What should you put in a newsletter?
It’s 1 thing to hear that a newsletter is a great way to stay in touch with your audience. Or to hear the frequently-cited email marketing statistics about how you can get back $40 for every dollar you spend.
But when you sit down to create newsletter content, what should you include?
How can you keep readers engaged with your email newsletters, and how do you come up with new content ideas? How do you make a good newsletter that speaks to your target audience and helps promote your product or service?
There are a lot of different reasons you might consider sending a newsletter.
- Email newsletters can be part of your email marketing strategy.
- A company newsletter can be used for marketing or recruiting.
- An employee newsletter can improve internal communication.
- A blog newsletter can share your latest blog posts.
- A product newsletter can include information about product updates.
And so on.
But whether you’re using your newsletter for marketing or anything else, you need to come up with newsletter ideas.
If you find yourself wondering “what should be in a newsletter,” wonder no more! This post will give you more than 60 newsletter ideas. It’s got fun ideas, ideas for events, ideas for social media and blogging, and more.
Newsletter ideas that’ll help you keep readers engaged
- How-to guides
- Blog posts
- Top 10 lists for [topic]
- Roundup newsletter
- Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
- Interviews with an expert
- Ask me anything
- Cool, unexpected ways to use your product
- An insider’s do’s and don’ts list
- Tip of the month
- Tweet of the week
- Behind-the-scenes content
- Slice of life stories
- Share your Spotify playlist
- Holiday newsletter
- Event invitations
- Event recaps
- Pictures of an event you went to
- Upcoming trade shows, panels, charity drives
- Industry news
- Hot take on the news
- Press coverage or guest posts
- New product announcements
- Job postings
- Social media contests and giveaways
- Limited-time coupon codes
- Referral rewards program
Newsletters related to your customers
- A thank you email (letter from the CEO)
- A poll or survey
- Customer stories and reviews
The Best Way To Send Newsletters Is With Automation
Value-packed newsletter ideas
The first type of newsletter idea is also the most important—add value.
Your newsletter offers an excellent way for you to stay in touch with your audience and build trust with them. In 2021, 86% of U.S. advertisers spending at least $10,000 annually on marketing said their newsletter created a vital connection between their brand and consumers.
The one-on-one communication made possible by email marketing is hard to get on social media and other places.
The best way to stay in touch? Free resources that help your readers solve their problems.
1. How-to guides
Most newsletters exist because their readers have problems that need solving. That’s why someone signs up for a newsletter in the first place. Step-by-step, in-depth guides are incredibly valuable resources—a great thing to send in your newsletter.
2. Blog posts
Share your latest blog post! When a blog post is published, email is one of the best ways to promote it.
After all, your email list is a group of people that’s already interested in what you have to say!
3. Top 10 lists for [topic]
What are the 10 best pieces of content on a specific topic that matters to your audience? Top 10 lists are valuable because they’re fun to read (“Ooh, which one’s the best?”) and because they’re easy to reference later.
4. Roundup newsletter
Have you published a lot of content recently? Have your tweets been on fire? Do you have a lot of different updates to share? Or maybe there’s an exciting piece of news in your industry—that a lot of people have covered?
If you have a lot of information to include in a newsletter—but no one piece is enough to have its own newsletter—consider putting it into a roundup newsletter template.
5. Frequently asked questions (FAQs)
You probably get a lot of the same questions over and over. Or your support team does. Or customer service. Or sales.
The point is—it's not that hard to get a list of frequently asked questions. You can look in your email inbox, talk to other teams, or take a look at live chat logs.
Then answer those questions in a newsletter.
What’s great about this newsletter idea is that it can help save you time in other places.
6. Interviews with an expert
Expert interviews are great pieces of content marketing. Especially if you have a “household name” expert (or at least someone well-known to your newsletter subscribers), share an interview in an email!
7. Ask me anything
One of the easiest ways to get newsletter content is to let your subscribers ask you anything.
An Ask Me Anything (or AMA) done over email is simple—you put out a call for questions, then invite people to respond.
Then you answer them. In an email. An email newsletter.
Hiten Shah did a version of this when he opened himself up to free coaching calls. The results show how popular this approach to newsletter ideas can be.
8. Cool, unexpected ways to use your product
Sometimes, people come up with really cool ways to use the products or tools you give them.
Whether you came up with a cool, counterintuitive way to use something or heard of 1 from a customer, sharing these tips with your broader newsletter list is great content.
9. An insider’s do’s and don’ts list
While how-to guides and checklists are extremely useful to readers as they give them instructions or tools to use, do’s and don’ts lists will give them a quick idea of what they need to stick to and what they need to avoid if they want to achieve success.
You can either send this list once or choose to make the “do’s and don’ts” a series and send out do’s and don’ts lists regularly for different aspects of your and your readers’ businesses or lives.
