10 Tips to Produce a Compelling Newsletter for Your Business
What makes a good company newsletter? Experts share how to engage with and hook prospective clients
Sitting down to get started on your company newsletter can be a daunting task. Where should you begin? What type of content should you include? How can you best feature your projects? And, most important, how can your newsletter snag you some leads for new projects? Here’s some valuable advice from experts who have mastered the art of the business newsletter.
Maremont puts together and writes newsletter content for some of her clients. “I usually like to kick it off with two meatier articles,” she says. “Often, one will feature a new project and the other will be something seasonal, such as a round-up of interesting fireplaces from the designer’s portfolio in the winter, or outdoor kitchen projects for spring.”
In three smaller items, she’ll share information such as recently received awards, an article that featured her client or an upcoming event they’re hosting or attending. “Grab readers’ attention with a really great image for each story,” says Maremont. Your letter should also include an easy link for potential clients to contact you for a consultation, and it can also include links to your social media accounts.
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In three smaller items, she’ll share information such as recently received awards, an article that featured her client or an upcoming event they’re hosting or attending. “Grab readers’ attention with a really great image for each story,” says Maremont. Your letter should also include an easy link for potential clients to contact you for a consultation, and it can also include links to your social media accounts.
Learn more about Houzz Pro all-in-one business software
2. What’s the best content for newsletters to promote your business?
Readers will respond to content that can help them at home. Such content will make them appreciate seeing your newsletter in their inboxes and want to open it. Try to tailor the content to the time of year and adjust it seasonally.
For example, at busy times of year or holidays when homeowners often have visitors staying, people are cleaning their homes and looking for organisational tips for spaces including entertaining areas, offices and kitchens. In spring, they’re starting to think about improving their outdoor spaces.
“I may write an article about five ways to cosy up your living room in the winter, using photos from my clients’ projects,” says Maremont. Holidays also provide good opportunities for design tips and showing off any related projects of your own.
Grab your readers’ attention with art to accompany the post. Seeing a great photo of a wardrobe that looks like what a reader wished their own wardrobed looked like can capture their attention and make them read on. A beautifully laid out picnic table for a barbecue can inspire, or a photo of an inviting sunroom might draw them in on a cold winter’s day. More important, it may give them that nudge they need to start planning a project and reach out to you.
Readers will respond to content that can help them at home. Such content will make them appreciate seeing your newsletter in their inboxes and want to open it. Try to tailor the content to the time of year and adjust it seasonally.
For example, at busy times of year or holidays when homeowners often have visitors staying, people are cleaning their homes and looking for organisational tips for spaces including entertaining areas, offices and kitchens. In spring, they’re starting to think about improving their outdoor spaces.
“I may write an article about five ways to cosy up your living room in the winter, using photos from my clients’ projects,” says Maremont. Holidays also provide good opportunities for design tips and showing off any related projects of your own.
Grab your readers’ attention with art to accompany the post. Seeing a great photo of a wardrobe that looks like what a reader wished their own wardrobed looked like can capture their attention and make them read on. A beautifully laid out picnic table for a barbecue can inspire, or a photo of an inviting sunroom might draw them in on a cold winter’s day. More important, it may give them that nudge they need to start planning a project and reach out to you.
Here are some ideas for seasonal content:
Spring: Offer advice for outdoor spaces and spring cleaning, inspiring photos from a garden you visited, a project where you used a spring colour palette, or fun Halloween decorating ideas.
Summer: Think summer party tablescapes, pools, outdoor spaces, Christmas or Hanukkah decor and entertaining ideas, coastal-inspired homes, a round-up of beachy renovation projects, or inspirational photos from a trip you took.
Autumn: Include projects that make a home cosier for cold-weather nesting, autumn-leaf-inspired colour palettes, or Easter-inspired decor.
Winter: Offer tips or advice for good ways to cosy up rooms or give readers practical tips on some of the best options to heat a home.
Spring: Offer advice for outdoor spaces and spring cleaning, inspiring photos from a garden you visited, a project where you used a spring colour palette, or fun Halloween decorating ideas.
Summer: Think summer party tablescapes, pools, outdoor spaces, Christmas or Hanukkah decor and entertaining ideas, coastal-inspired homes, a round-up of beachy renovation projects, or inspirational photos from a trip you took.
Autumn: Include projects that make a home cosier for cold-weather nesting, autumn-leaf-inspired colour palettes, or Easter-inspired decor.
