Could your email newsletter use a quick tune-up? Take these three steps to pinpoint improvements that need your attention now.
1. Sign up for it using a new email address, then unsubscribe.
When was the last time you looked at every piece of communication that a new e-newsletter subscriber gets from you? Are all of those pieces still current and relevant for today? It's time to double-check each piece.
Review your sign-up form, the "Thank You" page that loads after clicking "Submit," the double-opt-in email that's sent automatically (assuming you use double opt-in), the confirmation page that loads after that click, and the "Thank you for joining our list" email that goes out after that confirmation. Once you are through that process, go through the unsubscribe process too.
To ensure everything is working as expected, subscribe to your list with a brand spanking new email address and then unsubscribe a few days later.
Which bring us to tip #2.
2. Look at your email newsletter in several different email programs.
What an Outlook user sees may be very different from what a Gmail or Thunderbird user sees, not to mention what it looks like on a smartphone. The only way to be sure that your email newsletter template is working well is to actually view it in all the different programs.
While some email newsletter service providers make this easier than others, it's not a standard service. But affordable testing programs are available. You can learn about two services in this post on the Nonprofit Communications blog. It's well worth paying for the test services every now and then, especially when you make changes to your layout.
If you simply can't pay, you can do it yourself, but the hassle factor is high. Start by getting free accounts at services like Gmail and Yahoo and installing multiple email programs on your computer (e.g. Outlook, Thunderbird). Beg friends at various ISPs (e.g. AOL, Roadrunner, Comcast) to do screen captures for you. Then run your own tests.
The goal isn't necessarily to make your newsletter look exactly the same in every program. It's to make sure that your newsletter is readable in every program.
3. Ask Some Friends to Eye-Ball It for You
Find five friends who fit your typical newsletter reader demographic, but who don't get your newsletter now. Get them on the phone, then email your newsletter to them. Immediately ask them for their gut reactions to questions like, "What did you notice first?," "What is this newsletter about?," "How would you describe the 'feel' of this newsletter?," and "Where is the first place you wanted to click?"
It's not a formal survey or focus group, but even doing this kind of quickie survey can produce some interesting feedback.
Take what you've learned and tune-up that newsletter!
About the Author: Kivi Leroux Miller provides training and personal coaching on all aspects of nonprofit marketing and communications to organizations big and small across the U.S. If you want to write newsletters and annual reports that your supporters will love or create websites and blogs that educate and inspire, visit www.NonprofitMarketingGuide.com, where you'll find a free e-newsletter, articles, webinars, e-courses, and more.
