5 types of email newsletters.

Lookbook

This might seem like a silly question... but what is an email newsletter, anyway?

It depends who you ask.

Here’s the classic, basic definition: An email newsletter is a message you send to your
email subscribers on a regular basis.

That’s fine. But consider this:

This is called an email newsletter.

 / Pam Neely

And so is this.
 / Pam Neely

And so is this: (Right column shows the bottom half of this newsletter)
 / Pam Neely

Those are all very different newsletters and they have very different purposes. The
purpose of the first one - the really short one - is to promote a blogger’s new content.
The purpose of the second newsletter is to sell art and art-related products. The
purpose of the third email is to share interesting pieces of content found around the
web.

All these email “newsletters” are written in a different way. The goals of these
newsletters are different, so the content they include is different.

This is a course about copywriting for email newsletters, so we’re not going to go too
deep into all the different types of email messages, but I do want you to understand
the different types of email messages just so you, as a copywriter, can understand
how the writing style changes.

Basically, email messages break down into four basic types of emails, and
newsletters are one of those types.

But to answer the original question… an email newsletter is a publication sent via
email. I define it as:

Email newsletter: A mini-publication sent to email subscribers

on a regular basis.

That definition immediately raises some important things to think about. Especially
because you’ll be creating your own newsletter for the final project of this course.

An email newsletter is sent out on a regular, predictable schedule, like once a week
or once a month. Many popular newsletters (especially ones published by a single
person) have chosen a “twice-a-month” publishing schedule.

A newsletter is sent to subscribers. So you shouldn’t just add everyone you know to
the list of people you’ll send your newsletter to. Only send your newsletter to people
who have expressly signed up for it.

A newsletter includes a round-up of information. Typically, this means there are

several separate pieces of content in each issue of your newsletter. The exception to
this is a literary newsletter, which might have one long essay as its sole piece of
content.
 / Pam Neely

A newsletter is focused on a specific topic. This topic can be loosely defined, but
think of all the publications you know of - they all have one common thread holding
the content they publish together. Maybe it’s about a place (like New York), or about
a topic (like gardening), or all the content is centered around a theme (like modern
life). But there is some common lens all the content in the publication gets filtered
through. A newsletter needs that kind of focus.

We will cover different types of newsletters in a moment, but before we jump into
that, let me quickly show you what the different types of email messages, or
“campaigns” look like.

There are:

● Confirmation emails
○ Sent automatically to confirm an action has been taken, like an order
has been placed.

● Lead nurturing emails

○ Pre-scheduled sequences of email messages designed to build a
relationship with subscribers, usually so they will buy a high-ticket item.

● Announcement Emails
○ Focused on one event or action, like a new blog post or a new product.
Designed to get the subscriber to do one specific thing.

● Newsletter emails
○ Mini publications sent via email.

4 types of email messages

Confirmation emails
Confirmation emails are sometimes called “transactional emails.” They can be:

● Order confirmations
● Event registration confirmations
● Email newsletter signup confirmations
 / Pam Neely

These messages are automated, short, and written as plainly and as clearly as
possible.

Here is an example of a confirmation email:

Lead nurturing emails

Lead nurturing emails can sometimes look like email newsletters, but they are not
true publications in the same way newsletters are. Lead nurturing emails are also
usually sent as part of a pre-scheduled, sequined series of emails. These automated
email series are sometimes called “autoresponders” or “drip sequences.”

Not sure what “lead nurturing” means? Let’s break that down. First, a “lead” is a
person who has:
 / Pam Neely

A. Expressed interest in an organization

B. Given their information to that organization so they can receive information
about the company

Leads are great, but people aren’t usually ready to buy (or donate, join, or pay for a
subscription) the moment they express interest in the organization. So organizations
“nurture” or “warm up” these new leads over time. One of the best ways to do that is
with email messages. Lead nurturing sequences can run a long time, like anywhere
from three days to even a year or more.

Welcome email sequences are lead nurturing emails. Those are the series of emails
sent when someone first signs up for an email list. Another type of lead nurturing
email is sent after someone requests a lead magnet (lead magnets are sometimes
also known as “freebies”.)

Here’s an example of a
lead nurturing email
from the marketing
superstar Marie
Forleo.
 / Pam Neely

Lead nurturing emails share information and content like other types of emails, but
they don’t typically have multiple pieces of content, like a true newsletter would
have. Lead nurturing emails are also very focused on getting the reader to know, like,
and trust the sender and to buy from the sender, specifically.