Winter: Offer tips or advice for good ways to cosy up rooms or give readers practical tips on some of the best options to heat a home.
3. What insights should you provide in a company newsletter?
Another great way to keep your subscribers engaged is by making them feel like they’re getting insider information. As a home pro, you probably attend events that past, current and potential clients would like to know about.
Give your readers a peek inside the events you get to go to. International trade fair news is great newsletter fodder, from Maison & Objet in France and Cersaie in Italy to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in the USA. Likewise, your readers will be interested to hear the happenings from local trade shows, such as Decor+Design in Melbourne, Victoria.
Ideas for content include sharing your favourite finds for the home; tips about sustainable building; and decorating trends such as materials, colours, patterns and types of textiles that you spotted with your expert eye.
Another great way to keep your subscribers engaged is by making them feel like they’re getting insider information. As a home pro, you probably attend events that past, current and potential clients would like to know about.
Give your readers a peek inside the events you get to go to. International trade fair news is great newsletter fodder, from Maison & Objet in France and Cersaie in Italy to the International Contemporary Furniture Fair in the USA. Likewise, your readers will be interested to hear the happenings from local trade shows, such as Decor+Design in Melbourne, Victoria.
Ideas for content include sharing your favourite finds for the home; tips about sustainable building; and decorating trends such as materials, colours, patterns and types of textiles that you spotted with your expert eye.
4. Show off your latest projects
Of course, potential clients will want to see your work. This can include videos of the process as well as the finished product. Once the photos are taken, choose the most compelling one for the top of the newsletter. Another great way to grab attention is with two photos that show a dramatic before-and-after reveal.
If the homeowners have written you a review, you can include their praises in your newsletter (with their permission, of course).
Browse inspiring entrances from Australian pros on Houzz
Of course, potential clients will want to see your work. This can include videos of the process as well as the finished product. Once the photos are taken, choose the most compelling one for the top of the newsletter. Another great way to grab attention is with two photos that show a dramatic before-and-after reveal.
If the homeowners have written you a review, you can include their praises in your newsletter (with their permission, of course).
Browse inspiring entrances from Australian pros on Houzz
5. How to write a newsletter with personality
Craig O’Connell Architecture is a small family business based in the USA. Craig O’Connell is the architect and his wife, Jessica O’Connell, is a writer and communications expert who oversees their newsletters. She thinks carefully about the kind of content that engages their audience, and she believes in the power of getting personal.
“Our newsletter is really a vehicle to link people to our blog, but we like to include variety in the topics and make sure it’s not all about self-promotion,” she says. “Covid-19 really motivated us to start sharing more of our personal life as a family and as a business.”
This type of connection-making content might include a personal anecdote from Craig, his experience about finding a good work-life balance or even just a book he’s enjoying at the moment. “We got a lot of great feedback from our readers and had increased responses to newsletters when we got more personal,” says Jessica.
Providing help to their clients through their newsletter is also important to the O’Connells. “We don’t have some overwhelming marketing strategy,” says Jessica. “We try to do what feels natural and organic for us and stay true to our brand.”
Craig O’Connell Architecture is a small family business based in the USA. Craig O’Connell is the architect and his wife, Jessica O’Connell, is a writer and communications expert who oversees their newsletters. She thinks carefully about the kind of content that engages their audience, and she believes in the power of getting personal.
“Our newsletter is really a vehicle to link people to our blog, but we like to include variety in the topics and make sure it’s not all about self-promotion,” she says. “Covid-19 really motivated us to start sharing more of our personal life as a family and as a business.”
This type of connection-making content might include a personal anecdote from Craig, his experience about finding a good work-life balance or even just a book he’s enjoying at the moment. “We got a lot of great feedback from our readers and had increased responses to newsletters when we got more personal,” says Jessica.
Providing help to their clients through their newsletter is also important to the O’Connells. “We don’t have some overwhelming marketing strategy,” says Jessica. “We try to do what feels natural and organic for us and stay true to our brand.”
“I think that getting more personal in a newsletter is a really good idea,” says Maremont. “Let your personality shine through. You want people to like you and want to work with you. So adding that human element is really important.”
