1. Long subject lines – Among the mistakes to avoid in your newsletters for business, keep your headlines short. Long headlines may get cut off in some email readers, especially in preview. Also, a pithier title is more likely to catch people’s eyes. Some experts, such as HubSpot, suggest you keep the headline under 45 characters — keystrokes, not words. 🙂
2. Long newsletters – You’ve heard it all before — people are busy and have short attention spans. They won’t always read content they have to keep scrolling through, especially on a mobile device. As an alternative, you can link back to a PDF or a web page, which is more appropriate for scrolling.
3. Bad links – Links are easy to overlook in the editing process. You can use a link checker or test them one by one to make sure they lead where you want them to go.
4. No links – Links help make text more visually appealing. And, if you’re promoting something, it makes sense to link back to a landing page for it, so this is your chance.
5. Not editing thoroughly – This is one of the most common mistakes to avoid in newsletters — don’t let it happen to you! Maybe you just need to send your e-newsletter ASAP because of breaking news. Perhaps you’re getting pressure to send it on short notice. If possible, take time to pore over every detail, from the wording to the paragraph length to the links and the contact information.
Need help with your newsletter? Contact me.
Quotes
“Don’t send out a newsletter just to send out a newsletter. One newsletter a year that is really interesting is more beneficial than 12 that are boring. If you write two or three boring newsletters in a row, your readers will start to think you write boring books.” ~ M.J. Rose
“Don’t tell users how to interact with your email. If it’s not intuitive enough, go back to the drawing board.” ~ Eric Lepetit, NEST
Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.
Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com
