HTML Newsletter Template Design: 3 Copy Tips

When you’re sending out Newsletters to your clients, it’s easy to get carried away in the HTML design and the graphics. But always keep in mind that the copy is still at the crux of your message, and you should always make the text effective and appealing without losing your intended impact. Here are a few tips to keep your copy tight.

Avoid using long sentences; try to keep them to 50 or 60 characters maximum. The longer and more convoluted your sentences, the faster you’ll lose the interest of your reader.  Use punctuation to emphasize the important aspects of the message.  It’s easy for the key points to get lost in run-on sentences.  Try to keep the style of writing brief without being too choppy.  The tone should be friendly, accessible and almost conversational while still remaining professional.  The length of the paragraph should not exceed four or five lines at most.  Not only will longer paragraphs lose the attention of your reader, it will also be a visual deterrence.  Receiving emails with large blocks of gray text is not easy on the eyes. 

Speaking of gray text, it is equally important to pay attention to the proportion of white space that you leave around your copy.  This is again a visual aid to the eyes, if you leave adequate space around the margins on all sides of the paragraph; the readers’ eyes are naturally brought to the center of that white space, where your text sits.  Also, avoid using excessive symbols such as asterisks or unnecessary punctuation marks that may flag your message as spam.

Finally a third point that is very important to keep in mind is to keep the subject line and first sentence of your newsletter very relevant, impacting, and engaging.  Often what people view is just the subject line or the snippet that is revealed following this in their email inbox.  This first line preview is referred to as a snippet.  If neither of these reveals anything about the content of your email, you are sure to lose your client.  Don’t use this space to state the obvious, this is where you should get directly to the point of your newsletter, and make your identity as the sender clear so that it is not presumed to be spam.  If you have an offer to advertise, state it in the briefest way possible in your subject.  If you have a new and interesting event to promote, give the relevant details at the start of your newsletter.  These are ways to ensure the effectiveness of your efforts!