Curiosity Corner

Click & connect with your community

An effective enewsletter is one of the most powerful tools for engaging your audience, boosting your organisation’s profile, and driving action. So, whether you’re a charity, non-profit, or business, we recommend creating an engaging enewsletter to enhance your profile, increase engagement, and drive meaningful action, such as donations, event sign-ups, or recruitment.

Here are 10 top tips to keep you on track:

1. Choose the best platform: Selecting the right email marketing platform is the foundation of your enewsletter strategy. Popular tools like Mailchimp, Campaign Monitor, and Constant Contact offer intuitive features, such as predesigned templates and automation options.
2. Build or import your email contactsFirstly, import contacts from your CRM or existing email lists. Ensure all contacts have opted in to receive communications to comply with GDPR regulations. Next up add a prominent subscription form on your website, ideally on the homepage or as a pop-up. You can always offer an incentive, such as exclusive updates or free resources if you need to encourage sign-ups.
3. Keep building your database: Collect email addresses at events or webinars and include them in your database with permission. You can also use your social media platforms to promote sign-ups.
4. Use all the free tools: Many of the platforms include free tools to design and send enewsletters, with intuitive templates and easy drag-and-drop features. Canva is another excellent tool for creating on brand visuals and graphics to complement your content. Additionally, Mailchimp allows you to create free surveys, which you can use to engage your audience and gather valuable feedback for your campaigns or projects.
5. Keep content short and sweet: Keep your content concise, highlighting key messages and actionable steps. Break your content into bite-sized sections so readers can scan through quickly and make sure you link to more detailed versions of these stories on your website.
6. Link content to your website: Whether it’s a blog post, an event registration page, or a donation form, encourage your readers to visit your website for more information. This not only increases traffic to your site but also improves your SEO by boosting page visits and engagement. Additionally, by linking to more detailed content online, you can keep your enewsletter concise, easy to navigate, and reader-friendly.
7. Be consistent: Sending a regular enewsletter helps keep your audience engaged. For most organisations, a monthly newsletter works well. This provides enough time to gather fresh content and avoid overwhelming your subscribers. However, some organisations may benefit from bi-weekly or weekly newsletters if they have regular updates, events, or campaigns to promote.
8. People connect with people: Including real stories and testimonials from your supporters, beneficiaries, or volunteers can create an emotional connection with your audience.
9. Make sure your subject line sizzles: Your subject line is the gateway to your enewsletter—it needs to stand out in crowded inboxes. Keep it concise, clear, and directly relevant to the content inside. Use compelling language or intriguing questions to spark curiosity and consider adding a sense of urgency or personalisation (e.g., “Jane, don’t miss this opportunity”). Experiment with different styles and track performance using analytics, such as open rates, to identify what resonates best with your audience.

And also – have you noticed emails marked as ‘unverified’?

This can be a red flag for both email providers and recipients, potentially leading your messages straight to the spam folder. To avoid this, it’s essential to verify your email domain through your email marketing platform. Verification proves to email providers that your messages are legitimate and reduces the chances of them being flagged as spam.
Most email platforms, such as Mailchimp or Campaign Monitor, provide detailed guides to help you configure these settings. While it may require a small amount of technical input (often from your domain provider), it’s a one-time process that significantly improves email deliverability and protects your organisation’s reputation.

Want a little more help?