Maremont also echoes the idea of the newsletter-blog crossover. “Having a blog on a website helps so much with search engine optimisation,” says Maremont. You can double-dip with your newsletter content by posting the same articles in your blog. You may choose to just put a few lines of the article in the newsletter and then add a ‘read more’ link that connects to the full article in the blog. And be cognisant of the keywords you want to use to maximise search engine optimisation when crafting the articles you’ll post on your blog.
Maremont also echoes the idea of the newsletter-blog crossover. “Having a blog on a website helps so much with search engine optimisation,” says Maremont. You can double-dip with your newsletter content by posting the same articles in your blog. You may choose to just put a few lines of the article in the newsletter and then add a ‘read more’ link that connects to the full article in the blog. And be cognisant of the keywords you want to use to maximise search engine optimisation when crafting the articles you’ll post on your blog.
6. Take readers with you on inspiring trips
When we covered how to approach your newsletter during the coronavirus crisis back in 2020, interior designer Ellen Nystrom, who runs a studio in the USA, shared that she likes to include inspirational photos from trips she’s taken. While travel has been curtailed during the pandemic, you can still offer your readers inspiration from previous trips you’ve taken.
Nystrom features images from her travels in her newsletter, then links to additional content in her website’s blog. “I consider the blog to be like a design journal where I capture things that will inspire our projects, whether directly or indirectly,” she told Houzz.
Sharing photos from your travels will give your readers some insight into where you find inspiration as a professional. It will also help them feel that personal connection to you. Perhaps you spied a tile in Morocco 20 years ago that you still dream of, or you were struck by the look of the limestone in Texas Hill Country or experienced a garden in Japan that brought you a feeling of peace. Share these images with your readers. And if these places inspired a particular materials palette or completed project, share photos of those in your article as well.
When we covered how to approach your newsletter during the coronavirus crisis back in 2020, interior designer Ellen Nystrom, who runs a studio in the USA, shared that she likes to include inspirational photos from trips she’s taken. While travel has been curtailed during the pandemic, you can still offer your readers inspiration from previous trips you’ve taken.
Nystrom features images from her travels in her newsletter, then links to additional content in her website’s blog. “I consider the blog to be like a design journal where I capture things that will inspire our projects, whether directly or indirectly,” she told Houzz.
Sharing photos from your travels will give your readers some insight into where you find inspiration as a professional. It will also help them feel that personal connection to you. Perhaps you spied a tile in Morocco 20 years ago that you still dream of, or you were struck by the look of the limestone in Texas Hill Country or experienced a garden in Japan that brought you a feeling of peace. Share these images with your readers. And if these places inspired a particular materials palette or completed project, share photos of those in your article as well.
7. What else makes a good company newsletter?
The O’Connells like to include educational content they think will be of interest to their audience – and in the process they’re able to show off their own projects.
“We’ve written some different posts about the history of architectural styles, including mid-century modern houses in the San Francisco Bay Area and Victorian-era homes in San Francisco,” says Jessica. The posts provide a chance to share photos of work Craig has completed on these types of homes.
The O’Connells like to include educational content they think will be of interest to their audience – and in the process they’re able to show off their own projects.
“We’ve written some different posts about the history of architectural styles, including mid-century modern houses in the San Francisco Bay Area and Victorian-era homes in San Francisco,” says Jessica. The posts provide a chance to share photos of work Craig has completed on these types of homes.
8. Introduce your team and colleagues
Introducing a member of your team is a great way for your readers to get to know your firm better. Include a photo and short biography highlighting their experience in the field. Include a few fun facts, such as their hobbies and a new trend that excites them.
You can stretch beyond your firm to include colleagues you collaborate with who make a difference on your projects. Jessica likes to feature craftspeople who contribute to Craig O’Connell Architecture’s projects.
“We’ve built solid relationships with these people,” she says. She’ll feature a photo of the person and their work on the firm’s projects. For example, she recently featured a favourite custom-concrete business. Jessica shared photos of the craftsperson and some information about them, then she added photos of a custom-concrete benchtop and basin the person made for one of their projects.
Introducing a member of your team is a great way for your readers to get to know your firm better. Include a photo and short biography highlighting their experience in the field. Include a few fun facts, such as their hobbies and a new trend that excites them.
You can stretch beyond your firm to include colleagues you collaborate with who make a difference on your projects. Jessica likes to feature craftspeople who contribute to Craig O’Connell Architecture’s projects.
