How to start a newsletter in 10 simple steps:

• Decide what your newsletter is about.
• Pick an email marketing tool like MailerLite.
• Create a clear signup form or popup in Elementor Pro.
• Connect it to your email list inside MailerLite.
• Write a welcome email for new subscribers.
• Plan regular emails with helpful tips or news.
• Design a simple, clean template.
• Send your first email campaign.
• Check how many people opened and clicked.
• Improve your content over time so readers stay happy.

Starting a newsletter is one of the most important types of digital marketing. It helps you connect with your target audience and meet your business goals. With a newsletter, you can communicate directly with your audience and build strong long-lasting relationships that can lead to (more) sales.

Still not sure if you should start a newsletter? Just take a look at these stats from Statistica: In 2023, the global email marketing market was worth $8.3 billion and is projected to reach $18.9 billion by 2028.

This means that there’s a huge opportunity to earn substantial revenue from your own newsletter.

10 Simple Steps to Launch Your Newsletter Immediately

Starting a newsletter is easy and can be simplified into 10 simple steps. Basically, pick an email tool like MailerLite and make a simple signup form on your optimized landing page. Then, send a welcome email, plan regular updates, and check your results to improve over time. This helps you keep readers engaged and grow your list.

Here’s how you do this in 10 steps.

1. Choose Your Newsletter’s Focus and Audience

The first step in starting a successful newsletter is clarity. Identify your target audience and make sure your newsletter matches your niche. Think about who you want to reach, and consider their interests and challenges. How can your newsletter give them useful information or solutions?

Once you’ve understood who your target audience is, you can decide on the main theme of your newsletter. This could include things like industry news, updates about your company, or product promotions for specific customer groups.

Pro tip: You want to focus on an 80-20 rule: 80% of your newsletter content should be valuable information and the other 20% for selling.

Having a clear focus lets you create relevant content. This content will connect with your audience and keep them engaged as subscribers.

2. Set Up Your Email Marketing Platform with Elementor Pro and MailerLite

Elementor Pro and MailerLite are friends and connecting the two is super easy.

Assuming you already have an Elementor website or landing page setup. First, create a free account with MailerLite.

Create a new group in your MailerLite “Subscribers” tab. This will serve as your group for your email list. You can have multiple groups for specific topics like SEO, AI news, or your general newsletter.

Then, all you have to do is grab your API token from your MailerLite account and paste it into the Elementor integrations settings.

Grab your MailerLite API token in the integrations settings, create a new token by clicking on “use”, give it a name, generate it, and copy the token.

Then, in your Elementor integrations settings, scroll down to MailerLite, and paste your API token. Click validate API key.

Now that both Elementor Pro and MailerLite are connected, it is time to connect your Elementor form to one of your newly created groups.

Do this by editing an Elementor page and adding an Elementor Pro form widget. This form widget can be a contact form or a simple newsletter sign up as you see in the below image.

Get this free consultant landing page for Elementor Pro ⇒

Then in the form widget itself, add MailerLite to the “actions after submit” tab.

You will now have a new tab available called MailerLite. All that is left to do now is connect the form to a group and map your input fields.

You have now successfully connected your Elementor Pro form to your MailerLite mailing list.

Note: MailerLite lets you create multiple groups and connect each Elementor Pro form to a specific group—like “Support” for your contact form and “Newsletter” for signups. You can still email your entire list at once, regardless of the group they joined.

3. Design Your Newsletter Template for Consistency

A nice and consistent newsletter design is important. It helps grab your readers’ attention and builds a strong brand identity. You don’t need to be an expert in graphic design to make a good-looking template.

Besides, in MailerLite you have a variety of templates that you can choose from and change to fit your brand’s style.

The best part is you only need to design this template once and re-use it across most of your email marketing campaigns.

When you customize your template, keep this in mind:

• Brand Colors and Fonts: Make sure they match your website and other marketing materials.
• Image and Text Balance: Create a layout that looks good and is easy to read.
• Clear Call to Actions: Use buttons with strong text to help readers know what to do next.

Remember, staying in touch with a tidy design helps people recognize your brand and build trust with your audience.

4. Develop a Content Strategy and Calendar

A clear content strategy is key to a successful newsletter. It serves as a guide for your marketing efforts. This way, your content stays consistent, interesting, and in line with your business goals. Begin by coming up with content ideas that match what your audience likes and the main focus of your newsletter.

