You didn’t want your newsletter to become a snoozefest, but you’ve been noticing your open rates and click-through rates dropping at nearly the same rate as your enthusiasm. You started your email newsletter with the best of intentions, but now it’s tired and not packing the same punch it used to.

What can you do to breathe life back into your newsletter after months or years of the same old thing?

There’s plenty. Here are 11 tips and examples to help you spice up your newsletter and keep your prospects moving happily down your sales funnel.

Make an offer.

A newsletter may primarily be a top-funnel tool, but sometimes switching it up and making a compelling offer can be just what you needed to reignite your subscribers’ spark with your brand.

Brainstorm some offers that even your most skeptical prospects can’t resist: a freebie, a massive giveaway contest, an Amazon gift card, or a refer-a-friend program are some examples. Or, segment your subscribers by phase in the customer journey and send tailored offers to each group instead of blasting them with the same offer.

Also, consider providing a reward in exchange for feedback. This is a good tactic if you’re concerned that people just aren’t interested in your content.

Add a “Play Video” image

Though not all email programs will properly display rich media like video, that doesn’t mean you should shy away from using it. Rather than embed a video in your email newsletter and risk getting blocked by spam filters, place a thumbnail image of a video clip with a playback symbol in the center to entice readers to click.

Spice up your subject lines.

If your subject line is something like “Company XYZ Newsletter,” this one’s for you. Your subject line is your first impression, so make it good! Ask a question, use ellipses to raise curiosity, try a turn of phrase or pun, make a bold statement. Better yet, run an A/B test to see which subject lines are actually converting — and which aren’t.

Try a new call to action.

Your readers may love your content, but may not be responsive simply because they don’t know what you expect them to do. Add a clear call to action button in your email, encouraging readers to take the next step.

Promote someone else’s stuff.

We all know variety is the spice of life. Yet, many companies fall prey to the notion that their newsletters must only contain a roundup of their own content. Switch things up and share one of your favorite industry-related articles from around the web. Your readers will appreciate the diversity, and it’ll show that you’re truly interested in helping your readership – not just promoting your brand.

Use GIFs.

Animated GIFs are massively enticing. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to ignore something that’s moving? Appeal to this phenomenon by placing a GIF within the body of your newsletter – just make sure it’s relevant to your content and brand. Use a free tool like Giphy to get started making custom GIFs for your newsletters. Experiment with funny GIFs, inspiring GIFs, and promotional GIFs that showcase your product, service, or company culture.

Add new sections.

If your newsletter is text-only, or only features a roundup of blog posts from your site, consider adding different sections to spice up your email content. Put a customer in the spotlight, share a coupon, add an infographic or image, and measure how your readers respond.

Do a design makeover.

If you’ve been using the same newsletter design for years, it may be time for an overhaul. Experiment with new layouts, bright and bold colors, high-quality photography, and other stylish design elements to bring your newsletter into the 21st century. Your designs and content should complement each other, so brainstorm how you can add value and clarify the meaning of your words through imagery.

If you’re not a designer, that’s okay! Try an intuitive design program like Canva to help you create original images and graphics without the technical know-how.

Build anticipation through consistency.

When you incorporate similar elements across all of your newsletters, subscribers start looking forward to seeing those elements – which builds anticipation.

There are several ways to build anticipation within your newsletter. You could raise a question or make a promise at the beginning, only to answer or fulfill it at the end of the email. You could add an inspiring or humorous sign-off, or a similar “letter from the editor” to add a personal touch.

You could incorporate a theme (this will streamline your content development process, and if it’s a hit, you can repeat the theme later with all-new content to excite your readers). You could even beckon your reader to another platform – give them a URL to follow, offer to send them something by mail, or send them to a forum or social media chat.

Add something massively useful.

Give away a free branded resource, or provide a link to something that’ll help your reader right now. For example, a professional networking company might include links to recent job postings that match the subscriber’s interests and experience. Or, a food and beverage company might share an easy seasonal recipe with subscribers.

Hire a copywriter.

If you’re a small business owner or solo professional, you’re used to handling everything yourself. However, sometimes the best investment you can make is to outsource the activities that are the biggest drain on your time and energy – and for some, writing is exactly that.

When all else fails, consider hiring a copywriter to help punch up your newsletter content. Hiring a copywriter doesn’t just alleviate the burden on you, but it will often improve the quality of your content as well. A pro will write with your exact audience in mind, and help you craft calls-to-action and other copy that drives conversions and clicks.