It’s very easy to confuse these emails for newsletters. But because they’re automated
and because they are so focused on warming the lead up to purchase - usually to
make a big purchase - they are different from newsletters.

Announcement emails
Announcement emails… announce things. (Shocker, right?)

These are one-off or stand alone email campaigns. They can announce new blog
posts, a sale, an event to go to, a new product - whatever.

Announcement emails are typically designed to get the reader to take one specific
action.

Here’s an example of an
announcement email.
 / Pam Neely

Newsletters
Finally, there are email newsletters! (My favorite.)

Newsletters tend to be longer, and will have several pieces of content in them, as
opposed to announcement-style emails, where there is only one piece of content to
focus on.

Newsletters are mini publications sent by email. But there are several different types
of newsletters, and they are often written very differently, and have different editorial
goals.

4 types of email newsletters

Newsletters, like any publication, can have different goals, and those goals shape the
content and execution of the newsletter.

These are the four general types of email newsletters:

● Company (or organization) newsletters

● Ecommerce newsletters
● Curated newsletters
● Literary newsletters

A newsletter can adopt some of the aspects of each type of newsletter. Once we’ve
taken a close look at each type you’ll be able to recognize the different types of
newsletters immediately.

Company/organization newsletter

These can be sent from any type of organization, or even from an individual if they’ve
got a lot going on.

For example, a school’s newsletter would fit into this model. A non-profit’s
newsletter, or a gallery’s newsletter, or an ad agency’s newsletter would also qualify.
And if an individual - particularly a very active individual - had, say, a new article, a
 / Pam Neely

section about their social media posts, and an

introductory note in their newsletter, then that
would qualify the newsletter as a company-style
newsletter, too. (If they had only one of those
things, like they were announcing a blog post,
then I would consider that an announcement
email, not a newsletter.)

Company/organization newsletters are basically a

“state of organization X.” They summarize what’s
happening with the business or organization.
These newsletters usually help to amplify content
the organization has published, and they keep
the organization top-of-mind for their
subscribers.

In the image on the right there is a company-style

newsletter from a SaaS (software as a service)
business:
 / Pam Neely

Here’s another company-style newsletter

from a marketing consulting firm.
 / Pam Neely

Here’s a newsletter
from a publication.
 / Pam Neely

I am including publications’ newsletters in the company/organization category in the

interest of simplicity - and because they do fit the “state of organization X” definition
I set above. There is a legitimate argument to be made that these deserve their own
category, but again - we’re trying to keep things simple.

If you think newsletters from publications deserve their own category, post about
that - and why you think so - in the forum. I’d welcome your thoughts about this.

Ecommerce newsletters

Ecommerce newsletters sell stuff. Directly. Usually they’re selling physical products,
but digital products would count, too.

Here’s a
newsletter from
an e-commerce
company that
sells a physical
product - a
texting device for
wilderness areas
where there is no
cell service.
 / Pam Neely

This entire newsletter is dedicated to one product, but there’s a lot that can be said
about that product. Notice how this company has also sprinkled in a few customer
stories and a webinar invite into this issue. They’ve also included a section near the
end that summaries their last newsletter - just in case the reader missed it.

Curated newsletters

Curated newsletters assemble different pieces of content from around the web and
put those pieces of content into context around a theme.

This is called “content curation,” which is similar to the way museum curators work. A
content curator finds content around the web and - like a museum curator - they
organize those separate pieces of content into a group of things tied together by a
theme.

Content curation should also include commentary on each piece of content being
shared. Basically, it’s the curator’s job to explain why each content element is
important, and how it fits into the larger whole of the group of elements the curator
has assembled.

Almost everyone who has ever shared another person’s piece of content - AND has
added commentary about why the thing being shared is important - is a content
curator. Newsletters are especially good for content curation, but they aren’t the only
way to curate content.

The curated newsletter below is published by a writer and freelancing expert. It’s
from a “business” in the sense that the writer has her own business, but the purpose
and content of the newsletter is more about collecting interesting and useful pieces
of content from around the web and sharing them with her audience, rather than
promoting anything to buy or promoting her own work.
 / Pam Neely

She does mention her work briefly, but only at the close of the newsletter.
 / Pam Neely

This is another curated newsletter, but it is from a company that uses the curated
newsletter model to make money through advertising, subscriptions, and affiliate
programs.

