How to Create a Newsletter | 7 Steps & Tips for Writing
Knowing how to create a newsletter is a valuable skill for anyone who works in communications or who wants to send regular updates about a topic. Creating a newsletter involves careful planning, sharp writing, strategic configuration, and attractive design.
QuillBot’s AI weekly newsletter generator can help you create a newsletter quickly and easily. If you prefer a newsletter with another frequency, simply specify that for the tool.
What is a newsletter?
A newsletter is a periodical update sent to members of a group. “Group” here can mean many things: family, society, organization, club, business, etc. Nowadays, “newsletter” often refers to email newsletters sent by companies or organizations to people who’ve shown interest in them.
A few examples of a newsletter are:
- An annual end-of-year update sent by a family to extended family and friends
- A weekly selection of relevant articles sent to language educators
- A monthly promotion of a brand’s discounts and offers sent to customers
Newsletters help build relationships, inform audiences, foster engagement, and drive action.
How to make a newsletter
You can learn how to make a newsletter by following these seven steps. Depending on the type of newsletter you want to make, you might not have to go through all these steps (e.g., if sending a simple family update newsletter, you probably don’t need to analyze results).
1. Define your strategy
Before you design or write anything, clarify why you’re creating a newsletter and who it’s for. Ask yourself:
- What is the main purpose of this newsletter? What do I want to achieve?
- Who is my target audience? What do they care about?
- How often should I send it? What frequency is manageable for me?
- What type of content do I want to include? How does the content reflect my goals?
- Will this newsletter feature original content or curated content (or both)?
From here, you shape every other step, from the tone of your writing to the design of your template.
- The main purpose is to drive workshop sign-ups and build a loyal customer base.
- Her target audience is hobbyists and beginners interested in ceramics, primarily women ages 25–45 in her local area.
- A monthly newsletter is manageable for her and updates her audience without overwhelming them.
- She wants to include updates to promote the studio, tips to educate her audience, and student spotlights to build community.
- Sophia is comfortable creating original content, but she may also add curated content if she finds something particularly useful.
Based on this strategy, Sophia outlines her newsletter plan:
- Share an upcoming workshop calendar each month.
- Add a special offer or discount code to encourage sign-ups.
- Include one quick pottery tip or tutorial to provide value.
- Feature a student spotlight to build community.
By clearly defining her purpose, audience, and frequency, Sofía has a focused strategy that guides her content and makes the newsletter worth reading.
2. Choose your tools
There are many platforms that let you design, send, and track newsletters. A few popular options are Mailchimp, Sendgrid, Substack, ConvertKit, Brevo, and Beehiiv. When choosing a tool, assess:
- Ease of use (e.g., drag-and-drop, pre-built templates)
- Automation features (e.g., scheduling options, automatic welcome emails)
- Price (including details about recipient limits)
- Analytics (e.g., open rates, click-through rates, unsubscribes)
- Setup load (e.g., can be done by marketing or must be set up by developers)
If your audience is small and informal, you may be able to manage with a basic email service and some DIY design tools. However, for businesses and large organizations, a dedicated newsletter platform is essential to keep everything working smoothly.
3. Build your newsletter email list
You’ll need to create and grow an email list of people who genuinely want to hear from you. Some methods of building an email list include:
- Adding a sign-up form to your website or blog
- Promoting your newsletter on social media
- Offering an incentive in exchange for sign-ups (e.g., a free guide or discount)
- Gathering emails at in-person events
Make sure to comply with email marketing regulations and data privacy laws (e.g., GDPR in the EU). In general, you should always have consent from subscribers and should always offer a way to unsubscribe, but make sure to review this topic carefully as it applies to you.
4. Prepare your template
A newsletter should have a consistent look and feel so readers recognize it immediately. Most email marketing tools let you design reusable templates. If you’re not using a dedicated newsletter tool, you can also prepare a template in a design tool like Adobe or Canva.
