The email is still one of the strongest methods publishers can use to engage readers. Publishers can drive traffic, generate revenue and cultivate their reader base by having an email list and writing relevant, personalized messages. Below are five email marketing best practices publishers should use:
1. Create and Segment Your Email List.
The key to any successful email marketing campaign begins and ends with a well-built email list. Collect emails from websites, social media, webinars, conferences and behind-the-scenes content. And it’s not the number but the quality when it comes to finding subscribers who care what you’re doing.
Once you have a solid list, it’s time to break it down. You need to segment your followers by demographics, interests and behaviors. This way, you can enable house messaging to appeal to different sections of your subscribers. A lifestyle publisher, for example, might split her or his readers between health, travel, or food. Send out your niche content to your subscribers to boost your engagement and improve your relationship with them.
2. Craft Compelling Subject Lines
You start your email with your subject line, the opening paragraph, because this is how subscribers enter your email. It’s the catchy subject line that drives the high opening rates. Stay your topic short, exciting, and to the point. Active language, asking questions, or personalizing your messages will really skyrocket your open rates. You can vary the style and length of the text depending on what you think works best for your list.
You might also A/B test your subject lines to see which works best. This would allow you to refine your approach further so that you can figure out what the readers like.
3. Personalization
Personalization isn’t merely putting the subscriber’s name into a greeting. You can tailor your content based on interactions, interests, and location using your data. For instance, if a subscriber has read some travel articles before, you might suggest reading more travel related articles or personal promotions.
Naturally, the more relevant your content is to any given subscriber, the more likely they are to click through. Personalized emails may not only improve clickthrough rates, but they also tend to increase subscribers’ lifetime value.
4. Optimize for Mobile Devices
In the modern world, a majority of email is accessed through mobile. As a publisher, your email design cannot be made mobile-friendly- it simply must. Your email should respond appropriately to different screen sizes and, most of all, have an excellent user experience across devices.
Make CTAs with visuals, limited text, and highly clickable buttons. A responsive mobile email will have the potential to improve your engagement and click-through rates, resulting in a more positive experience for your subscribers.
5. Create and Segment Your Email List.
The beginning and end of any email marketing campaign is a well-maintained email list. Collect emails from website opt-ins, social media, webinars, events, and behind-the-scenes. It’s not the number of subscribers, it’s the quality of subscribers that you find and actually value.
Once you have a robust list, segment it. Classify your audiences by demographics, interests, and behaviors. This will allow you to allow house messaging to appeal to different groups of subscribers. For example, a lifestyle publisher might split his or her readers into health, travel, or food. Deliver your branded content to subscribers in order to increase interaction and form a stronger bond with them.
6. Craft Compelling Subject Lines
Your subject line opens the door to your email; it’s that first encounter with recipients. Opening rates depend on an attractive subject line. Your topic should be short, catchy, and direct. Actively wording, asking questions or personalizing your content will certainly increase your open rates. You can experiment with styles and length to see what works best for your list.
You can also A/B test your subject lines and decide which works best. This would enable you to fine-tune your strategy further to know what readers want.
7. Personalization
Personalization can go far beyond putting the subscriber’s name into a salutation. Use your data to segment and deliver content based on how people engage with it, what they want and where they are. For instance, if someone has already read content related to travel, you can suggest more travel-related articles or personalized deals.
Of course, the more specific your content is to any particular subscriber, the better chance they will respond. Personalized emails might boost click-through rates, but can also drive up the loyalty of customers.
8. Optimize for Mobile Devices
The mobile era means that most emails are viewed on mobile. It’s your publisher’s obligation, not your choice, to make sure your emails are mobile-friendly. Your email will need to adjust to any display size and, above all, be responsive.
CTAs should have high-visibility, small-brained text, and highly clickable buttons. Your mobile email design will help you achieve better engagement and click-through rates and thus a better user experience for your customers.
9. Foster Community Engagement
Email isn’t a means of just sharing content; it’s a platform to create community. Ask subscribers to participate in feedback, surveys, and social media shares. Incorporate subscribers’ articles and content into your newsletters. When you open a two-way channel of communication, you strengthen the bonds and connection of your audience.
Conclusion:
Ultimately, email marketing continues to be a useful medium for publishers to engage their readers. Publishers can leverage these five best practices to create a robust email list, create interesting subject lines, personalize emails, use mobile, and experiment and learn what works and what doesn’t to come up with a more effective email marketing campaign. In this way, publishers can increase traffic, revenue, and build a deeper connection with readers, thereby developing a stronger and more loyal following over time.