These types of “curated newsletters

as publications” are quite popular,
and can actually make quite a lot of
money when they’re done right.

According to a YouTube video from

the marketer Noah Kagan, there are
several curated newsletter
businesses that make over a million
dollars a year.
 / Pam Neely

Literary newsletters

These are the newest type of newsletters. They’ve even been called “a new literary
genre.” The “sletter” (an emerging term) is a literary email newsletter.

Here’s an example of a sletter - just

the first few screens’ worth of it.
 / Pam Neely

Sletters are found most often on Substack, which is an online service that makes it
easy for writers - or any creator - to create and send a newsletter. Substack users can
even sell subscriptions to their newsletters, and many of them do.

If you are a writer, a sletter may be the best option for you. Your newsletter could be
used to publish a weekly short-essay, or an excerpt of a longer piece you’ve
published in the past or are working on. You could promote events where you are
speaking or giving a reading. You could support your friends and amplify their work
and projects. Or you could ask for feedback about the cover for your next book.

Many authors have found newsletters to be an excellent way to build and engage
with their audiences, and thus to sell more books. Many literary agents will actually
expect authors to have their own “platforms,” which typically includes an email list.

The key difference between newsletters and other

email messages
Do you see the key difference between newsletters and other types of emails? It’s the
amount of content in the email message. Newsletters are basically mini publications.
They can have a lot of different elements in them, and we’ll review what those
elements are shortly.

The big takeaway here is that when we’re talking about newsletters, we’re talking
about basically a mini-publication sent via email. That’s a newsletter.

The other types of emails are shorter, more focused messages. Transactional emails,
announcement emails, lead nurturing emails - they’re all great. But they aren’t true
newsletters, and they aren’t written quite the same way as newsletters.

What type of newsletter will you write?

There’s an important decision for you to make now: Which type of newsletter do you
want to write for your final project for this course?
 / Pam Neely

● A curated newsletter that mentions your products or services in a low-key or

nearly invisible way?

● A curated newsletter that doesn’t mention anything you sell, and that is
supported by ads, subscriptions?

● A product-oriented or service-oriented newsletter that’s all about the different

ways people use your products or services?

● A company newsletter that showcases the content you’ve created, and

announces upcoming company events?

● A publication’s newsletter, that is basically a mini-version of the publication in

email format?

● A personal essay-style or literary-style “sletter,” like what a writer might send as

an emailed update on their work?
 / Pam Neely

For my project, I’m creating an email newsletter for a small ad agency. So I’m going
to write a company-style newsletter.

If I was, say, a solo freelancer - like a writer for a designer - I might opt to do a curated
newsletter that mentioned the services I offer in a low-key, toned-down way, perhaps
in the close of every issue. The writer’s newsletter we saw earlier would be similar to
what I’d want to create.

If I was helping a company sell physical objects, I might do a newsletter like the
Inreach Mini newsletter we saw above, where they publish comments and stories
from the product’s users, articles about how to use the products, or articles about
new and upcoming product features.

Of all the types of newsletters, the company-style one is most like a blend of all the
types. Company emails can have all the elements of any newsletter, like a short
personal message at the intro, a summary of a new blog post, a section about
products, and then maybe a section about upcoming events.

Even if you’re a solo artist, or solo professional, you can have a mini company-style
newsletter, too. It doesn’t have to go on for pages like some of these examples, and
you can mix and match the different types of content however you like. It’s your
newsletter!

As we’ll talk about later in the course, newsletters are very modular. So it’s easy to
add, remove, or rearrange different sections of your newsletter however you like.
 / Pam Neely

All you need to be concerned about is:

a) How you’ll achieve the goal you set for your newsletter
b) Whether your subscribers will like your newsletters

So long as those two criteria are met, there are no limitations. None.

If you want to have your newsletters be a series of images, maybe with a caption for
each image, that’s fine. If you want to use your email newsletter to show the most
popular posts from your Instagram account in the last week, that’s great. Or if you
want your newsletter to be all text, that’s fine too.

This is your newsletter. You can use it like any artist would, to stretch what’s possible
with the medium. Or you can use your skills to create newsletters for clients who
want a more traditional approach. It’s all good.

So… which type of email newsletter are you going to write, and why?

Once you know, head over to the forum for this course and tell us what type of
newsletter you’re going to create for your final project and why.

I can’t wait to hear about what you’re going to do!