Email newsletter is the best tactic in email marketing to stay at the top of mind of your customers all the time.
However, constant connection with your subscribers is not the only thing newsletters bring to the table. Newsletters create the opportunity for new sign-ups and awareness about your brand.
If you use email newsletters in the right way, you can establish yourself as a pioneer in your niche. Moreover, you can even soft-sell using newsletters.
Now you know email newsletters are a necessity for marketers and e-commerce owners. But what exactly makes a newsletter effective, and how do you get started?
That’s why in this blog we have discussed,
- What is a newsletter
- Its purpose
- 5 unique newsletter examples
- Steps to create a newsletter
Create and send email newsletters within minutes using Retainful’s 150+ pre-designed templates and automated campaigns.
What is a Newsletter?
A newsletter is an email marketing campaign that sends content via email to subscribers who have shown interest in the product or the niche.
Newsletters contain curated content like articles, blog posts, updates, how-to guides, or even promotions from a business.
Purpose of a Newsletter
An email newsletter is a must-have, versatile email marketing strategy for every marketer and ecommerce owner. A newsletter’s purpose is multifaceted.
The purpose of email newsletters is:
- Engage Your Audience: Stay top-of-mind by consistently delivering valuable, relevant content.
- Build Brand Awareness: Reinforce your brand identity and values through regular communication.
- Drive Website Traffic: Link to blogs, product pages, or landing pages to bring subscribers back to your site.
- Promote Products & Offers: Announce sales, new arrivals, exclusive deals, and limited-time promotions.
- Educate Subscribers: Share how-to guides, industry insights, or product tutorials to inform and add value.
- Nurture Leads & Build Trust: Guide prospects along the customer journey by delivering timely, helpful content.
- Increase Customer Retention: Keep existing customers engaged and encourage repeat purchases with personalized updates.
- Collect Feedback & Insights: Use surveys, polls, or interactive content to understand subscriber preferences and improve offerings.
- Encourage Community & Loyalty: Highlight customer stories, UGC, and company culture to create an emotional connection.
Related Reading: What is Email Marketing? – An Ultimate Beginner’s Guide
Top 5 Examples of a Newsletter
We’ve handpicked 5 unique email newsletter examples, each with a distinct purpose. Moreover, we have decoded the best practices they have used.
The email newsletter examples are:
- Release Notes as a Newsletter
- Brand Storytelling With Email Newsletter
- Thought Leadership Through Email Newsletter
- Promotional Email Newsletter
- Weekly Email Newsletter
Related Reading: How to Create an Email Newsletter From Scratch?
1. Release Notes as a Newsletter
Email newsletters are a perfect medium to communicate what’s new with your product. By highlighting new features and performance improvements, this newsletter delivers real value.
It helps users stay informed and ahead of the curve.
Moreover, it encourages them to explore updates and get the most out of the platform.
What makes it a good email newsletter:
- Top Feature Highlighted First: The most important update, Figma Slides, is placed at the top to immediately capture attention.
- “Learn More” CTAs: Each feature/update is followed by a “Learn more” link, allowing users to explore details at their own pace.
- Event Promotion with Clear CTA: The upcoming Config event is promoted early with a direct “Register for free” CTA, driving engagement.
- Bulleted Feature List for Quick Scanning: The “…and a whole lot more” section uses icons and bullets for fast skimming of smaller updates.
Related Reading: 9 Great Call To Action Examples For Your eCommerce Store
2. Brand Storytelling With Email Newsletter
This Ferrari email newsletter is a master in brand storytelling and visual engagement.
The newsletter combines lifestyle content, brand history, exclusive products, and event invitations.
All of this works together to deepen customer connection and loyalty.
What makes it a good email newsletter:
- Visually Striking Hero Section: The email opens with a high-quality image and a bold headline (“The Best V12 Under the Sun”) that instantly grabs attention.
- Strong Use of Brand Identity: Ferrari’s signature colors and fonts are used consistently, reinforcing brand recognition.