Use this content idea generator to get a list of niche-specific ideas ⇒

After that, make a content calendar to plan your newsletters ahead of time. This will help keep things consistent and stop your newsletter from getting put on the back burner – forgotten. Include things like articles, case studies, promotional content, and company news.

By carefully planning your content, you make sure each newsletter provides value to your readers.

5. Create Engaging and Relevant Content for Your Readers

Now it’s time for the most important part of your newsletter – sending out valuable content that keeps your readers interested.

If your content isn’t providing value to your readers, you are going to get a lot of unsubscribers.

Start with an engaging subject line.

Great email subject lines boost open rates by focusing on clarity, creativity, and relevance. Here’s what works best:

1. Be clear and concise: Use short, direct phrases to convey the email’s purpose immediately. Aim for fewer than 60 characters.
2. Leverage curiosity, urgency, and personalization: Create FOMO (fear of missing out) with phrases like “Limited-time offer!” or include the recipient’s name to make it feel personal.
3. Experiment with creativity: Use puns, emojis, or playful wording to grab attention but avoid being overly gimmicky or spammy.

Here are a few good ones that work quite well for different use cases:

• “Welcome aboard, [Name]! 🎉 Here’s a gift to start.”
• “What did you think of [Product/Service]?”
• “Oops, you left something behind—Get it now!”
• “Hurry! 24 hours only—20% off everything.”
• “Introducing [New Product]! Your next obsession. 🔥”
• “We miss you! Here’s 15% off to come back. 💌”
• “You’re invited! RSVP for [Event Name]. 🎉”
• “Thank you for choosing [Brand]! Here’s a little something for you.”

In the body of your email, use a friendly tone. Focus on providing value above all. Share useful information, tips they can use, exclusive deals, or snippets from your business.

A well designed email newsletter is a plus, but no one is going to care if the actual content sucks…

Don’t drown your readers in long paragraphs. Instead, use pictures, bullet points, and headings to make it easier to read.

When you create content that connects with your readers, you make your newsletter a must-read resource.

Sign up for my newsletter for tips on scaling your business (and some AI news) ⇒ 

6. Optimize Your Signup Forms to Grow Your Subscriber List

Your signup form is key to building your email list. Not only is it important to make it easy for people to subscribe, you have to give them something in exchange.

People nowadays don’t just give their emails freely. Especially when they no that there is so much spanny content out there. The last thing other entrepreneurs or business owners need is more spammy emails.

So, make sure to treat their emails as a commodity – something of value. So, the best thing you can do it to provide them something of value in exchange.

Use catchy headlines that explain why joining your newsletter is a good idea. Place your signup forms in key spots on your website. This can be on your home page, blog posts, or special landing pages. This way, you can reach the right people at the right time.

Here are some extra tips to consider for increasing your subscribers list:

Do’s	Don’ts
Use a clear and visible call-to-action (CTA).	Don’t hide the signup form in hard-to-find places.
Keep the form concise by asking only for essential information (e.g. name, email address).	Don’t overwhelm users with too many fields or personal questions.
Offer an incentive, like a free ebook, discount, or exclusive content.	Don’t expect users to sign up without providing value in return.
Place signup forms on key pages, such as the homepage, blog posts, or landing pages.	Don’t rely on just one signup location or bury it in a footer.
Use engaging and informative headlines to capture interest.	Don’t use generic or spammy language that deters trust.
Ensure mobile responsiveness for easy signup on any device.	Don’t neglect optimizing the form for mobile users.

When you make it simple and attractive for visitors to subscribe, you will notice your email list growing steadily.

7. Implement an Effective Welcome Email Series

A welcome email series is a great way to make a good first impression and show new subscribers what your brand is about. This set of automated emails helps create a friendly feel for future talks and lets you send messages that match what the subscriber likes or where they signed up from.

Think about making 2-3 emails: The first email can simply welcome them, thanking them for joining and explaining what your brand values. The next emails can go deeper into specific products, services, or topics they may enjoy, which enhances your overall customer service. This helps them feel good about being part of your customer base.

A welcome email series is important for keeping new subscribers engaged and building a strong relationship over time.

8. Use Analytics to Track Performance and Adjust Strategies

Data-driven decision-making is the route for improving your email marketing efforts. Most email marketing platforms provide valuable analytics to measure your campaigns’ performance.

