Whether you’re announcing a new product, sharing helpful tips, or offering exclusive deals, your business newsletter helps you build meaningful relationships with your audience.
More than just an email, it’s a consistent touchpoint that encourages engagement, boosts brand loyalty, and drives sales over time. In fact, a newsletter is one of the most effective tools for staying connected with your audience and turning casual followers into loyal customers.
Here’s why every small business needs a newsletter as part of their content marketing strategy.
What Are the Advantages of a Small Business Newsletter?
- Newsletters help you stay in contact with your customers and encourage repeat business.
- They allow you to reach the people who are actually interested in your brand.
- You can personalize them for better engagement.
- They’re a long-term marketing strategy with low risks and high rewards.
- Newsletters help you build a loyal customer base that keeps your business stable and resilient.
How to Create a Newsletter for Your Small Business
Step 1: Choose the Right Platform
If you already have a platform for email marketing, you have this step covered. However, if your current platform doesn’t seem quite right, you can always choose to go somewhere else for your newsletter. You want to look for a newsletter platform and plan that allows your business to grow and can handle your list size.
You also want to keep your budget in mind when looking at the prices for the different plans. And you want to make sure the platform offers the features you need and functions well for your needs. A popular platform option among small business owners is Kit (formerly ConvertKit). This platform offers a free newsletter tier that allows up to 10,000 subscribers.
Step 2: Figure Out Your Strategy
Since you want your newsletter to be goal-oriented and target a specific audience, answering the following questions will set you up for a successful strategy:
- Who are your customers and what do they want?
- What is your goal for the newsletter?
- What type of content should you offer your customers? (i.e., exclusive offer, information about your business, information about upcoming products, etc.)
- How often will you send a newsletter to your list?
- What value will you provide your customers through your newsletter? (i.e., discount code, product information, industry insight, etc.)
Step 3: Get More Subscribers
You probably already have a small list of current customers or clients who shared their email when they made a purchase or scheduled an appointment. But how do you get more people to subscribe?
Creating a lead magnet is a great way to build your email list. Whether you use a freebie or another type of incentive, it should be something of value for your target audience. You can also add a “subscribe” link to your website and promote your newsletter on social media: “Join our list to get early access to the next sale!”
Step 4: Segment Your List
You want to treat every subscriber like they’re a VIP. As part of your email marketing strategy, divide your list into smaller groups based on demographics, interests, or purchase behaviors. This will help you personalize your newsletter content for each individual.
Step 5: Choose a Template and Customize It
Most of the newsletter platforms offer templates you can customize. Think about the goal of the newsletter and the style of your brand, then choose an appropriate template. Next, you can customize it with your brand’s logo, colors, and fonts.
Step 7: Share Valuable Content
When you share useful, entertaining information, it keeps your audience engaged and gives their subscriptions more value. The last thing you want is for your newsletter to be boring. So, instead of a bland, text-based newsletter, experiment with different content formats like blog excerpts, short videos, infographics, or even customer testimonials.
Step 6: Always Give Your Readers a Chance to Opt Out
The best policy is to only send your newsletter to people who opt in or subscribe—sending unsolicited messages will give your business a bad reputation. You also have to make sure you follow all the legal requirements that apply.
For example, the CAN-SPAM Act requires that you have a footer at the bottom of every email that offers the option to unsubscribe. You should also follow the accessibility guidelines set forth by the ADA to make your newsletter accessible to people with disabilities.
Step 8: Start Sending Your Small Business Newsletter
First, make sure that your sending schedule is set up properly. Make sure that your subject line is catchy and piques interest. You also want to test your newsletter before sending it out.
You can send it to yourself and a few friends or family members to make sure that it comes through the way you want it to, and that there aren’t any formatting issues. Check all the links to make sure they work properly and check for typos or any other mistakes related to spelling or grammar. Once this is done, it is ready to send to your subscribers.
Step 9: Track Your Newsletter’s Performance
The final step is using Google Analytics or your email platform’s analytics to monitor the success of your newsletter. Key metrics to track include open rates, click-through rates, conversions and revenue, and unsubscribes.
Over time, you will be able to see trends that help you adjust your newsletter strategy. For example, if you notice the open rate for certain types of content is higher than others, you can phase out the lower open rate content.
Expert Newsletter Creation Services for Your Small Business
A business newsletter can help you build customer loyalty and foster meaningful connections with your audience. But if you’re trying to do it all yourself, it may be time to ask for help. At New Wine Digital, we know that small business owners wear a lot of hats. But if you’re not an expert in content marketing, you could be wasting your time.
We can help you build a newsletter strategy that keeps your audience engaged and your business growing. Contact us today to learn more!
Images used under creative commons license – commercial use (07/01/2025) Image by Muhammad Ribkhan from Pixabay