Key elements to include in your newsletter template are:
- Header with your logo or newsletter name
- Body section for your main content
- Call to action buttons that encourage reader actions
- Footer with contact details, social links, and unsubscribe option
When designing your template, you should also keep in mind that:
- Colors should align with your brand but also enhance readability
- Fonts should be easy to read and also reflect your brand personality
- Media files shouldn’t be too big so they download quickly
- Mobile design should also be tested so newsletters can be read on phones
5. Create your newsletter content
The content is the heart of your newsletter, so take time to craft it carefully. Many newsletters contain a combination of text and other media, like images and videos. Newsletter content should add value by solving a problem, entertaining, or educating your audience.
Effective newsletter writing is clear, concise, and audience-focused. You have a limited amount of time and space to communicate your message. Two specific types of copy are super important in newsletters: the subject line, which prompts readers to open your newsletter, and the call to action (CTA), which directs readers what to do next.
6. Send your newsletter
Once your template and content are ready, it’s time to schedule and send. Choose the right time to send your newsletter. For many industries, midweek mornings perform well, but always consider your goal and target audience. If you’re not sure, experiment with different days and times to see when your audience is most responsive.
If your email list contains different types of subscribers (e.g., leads, customers, partners), consider who should receive your newsletter and make sure you have properly segmented your contacts.
Always test your newsletter before sending it to your subscribers en masse. Nearly all email newsletter platforms have a test feature. Check that the newsletter looks good on desktop and mobile, that images and other media files load correctly, and that all the links work. Double-check for spelling and grammar errors too with QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker.
- She schedules it for Tuesday at 10 a.m., since her audience is most active midweek and tends to check personal email in the mornings. She also has no workshops on Tuesday at 10, so no one will miss the email because they’re working in the studio.
- She segments her list into two groups: past workshop participants and new subscribers. Past participants receive a “returning student discount” code, while new subscribers see a welcome message and discount code.
- Sophia sends herself a test email to confirm that images of student pieces, her tutorial video, and the workshop sign-up buttons work on both desktop and mobile
When the email goes out, Sophia feels confident her newsletter will land at the right time, in the right format, and with the right message for her audience.
7. Analyze results
The final step in creating a newsletter is to review how it performed. Analytics tell you if your strategy and content are working and how you can improve. Key metrics to track include:
- Open rate: the percentage of recipients who open your email. Analyzing this can help you determine if your subject lines are well-written and if you’re sending your newsletter at the right time.
- Click-through rate (CTR): the percentage of readers who clicked a link in your newsletter. This helps you understand if your content and CTAs are well-written and relevant to your audience. It could also uncover broken links in your content.
- Bounce rate: the percentage of emails that weren’t delivered successfully. This will show you when you need to clean up your subscriber list.
- Unsubscribe rate: the percentage of readers who unsubscribed after receiving your email. A high unsubscribe rate can show that readers don’t find your content valuable or that you’re overwhelming them by sending too many emails.
A newsletter is a continuous cycle of writing, sending, measuring, and improving. Every newsletter you send should help your future editions be better and better.
For example, take these subject lines:
- A: Get your free grammar guide inside
- B: Do you make these 10 most common grammar mistakes?
Half of your recipients would get A, and the other half would get B. You can then compare open rates to see which subject line better prompted people to open your email.
10 tips on how to write a newsletter
Writing a newsletter isn’t the same as writing a regular email, a blog post, or copy for advertising and marketing campaigns. Here are 10 tips on how to write a newsletter to get you in the right frame of mind:
- Craft strong subject lines. They should be around 50 characters or fewer and give a preview of what’s inside the newsletter.
- Start with a hook. Open with a sentence that instantly captures attention. This could be a surprising fact, a question, or a short, relatable anecdote that connects to your topic.
- Be concise. Use short sentences and tight paragraphs. Aim for clarity over complexity. Most readers skim emails, and conciseness lends itself to that.