Here are some key metrics to keep an eye on:

By analyzing these metrics, you can adjust your strategies to improve open rates, click-throughs, and ultimately, your conversion rates.

MailerLite aslo lets you send A/B split testing campaigns where you can adjust things like the subject line, receivers, email content and other to see what performs best.

9. Encourage Reader Engagement and Feedback

A successful newsletter needs two-way communication. You can boost reader engagement by asking questions in your emails. Invite them to reply or run polls and surveys. This helps you learn more about what your audience needs and likes.

Also, make it simple for readers to share your newsletter on their social media pages. You can do this by adding social sharing buttons to your emails. Promote your newsletter on your social media channels too. By creating a friendly community and asking for feedback, you strengthen your bond with your audience.

Pro tip: Make it easy for people to reach you by adding a calendar booking system or your phone number. Don’t worry—only serious inquiries will come through; no one is trying to waste anyones time!

Remember, when readers are engaged, they are more likely to become loyal customers.

10. Regularly Update and Improve Your Newsletter Based on Insights

The world of email marketing is always changing. Your newsletter should too! Check your analytics and feedback often. Look at industry trends to see where you can improve. This way, your newsletter stays fresh and interesting.

Don’t be afraid to try new things. You can experiment with different types of content, email designs, or how often you send them. Find what your audience likes best. A/B testing can help you here. Test different versions of your email, like subject lines or visuals, to find what works better.

If you focus on improving all the time, your newsletter will keep doing well in the fast-changing online world.

Understanding the Importance of Email List Segmentation

Email list segmentation means splitting your subscribers into smaller groups. You do this based on what they have in common, like interests or behaviors. This makes it easier to send them content that really matters to them. As a result, you will see better engagement and conversion rates.

When you know that different subscribers want different things, you can change your email content. This helps you give a more personal touch to your messages. Segmentation also makes sure that you are reaching the right people with the information they find useful.

Why Segmenting Your List Enhances Engagement

Imagine getting an email about a product you don’t care about. You would probably just delete it or unsubscribe. This is why list segmentation is important. By organizing your email list based on things like age, interests, or buying habits, you can send messages that really connect with people.

For example, if you sell clothes, you can split your audience by gender, age, or style choices. This helps you send emails that show products matching what they like. This way, more people will open your emails and click on them since they are more likely to enjoy what they see.

In the end, when you offer personalized content, you build better relationships with your subscribers. This increases the chances they will become loyal customers.

How to Segment Your List for Targeted Content Delivery

Segmenting your email list in MailerLite is pretty simple. Here’s what I do.

I begin by creating different subscriber groups for my different topics or product categories.

For example: one subscriber group for SEO, one for AI, one for general news, or one for Past/current clients. By doing this, can can easily create specific automations for specific groups (email lists), and exclude or include them in your email marketing campaigns.

MailerLite also has a nice segmenting feature that allows you to filter your subscribers using different filters.

You could also find important traits in your audience. This could be things like their age or where they live. You can also think about their past buying choices or how much they interacted with your earlier emails.

After you make these segments, you can change your content to fit each group. For instance, you can send welcome emails to new subscribers. Meanwhile, loyal customers could get special offers and early looks at new products or services. You can also make segments based on what people are interested in from signup forms or what they do on your website.

By dividing your list and writing special messages for each group, you help ensure that every subscriber has a more personal and helpful experience. This can lead to more engagement and strong loyalty to your brand.

Conclusion

In conclusion, starting your newsletter can be exciting and rewarding. You can begin your newsletter journey with confidence by following these 10 easy steps. Focus on creating engaging content and a consistent design. It’s also important to remember to segment your audience to get them more involved. Check your performance metrics often and gather feedback to improve your strategies. Use email marketing tools like Elementor Pro and MailerLite to make your work easier. If you stay dedicated and creative, your newsletter can help you connect well with your audience. Happy launching!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Are the Best Practices for Email Subject Lines?

The best subject lines are short, interesting, and made for the person reading them. Use good practices, like making it seem urgent or curious, to catch the reader’s attention. Make sure the subject line matches your email content and tells what to expect.

How Often Should I Send Out My Newsletter?

The best email frequency really depends on your target audience and how much they engage. Figuring out the right time to send emails is very important. Try out different frequencies and check your results. It’s smarter to send fewer, high-quality newsletters that offer value. This way, you will not overwhelm your subscribers with too many emails.