Need some new ideas for your newsletters? Here are 12 examples to get you started

We’ve already told you about newsletters and using them to drive more sales.

While you probably have some of your own ideas for your online store, you may also get stuck when you try to put them into practice.

When push comes to shove and it’s time to start writing, the blank screen can be daunting.

You have no idea where to start, how to make the design flashy, or what type of content will be gripping enough to persuade your subscribers to buy your products.

So you end up Googling something like “newsletter examples”.

Sound about right? 😉

If this is familiar territory, worry no more because this post includes some stellar examples of engaging newsletters that you can use as reference to create emails for your online store.

Get ready to say goodbye to that writer’s block!

👉 Examples of newsletters from 12 brands that are doing a good job (and what you can learn from them)

First of all, here’s a little exercise for you to run through.

In fact, you should do this with all the examples of newsletters you come across from here on out, not just the ones we’re about to present.

What do you have to do?

You should “deconstruct” the emails and try to understand the rationale of each of the elements it includes.

For example:

• What specific words or phrases reflect their brand image?
• How are their corporate colors used in the newsletter design?
• How does it fit the needs of their buyer persona?
• What is the objective? Is it selling? Fostering loyalty? Building the brand?

It’s not about finding a beautiful example of a newsletter and duplicating it.

It’s about understanding the strategy behind it and figuring out how you can apply that same strategy to your online store.

So turn on your “Analysis Mode” and prepare to make the most of these examples. 😉

Note: Click on the images for a full view of the emails.

✅  1. Tictail – Newsletters with social proof 

Tictail is a marketplace for independent fashion brands.

On this website, not-so-well-known designers have the chance to create their own “online store” (as a subdomain) to start getting customers.

Tictail’s newsletters target final customers, so the designers gain visibility and help selling their creations.

To that end, they make use of social proof.

How?

With a heading that reads, “Shop our community favorites”.

✅  2. Everlane – An email-based sales website

In our post on how to use copywriting in your online shop, we told you that in order to spark your clients’ interest, it’s crucial to know their needs and tell them how your products help meet them.

Remember?

Well, this is the principle applied by Everlane in their newsletter, where they introduce a new footwear model.

Not only do they say it’s comfortable (according to testimonials by other buyers).

They also underscore the fact that they’re made from sustainable materials.

This reveals that Everlane’s customers don’t only want to look good but also prefer to use environmentally friendly products.

This email is almost a sales page in its own right. 😉

✅  3. Airbnb – High-value content for hosts

Airbnb is a good example of how to implement an effective email marketing strategy through useful content.

The accommodation website sends a weekly email with specific tips to those users registered as hosts.

Here’s an example of how they explained how to adapt their rentals to the current needs brought about by COVID-19.

How could you apply this strategy to your e-commerce?

For example, if you own an online phone store, you can send tips for smartphone users like how to use the camera’s Pro mode, hacks to extend the battery’s life, decoration ideas, interesting apps, etc.

This kind of exclusive content for subscribers is a good way to gain your client’s loyalty.

✅  4. All Plants – A new product (and why it matters)

All Plants is a vegan food delivery service.

In this newsletter, they announce that they’ve added a new product to their catalog: curry-flavored tempeh.

But the interesting thing is how they put their customers in the spotlight.

As you can see, they use the heading “Why will you love it?” to describe the product’s main characteristics.

At the end, they also include a section with nutrition facts, which, of course, is of interest to their audience.

✅  5. FontShop – An email that generates expectation 

This is not exactly a newsletter, but more like a welcome email. In any case, it presents some interesting aspects.

For one thing, they start telling you that all the newsletters you’ll receive from now on will include offers and discounts. This way, they generate expectation and make sure you’ll pay attention to all the emails they send your way. 😉

And we should also point out how well they evoke their brand identity all throughout the text.

Notably, their newsletter is called Letternews, a simple pun that aligns well with the laid-back personality of the brand.

✅  6. Nike – Newsletters to build a sense of community

Hi, Athlete.

This heading reveals Nike’s target audience right from the start.

It’s a greeting that their subscribers relate to and that subtly makes them part of the same community (the community of “athletes” wearing Nike products).

They don’t sell their products in this newsletter. Instead, they give advice on exercising during the lockdown and staying motivated.

✅  7. Article – Don’t buy furniture

A very original idea to advertise Black Friday.

The furniture store Article simply used an email with a photo and a striking phrase: “Maybe don’t buy furniture this weekend”.

Why? Because Black Friday started the following Monday, so you could find it at a more appealing price a few days later, of course. 😉

A unique and fun way to generate expectation by letting their users know about the upcoming special offers.

✅  8. The Iconic – Season change

If you sell seasonal products in your e-commerce – the fashion sector, for example – this type of newsletter is a must.

In this email, The Iconic promotes the new spring collection recently added to their catalog.

But hey, you can also give it a twist.

When the season ends, you can send a similar newsletter with offers on your few remaining items as a farewell to the season (plus, it’s a good way of getting rid of your surplus stock). 😉

✅  9. Casper – Sales camouflaged as high-value content

This newsletter by Casper (an e-commerce that specializes in sleep products) is a sales email in disguise.

At first, they give you tips to sleep well during a journey, something that doesn’t come easy to everyone. 😉

And at the end, in a very organic way, they link this content to their product, a “canned” travel pillow.

This combination of high-value content + a relevant product can boost your conversion rate.

✅  10. Brightly – Self-segmented users 

Remember this post on lead scoring where we told you how important it is to segment your subscribers?

Here’s an actual example of how they do it at Brightly.

This online store specializes in children’s books, so right after subscribing, parents receive an email asking them about their kid’s age to get customized recommendations.

This can be easily implemented through an email automation tool like ActiveCampaign, Mailrelay or Mailchimp.

✅  11. Liberty London – Father’s Day is around the corner

Father’s Day is getting closer and you have no idea what to get for dad.

Suddenly, you open an email and find a newsletter offering you specific products just for him. Such is the case with Liberty London.

How likely are viewers to take the bait?

Changes are high, in fact (as long as it goes with their dad’s style, of course ;-P).

And you can do this with any and all of the special days throughout the year. Here’s a post with a 2020 calendar of prime-time e-commerce days, in case you need it.

✅  12. Nisolo – Storytelling to introduce a new product

Nisolo is an online shop based out of Peru with values like sustainable manufacturing and fair conditions for their workers.

In this newsletter, they highlight that the new product they’re promoting adheres to both those values.

Not only do they tell you it’s a novel and comfortable footwear model but they also narrate (pictures included) the whole manufacturing process.

A fully artisanal process with limited waste.

👉 You’ve already seen some newsletter examples

But it’s not over yet.

Keep your eyes peeled for more examples by subscribing to mailing lists from other online shops (or other brands) to analyze their emails closely and begin to understand the email marketing strategy they’re following.

And, of course, you also have to put everything you learn into practice and implement it into your own newsletters.

As you know, trial and error is the fastest way to improve. 😉

So open your favorite email tool and start creating irresistible newsletters.