“We’ve built solid relationships with these people,” she says. She’ll feature a photo of the person and their work on the firm’s projects. For example, she recently featured a favourite custom-concrete business. Jessica shared photos of the craftsperson and some information about them, then she added photos of a custom-concrete benchtop and basin the person made for one of their projects.
9. How long should newsletters be?
USA-based interior designer Susan Lobalzo believes less is more when it comes to her newsletters, so keep it short and sweet. Lobalzo’s company newsletters consist of a pithy title, one eye-catching photo of her work and three lines or less of text describing it. Finally, she ends the newsletter with a link to her website, inviting her readers to check out her portfolio.
Lobalzo sends her newsletter once a month and thinks about timely posting topics in between. “I have little notes all over my office with ideas,” she says. “For instance, right now I have ‘Cabin Fever’ and ‘Let the Sun Shine’ written down for future posts. I think a catchy subject line is important.” A recent post asked readers, ‘Feeling the Winter Blues?’ in the subject line, then featured an inviting sunroom photo with a few lines describing it.
“It’s really just reaching out to subscribers, especially past clients, to make them remember me,” says Lobalzo. Her approach has worked – she’s had quite a few past clients give her a call regarding new projects after they received her newsletter nudge.
USA-based interior designer Susan Lobalzo believes less is more when it comes to her newsletters, so keep it short and sweet. Lobalzo’s company newsletters consist of a pithy title, one eye-catching photo of her work and three lines or less of text describing it. Finally, she ends the newsletter with a link to her website, inviting her readers to check out her portfolio.
Lobalzo sends her newsletter once a month and thinks about timely posting topics in between. “I have little notes all over my office with ideas,” she says. “For instance, right now I have ‘Cabin Fever’ and ‘Let the Sun Shine’ written down for future posts. I think a catchy subject line is important.” A recent post asked readers, ‘Feeling the Winter Blues?’ in the subject line, then featured an inviting sunroom photo with a few lines describing it.
“It’s really just reaching out to subscribers, especially past clients, to make them remember me,” says Lobalzo. Her approach has worked – she’s had quite a few past clients give her a call regarding new projects after they received her newsletter nudge.
10. How often should you email newsletters to clients?
Putting together a newsletter takes a lot of effort, so choose a frequency that works for you. If it feels overwhelming, shoot for once per quarter. Once you get the hang of it, try to send a newsletter every two months. “Six times a year is great for people who like interior designers and architects who are selling services,” says Maremont.
If you find you enjoy the newsletter experience and are seeing great results for your business, aim for once a month. “Anything more frequent than that seems like spam to me,” says Lobalzo. “I can keep up with once per month and it works nicely with the seasons.”
Putting together a newsletter takes a lot of effort, so choose a frequency that works for you. If it feels overwhelming, shoot for once per quarter. Once you get the hang of it, try to send a newsletter every two months. “Six times a year is great for people who like interior designers and architects who are selling services,” says Maremont.
If you find you enjoy the newsletter experience and are seeing great results for your business, aim for once a month. “Anything more frequent than that seems like spam to me,” says Lobalzo. “I can keep up with once per month and it works nicely with the seasons.”
Your turn
Do you email past, current and prospective clients a company newsletter? Tell us why or why not and share your tips on what works for your business in the Comments below. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Want more great professional advice? You won’t want to miss Perfect Match: How to Identify Your Ideal Clients
Do you email past, current and prospective clients a company newsletter? Tell us why or why not and share your tips on what works for your business in the Comments below. Go on, join the conversation.
More
Want more great professional advice? You won’t want to miss Perfect Match: How to Identify Your Ideal Clients
There isn’t much point in putting effort into your company newsletter if you don’t have an audience to engage. “I can’t stress how critical building your mailing list is,” says Jill Maremont, owner and CEO of Inspiration Station Collective, a firm based in the USA that specialises in helping design professionals with public relations, branding and marketing strategies. She recommends always having a clear link on your website where people can sign up to receive your newsletter.
“You can also build your list by hosting and participating in events,” says Maremont. “For example, if you sit on a design panel, negotiate receiving a list of the attendees’ emails. Then follow up with an email thanking them for participating.” If you host an event, she recommends holding a draw or lucky dip prize that people enter by submitting their business cards.
The new Houzz Pro Email Marketing tool lets you create mailing lists from your leads and client contacts in Houzz Pro. And wondering how to ace your newsletter design? The software also offers email templates, or you can design your own.