What can you do to breathe life back into your newsletter after months or years of the same old thing?

There’s plenty. Here are 11 tips and examples to help you spice up your newsletter and keep your prospects moving happily down your sales funnel.

Make an offer.

A newsletter may primarily be a top-funnel tool, but sometimes switching it up and making a compelling offer can be just what you needed to reignite your subscribers’ spark with your brand.

Brainstorm some offers that even your most skeptical prospects can’t resist: a freebie, a massive giveaway contest, an Amazon gift card, or a refer-a-friend program are some examples. Or, segment your subscribers by phase in the customer journey and send tailored offers to each group instead of blasting them with the same offer.

Also, consider providing a reward in exchange for feedback. This is a good tactic if you’re concerned that people just aren’t interested in your content.

Add a “Play Video” image

Though not all email programs will properly display rich media like video, that doesn’t mean you should shy away from using it. Rather than embed a video in your email newsletter and risk getting blocked by spam filters, place a thumbnail image of a video clip with a playback symbol in the center to entice readers to click.

Spice up your subject lines.

If your subject line is something like “Company XYZ Newsletter,” this one’s for you. Your subject line is your first impression, so make it good! Ask a question, use ellipses to raise curiosity, try a turn of phrase or pun, make a bold statement. Better yet, run an A/B test to see which subject lines are actually converting — and which aren’t.

Try a new call to action.

Your readers may love your content, but may not be responsive simply because they don’t know what you expect them to do. Add a clear call to action button in your email, encouraging readers to take the next step.

Promote someone else’s stuff.

We all know variety is the spice of life. Yet, many companies fall prey to the notion that their newsletters must only contain a roundup of their own content. Switch things up and share one of your favorite industry-related articles from around the web. Your readers will appreciate the diversity, and it’ll show that you’re truly interested in helping your readership — not just promoting your brand.

Use GIFs.

Animated GIFs are massively enticing. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to ignore something that’s moving? Appeal to this phenomenon by placing a GIF within the body of your newsletter — just make sure it’s relevant to your content and brand. Use a free tool like Giphy to get started making custom GIFs for your newsletters. Experiment with funny GIFs, inspiring GIFs, and promotional GIFs that showcase your product, service, or company culture.

Add new sections.

If your newsletter is text-only, or only features a roundup of blog posts from your site, consider adding different sections to spice up your email content. Put a customer in the spotlight, share a coupon, add an infographic or image, and measure how your readers respond.

Do a design makeover.

If you’ve been using the same newsletter design for years, it may be time for an overhaul. Experiment with new layouts, bright and bold colors, high-quality photography, and other stylish design elements to bring your newsletter into the 21st century. Your designs and content should complement each other, so brainstorm how you can add value and clarify the meaning of your words through imagery.

If you’re not a designer, that’s okay! Try an intuitive design program like Canva to help you create original images and graphics without the technical know-how.

Build anticipation through consistency.

When you incorporate similar elements across all of your newsletters, subscribers start looking forward to seeing those elements – which builds anticipation.

There are several ways to build anticipation within your newsletter. You could raise a question or make a promise at the beginning, only to answer or fulfill it at the end of the email. You could add an inspiring or humorous sign-off, or a similar “letter from the editor” to add a personal touch.

You could incorporate a theme (this will streamline your content development process, and if it’s a hit, you can repeat the theme later with all-new content to excite your readers). You could even beckon your reader to another platform — give them a URL to follow, offer to send them something by mail, or send them to a forum or social media chat.

Add something massively useful.

Give away a free branded resource, or provide a link to something that’ll help your reader right now. For example, a professional networking company might include links to recent job postings that match the subscriber’s interests and experience. Or, a food and beverage company might share an easy seasonal recipe with subscribers.

Hire a copywriter.

If you’re a small business owner or solo professional, you’re used to handling everything yourself. However, sometimes the best investment you can make is to outsource the activities that are the biggest drain on your time and energy — and for some, writing is exactly that.

When all else fails, consider hiring a copywriter to help punch up your newsletter content. Hiring a copywriter doesn’t just alleviate the burden on you, but it will often improve the quality of your content as well. A pro will write with your exact audience in mind, and help you craft calls-to-action and other copy that drives conversions and clicks.

Author Bio:

by Benchmark Team