10. Tip of the month
If you're looking for a monthly newsletter idea, you'll want to consider this one. Readers love getting tips from individuals or businesses—especially those who have already succeeded at something they want to succeed in themselves.
But, you don’t have to stick to a single written tip each month. Instead, you can share tips in the form of interviews, gated content assets, etc.
Fun newsletter content ideas
Not every newsletter needs to be “useful.” Sometimes it’s enough to be fun.
The world can be serious! People don't want to be serious all the time—and putting a fun foot forward can help your brand.
By personifying your brand, it’ll be easier for your potential customers to relate and connect with your business as they’ll see the person behind the brand.
11. Tweet of the week
How are people on Twitter so funny?
It's kind of amazing the stuff you can find on Twitter. There are people at the top of every industry sharing nuggets of wisdom and people sharing ridiculous, hilarious stories.
Either 1 can make for a great newsletter.
12. Behind-the-scenes
Have you done something cool recently? Gone to an event or had a cool product launch or project at your business?
Show behind the scenes!
People love a peek behind the curtain.
13. Slice-of-life stories
Just like people love behind the scenes, people love “slice-of-life” stories.
You have a life outside your business. And that life is full of material—can you connect something that happened in your life to a principle that you believe in at your business?
14. Share your Spotify playlist
This is an extremely fun yet highly effective email newsletter for building connections with your email subscribers. By sharing your Spotify playlist with them, you give them an inside view into yourself or your business—which is great for building trust and loyalty.
15. Holiday newsletter
The holidays are here!
Which holiday? Who knows! Holidays, in general, are an excellent opportunity to share some fun, holiday-themed content (and maybe even a promotion).
Event newsletter ideas
In event marketing, the event itself is only half the game. The other half is all the other marketing you can get out of attending an event.
That can mean social media posts (especially Instagram posts). It might mean interviews or speaker quotes.
And it can mean newsletter content.
16. Event invitations
First up—if you're running an event, invite the people to your newsletter!
These are the people who have specifically signed up to hear from you. Promoting your event to them is 1 of the best ways to promote your event, period.
17. Event recaps
What if you aren’t running the event? Putting together an event recap is an excellent way to increase your reach.
The people on your list can see what the event was like. And if you publish an event recap fast enough (so that you’re first or 1 of the few), you can get some extra attention from the influencers at the event.
18. Pictures of an event you went to
A full event recap might not be your highest priority for an event. It takes time and effort to pump out recaps quickly—but you can always share the pictures!
19. Upcoming trade shows, panels, charity drives
Some events aren’t yours to invite people to. But other events are open to the public or otherwise affordable. Promote away!
If you’re going to an event, announce it to your list in your newsletter. You might even be able to meet up with some of your subscribers in person.
20. Industry news
Did something significant happen in your industry? Something small-but-interesting?
Who says you need to be the 1 to come up with the content that goes in a newsletter? The world creates content every day just by happening. It’s the news!
It doesn’t matter that you didn’t create this content. Knowing what news you’re paying attention to has value for your subscribers.
Sharing news from around your industry or within your company is a fast way to get good newsletter ideas.
21. Hot take on the news
Even better than just sharing the news—share your perspective on it.
People follow you because they want to hear what you have to say. So go ahead and comment on the most recent news in your industry.
22. Press coverage or guest posts
Have you been in the news at all? That could mean a team member going on a TV show or just having a blog post of yours appear on another blog. Either way, tell your subscribers!
23. New product announcements
Do you have a new product or service? Don’t forget to tell your subscribers! People who have signed up to hear from you (or, even better, bought from you before) are the most likely to buy from you again.
24. Job postings
Are you hiring? Don’t forget to tell your newsletter list!
The people in your newsletter are already familiar with your business and voice. If the right person is on your list, it could make your recruiting process much easier.
Promotion newsletter ideas
If you have a limited-time promotion, your newsletter is 1 of the fastest ways to spread the word.
Every month between October 2021 and April 2022, nearly 50% of U.S. consumers stated that they became more price-sensitive.
Therefore, by notifying consumers when you have promotions, they’ll be more likely to purchase from you.
Here are a few newsletter ideas related to giveaways, product deals, and promotions.
25. Social media contests and giveaways
Social media contests are a common list-building tactic.
Give people on your list a chance to win a prize by posting about you on social media (and grant additional entries for each friend they get to sign up). Boom. Bigger newsletter list!
26. Limited-time coupon codes
Flash sale! It’s possible to go too far with scarcity marketing, but offering short-term discounts definitely can increase the number of sales you get in the short term.
27. Referral rewards program
Your existing customers are your best advocates! Offer a bonus or discount in exchange for having them refer new customers.