- Segmented Content Blocks: Each section is clearly defined, covering news, history, merchandise, and exclusive experiences, making it easy to navigate.
- Content Variety: From car launches and historical insights to fashion collections and factory tours, the newsletter covers multiple areas of interest.
- Emphasis on Exclusivity: Highlighting “The Official Ferrari Magazine” and limited-edition gear creates a sense of privilege and urgency.
- Lifestyle Integration: By showcasing museums and travel experiences, Ferrari promotes itself as a luxury lifestyle, not just a product.
3. Thought Leadership Through Email Newsletter
This McKinsey newsletter is a strong example of thought leadership in action.
It focuses on delivering timely and insightful analysis.
At the same time, it positions McKinsey as a trusted source of knowledge.
What makes it a good email newsletter
- Strong Subject Focus: The email revolves around a clear theme—European innovation, making it easy for readers to understand the core message.
- Digestible Highlights: Key stories are presented in bullet format under “In the news,” allowing busy readers to scan important updates.
- Insight-Driven CTA: The call-to-action “Accelerate European competitiveness” ties directly to the email’s theme and offers a value-forward next step.
- Credibility: Citing McKinsey Global Institute research adds weight and trustworthiness to the newsletter’s message.
4. Promotional Email Newsletter
This email newsletter from GoodRx aims to provide value and promote their services related to healthcare savings.
It combines informative content with promotional offers.
What makes it a good email newsletter:
- Strong Visual Hierarchy: Each topic is clearly divided with headlines, images, and short descriptions.
- Value-Driven Headlines: The headlines tap into common healthcare concerns and pain points.
- “How Much Does a Dental Cleaning Cost Without Insurance?”
- “5 Reasons for Drug Recalls and What to Do”
- Concise and Scannable Content: Short paragraphs and bullet-sized blurbs help users quickly grasp the topic.
- Promotions Are Marked Transparently: The word “PROMOTION” is included, maintaining trust and compliance.
- Personal Relevance: Topics are practical (dental costs) and resonate with a wide but health-conscious audience
5. Weekly Email Newsletter
This Skillshare newsletter is a great example of a weekly email newsletter that blends creative content with seasonal relevance.
Each newsletter includes fresh course recommendations, timely themes, and curated learning resources.This helps them keep their audience engaged.
What makes it a good email newsletter:
- Weekly theme (“Week of December 11th, 2024”) adds timeliness and encourages subscribers to check regularly.
- Gift Promotion: The “Give the gift of Skillshare” section is seasonal, well-placed mid-scroll, and relevant.
- Collaborative & Cross-Promotional: Shout-outs to partners (Michaels and Mozilla) enhance brand credibility.
- Dynamic Content Variety: Uses a mix of (Courses, Blogs, Partnerships). This caters to different interests and increases engagement.
- Fresh, User-Centric Picks: “Fresh Picks for You” shows curated, timely, and hobby-specific suggestions — ideal for personalization.
How to Create an Email Newsletter?
Just like the big brands, you can also leverage newsletters in your email marketing strategies.
Use the following steps to craft a compelling email newsletter.
Step 1: Define your Newsletter Goal
Step 2: Know Your Audience
Step 3: Select Your Email Newsletter Format
Step 4: Email Newsletter Content
Step 5: Choose Your Platform
1. Define your Newsletter Goal
Knowing what you want to achieve with your newsletters can set you in the right direction.
In general, businesses use newsletters to
- Increase engagement
- Drive conversions and sales
- Nurture leads
- Retain loyal customers
- Build communities
- Create awareness
Having a clear goal shapes your newsletter content and helps you target the right audience. Additionally, it also allows you to measure the success of your email campaigns more effectively.
Related Reading: 12 Best Newsletter Signup Examples to Grow Your Email List
2. Know Your Audience
A good understanding of your customers will let you know their pain points. Address those pain points in your email newsletters to increase your email campaign performance.
Not every subscriber is your audience. Instead of email blasting, go for a targeted email marketing approach with your email newsletters.
