrocket Your Conversion Rates.”
The key is to show you’re implementing the resources or mention a takeaway.
You introduce tool number one, say, a testing platform. Sure, it’s great for A/B testing, but how did it serve you? Maybe it provided killer analytics that transformed how you understood user behavior. That’s the nugget, your personal spin.
Don’t just list. Explain why each resource made it to your list.
It says, “I’ve been there, sifted through the junk, and these are the tools that actually deliver.”
Final thoughts
Sending out a newsletter each week is key to keeping your list engaged.
These proven templates will allow you to write it easily in 20 minutes or less.
You can download the cheat sheet with all the templates mentioned here…