- Write like you’re speaking to one person. Newsletters feel more personal when written as a one-on-one conversation. Use “you” instead of “all of you.”
- Use strong, active language. Use action verbs and active voice to instill your newsletter with energy and drive action. This is particularly important in CTAs.
- Match your tone to your audience. Professional? Keep it polished but warm. Creative? Go for playful, engaging language. Always keep the target audience and their expectations in mind.
- Guide with transitions. Just as you would when writing an essay, use transition words to guide your reader. They help maintain flow and keep people reading.
- Provide value in every section. Every element of your newsletter should tie back to the audience’s needs, problems, and interests.
- Edit ruthlessly. Newsletters have seconds to make an impact, so eliminate any words that do not serve your purpose. Specifically, look out for jargon, filler, and verbiage. A shorter and sharper newsletter will get read more often.
- End with a clear CTA. Tell readers exactly what they should do, remember, or look forward to next. Many times, this desired action will involve clicking a button, but it doesn’t have to.
Newsletter templates
Below, find a newsletter template to give you an idea of how you could structure a newsletter and what sections it could include. Add, delete, and reorganize sections as needed.
[Your Newsletter Title Here, e.g., “The Weekly Digest” or “September Updates”]
Date: [Month, Day, Year]
——
Featured story: [Catchy headline for your main article]
[This is where your main content goes. This could be a blog post, a company update, or a behind-the-scenes look. The body should be easy to read with short paragraphs. Don’t be afraid to use bold text to highlight key points.]
——
Call to action: [Clear and concise text that encourages a specific action, like “Read more,” “Shop now,” or “Download the report.”]
In Other News
- [Short headline 1]: [Briefly summarize a second story or update. Link to the full article if its hosted elsewhere.]
- [Short headline 2]: [Briefly summarize a third story or update.]
- [Short headline 3]: [Briefly summarize a fourth story or update.]
——
From our community
[Optional section to highlight a customer story, a user-submitted photo, or a review. This helps build a sense of community.]
- “[A great quote from a customer or community member.]” — [Name]
——
Call to action
[Give readers a clear next step: sign up, register, shop, reply. For example, “Spots are filling quickly—reserve your place in our [workshop/webinar] today!”]
[CTA button or link here]
——
Follow us
[Link to your social media profiles, such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.]
——
Footer
[Company/organization name or logo] [Website] [Address (Optional, but recommended for professional newsletters)] You received this email because you signed up for our newsletter. [Add an unsubscribe link here. This is legally required in many places.]
If you’d like to ask AI to help you create a newsletter, try one of these prompts to get started immediately.
Generate 10 newsletter topic ideas for [describe your field/business], aimed at [your target audience]. Each idea should provide value by [educating/entertaining/promoting/engaging].
Write subject lines:
Write 5 subject lines for a newsletter about [topic]. They should be short (under 50 characters), intriguing, and encourage readers to open the email.
Write a catchy intro:
Write a friendly, engaging introduction for a newsletter about [topic]. Start with a hook that highlights [a problem, a surprising fact, or a relatable situation] and show readers what they’ll gain from this issue.
Summarize content to include in a newsletter:
Summarize this article/blog post in 3 sentences for a newsletter. Make it scannable and highlight the main takeaway for readers. [Paste article or link here]
Write CTAs:
Write 3 variations of a clear, persuasive call to action for [goal: e.g., “signing up for a webinar,” “reading a blog post,” or “buying a product”]. Keep the tone [professional/friendly/urgent].
Edit the newsletter:
Edit this newsletter draft to be more concise, engaging, and scannable. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and transitions to keep readers interested. [Paste draft here]
Frequently asked questions about how to create a newsletter
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Santoro, K. (2025, October 28). How to Create a Newsletter | 7 Steps & Tips for Writing. Quillbot. Retrieved November 1, 2025, from https://quillbot.com/blog/content-writing/how-to-create-a-newsletter/