Segment your email list to identify your audience. Group them based on their shared characteristics like interests, pain points, demographics, and behavior.
Send personalized email newsletters with Retainful’s advanced email segmentation and convert more.
3. Select Your Email Newsletter Format
Select your email newsletter format based on what works best for your business and your audience.
Common newsletter formats are:
- Curated Newsletter: Share a roundup of valuable articles, blogs, or resources from around the web relevant to your audience.
- Promotional Newsletter: Focus on special offers, discounts, product launches, or seasonal sales to drive conversions.
- Product Update Newsletter: Highlight new features, improvements, or updates to keep your customers informed.
- Educational Newsletter: Provide how-to guides, tutorials, or expert tips to build authority and add value.
- Event-Focused Newsletter: Announce upcoming events, webinars, or conferences to encourage participation and engagement.
- Company News Newsletter: Share behind-the-scenes updates, milestones, or team stories to build a stronger brand connection.
- Customer Story/Case Study Newsletter: Showcase customer success stories or testimonials to build trust and social proof.
Pro tips:
- Best Day to Send a Newsletter: Send on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. Midweek = better open and click-through rates.
- Best Font for a Newsletter: Use clean, web-safe fonts like Arial, Helvetica, and Georgia.
- Best Format for a Newsletter: Use a single-column, mobile-friendly layout
- Stick to the Standard Size of a Newsletter: Use a width of 600–650 pixels and keep the length under 1,500 words for optimal display
Related Reading: How to Send WooCommerce Newsletters (+ Plugins)
4. Email Newsletter Content
Content is the king in email marketing. Personalize your emails to increase their relevance.
Start by including the subscriber’s name in the subject line. Go further by addressing their specific pain points.
Every piece of information should feel tailored to the reader. This level of personalization can increase open rates, engagement, and improve the performance of your campaign.
To evaluate your email newsletter’s performance, aim for an open rate between 17% and 28%, and a click-through rate (CTR) between 2% and 5%.
5. Choose Your Platform
Choose the email newsletter software based on your goals and requirements.
Make sure the platform you choose offers user-friendly design, powerful segmentation, scalable automation, and insightful analytics.
Getting access to free email newsletter templates is an added bonus.
Here are our top picks for email newsletter platforms:
- Retainful – Best for eCommerce brands; includes pre-built automation flows, smart segmentation, and a drag-and-drop editor with 100+ templates.
- ConvertKit – Ideal for content creators, bloggers, and solopreneurs who want simple automation.
- Klaviyo – Best suited for scaling brands that need deep segmentation and data-driven targeting.
- MailerLite – A user-friendly, affordable choice for beginners or small businesses.
Grow and engage your subscribers effortlessly using Retainful’s newsletter popups and pre-built automation workflows.
Conclusion
Email newsletters are one of the most effective tools in email marketing. From promotional emails to thought leadership and storytelling, the possibilities are endless. Find your style in email newsletters.
End of the day, the value of your content and your consistency in delivering email newsletters decide your results.
Do not wait for the perfect situation. Start sending email newsletters and experiment with your timing and content to improve along the way.
Also Read:
- 10 Email Design Best Practices for 2025
- 13-Point Email Marketing Checklist to Get 100% Results
- AI Email Marketing: How to Boost Your Campaigns with AI
Frequently Asked Questions
Newsletter frequency depends on your audience and content strategy. Common options include weekly, biweekly, or monthly newsletters.
A good newsletter can include articles, blog posts, product updates, promotions, tips, and event announcements.
Yes, newsletters are a powerful email marketing tool. They help retain customers, nurture leads, and increase conversions.
Absolutely. Newsletters are cost-effective for small businesses to maintain customer relationships and increase brand visibility without spending heavily on ads.
Newsletters focus on delivering valuable content regularly, while promotional emails are more sales-driven and used for time-sensitive offers or product launches.
No. Most newsletter tools offer drag-and-drop editors and ready-to-use templates, allowing anyone to create newsletters without coding or design experience.