Newsletters related to your customers
Every so often, it’s worth talking directly to your customers about the fact that they’re on your email list. Here are a few newsletter ideas related to that.
28. A thank-you email (letter from the CEO)
Thank your audience!
Your subscribers are essential to your business, and it's important to say thank you. Many companies make this type of newsletter a letter from the CEO—which is a great way to show how accessible you are as a business.
29. A poll or survey
Your newsletter subscribers are a great source of information. Great marketing comes from audience research, and occasionally surveying your email list is a great idea.
30. Customer stories and reviews
Do you have customers who are absolutely crushing it? Share their story.
People want to hear about other people who are doing well. Customer stories are some of the most convincing pieces of content you can produce.
Create great case studies and share them in your newsletter.
BONUS: 30+ more newsletter ideas (for various industries)
Here’s a list of more than 30 additional newsletter ideas for businesses in different industries.
Marketing and educational industries:
- Share important lessons you’ve learned over the years.
- Discuss several things you wish you knew before starting your business.
- Talk about the mistakes you’ve made and how your audience can avoid those same mistakes.
- Show off user-generated content.
- Break down tough concepts into easily digestible parts.
- Package lessons from experts in your industry.
- Celebrate with your subscribers. If you’ve launched a new feature that’ll make your customers’ lives easier, announce your achievement.
- Reveal industry secrets.
- Share a post from a guest blogger.
Food and entertainment industries:
- Share delicious recipes for the holiday season and other special occasions.
- Share your latest YouTube videos.
- Give readers a checklist of “must-have” spices/ingredients everyone needs in their kitchens.
- Share a series of entertaining videos or posts related to your industry. For example, share a series where you’re reacting to other people’s art if you're an artist.
- Share upcoming food events and the pros and cons of each event.
Financial industry:
- Share 1 of your podcast episodes where you talk about financial planning.
- Share a roundup of useful blog posts you’ve published related to a specific topic—for example, all your “how to do tax” content close to the tax season.
- Give practical examples when you provide readers with a specific formula or tool they can use to help them with their finances.
- Send out free templates or workbooks that’ll make your readers’ lives easier.
- Make complex topics more accessible by exploring key concepts in each email.
E-commerce industry:
- Send gift guides over the holidays.
- Encourage subscribers to ask questions about your products so that you can improve product descriptions on your site.
- Share cool hacks to use different products cleverly, so buyers get a maximum return on investment.
- Ask customers for suggestions on what additional products they’d like to see on your site.
Hospitality industry:
- Share a round-up of the best hotels in different cities/states.
- Share a traveling to-do list that readers can follow when visiting specific places.
- Share an educational post explaining how different spa ointments work and why they’re beneficial.
- Teach readers how to perform different massages or how to create DIY ointments.
Health industry:
- Dive into a story from history. For example, if you’re a weight loss expert, tell them about your journey and how you came to be an expert.
- Tell a childhood story to build connections with your subscribers.
- Open up with your thoughts about certain health-related topics—often, controversy creates a lot of engagement.
- Share mind-blowing stats that support your product or service offering.
- Send out inspiring stories of people who’ve achieved the same success that your readers want to achieve.
- Share data-packed infographics about health-related topics.
FAQ
Why are email newsletters important?
Email newsletters are a vital part of any business that wants to build relationships with their ideal customers.
This cost-effective marketing method helps you communicate important information, news, and updates with your leads so that they’re more aware of your brand, offerings, or any other information that might convince them that you’re the ideal solution to their problem.
Can I send any kind of message in my newsletter?
While you can send any kind of message in your newsletter—as long as it has a purpose and helps your business in some way—it’s best to stick to messages that help, entertain, or inform the reader. It’s even better if the message adds value to their lives in some way.
For example, sending a helpful how-to guide is far more valuable to your reader than a hyper-promotional email focusing on your company (instead of how you can help them).
Have a look at some bad newsletter examples so you can avoid making the same mistakes.
What should I include in a newsletter?
Great newsletters mainly consist of 5 important components:
- Short and sweet: A long, 10-page newsletter isn’t going to do you any favors. Instead, try to limit your newsletter to 1 page.
- Tell a story: It tells a story and usually has a conversational tone.
- Reader-focused: Focuses on the reader and their needs as opposed to your business.
- Professional design: An attractive newsletter will encourage readers to open more of your emails and read them to the end. Learn more about email design.
- Call to action (CTA): Every newsletter needs a clear and concise call to action that encourages readers to act.
Conclusion: Newsletter ideas don’t need to be fancy
Your newsletter ideas don’t need to be elaborate or time-intensive.
Remember that people who sign up for your newsletter want to hear from you. These ideas will help you give them what they want.
Ready to create a newsletter that’ll help you build strong connections with your readers? Learn how to write the perfect newsletter in 4 easy steps.
