TLDR
It’s a trend. If an e-news is too long (or any writing for that matter), it just gets swiped away or deleted. This happens Every-Single-Day in my inbox. Use this as your guide, would you read what you send, or say “Too Long Didn’t Read?” In our high-speed digital world, both professionally and personally, there’s too much clutter to contend with. So, climb aboard the brevity wave and get your e-news in stylish and succinct form.
KISS!
"Keep it Short and Sweet." The general concept of the first business newsletters, the printed versions or pdfs you’d get as an attachment, was like mini newspapers - with several sections, long paragraphs and article-style writing. Today’s digital e-newsletter products (such as Constant Contact or Mail Chimp) are the modern version of those e-news, but with more speed and less content, allowing you to design and create compelling “newsletters” and send to dozens or even thousands of people at once. Functionality has changed, our lives are significantly online and there is really no need to be longwinded or rambling in your communications. Say it confidently, clearly and concisely. You can still have fun and be creative with your e-news, but get rid of long passages, filler language and rambling thoughts. Side note, if you’d like to share your thoughts in a more fleshed out style, consider a blog or similar articles page on your website and direct folks there instead.
IMO
Subject lines are the start of the flow. What does the subject convey - is it compelling and engaging, or generic and dull? Picture your own inbox and see what you open. What makes an email compelling enough to take a look? Many, many viewers will see an email’s subject line and decide right then and there whether to open or delete it sight unseen. Now that someone has opened your engaging email, what does it say? Remember to go for a great headline - what’s the topic at hand? Your approach overall can be clever to get those open-numbers up, only some of the time. Gimmicks can be playful and useful, just use with care. Your emails, depending on your business, should be informative, captivating, helpful and most of all...interesting. At least "in my opinion."
BTW
Use imagery! Your e-news should lead with your logo and incorporate at least one main, high quality image (hopefully more), complete with links to relevant destinations like your website, or to buy tickets, donate, place an order, read your blogs or articles - whatever is right. "By the way," here's an example: there is a beautiful local winery that sends out periodic e-news with specials, new vintages, events etc…but there is not one image in the newsletter. It is so dry and plain it just does not beg to be read. Did I mention the place is gorgeous!? Their social media is pretty spot-on, so somebody has a good eye - they just need to blend the two. Sometimes it can feel like a business sends out obligatory emails that just checks the task off the list. Maximize your efforts. Even the basics can put you leaps ahead of that next email in the queue:
- good subject line
- consistent branding & logo
- high-res image(s)
- compelling header
- crisp writing, relevant & newsworthy
- appropriate links
XXOO
Love your e-news! Or better yet, get the viewer to love it. Make it short and sweet, keep well branded, add cool imagery (original or stock), wordsmith with care and send out at a reasonable pace - not too often, not too infrequently. Above all, enjoy reading it and your audience will, too.
(published 2025)
