20 Different Types of Newsletters and the Companies Who Need Help Writing Them
Email marketing is a proven, reliable strategy that continues to be leveraged by a huge majority of businesses. In fact, Litmus research reveals that more than 90% of marketers say email marketing is “at least somewhat critical to the overall success of their company.”
And not just any email.
Newsletters are the most common type of email used in email marketing. According to the same Litmus research, they’re used by 81% of businesses that rely on email marketing. Welcome emails are the second most common at 79%.
What makes newsletters so important to a company’s overall success is the frequency with which they’re sent. While a customer may receive a single welcome email at the start of their relationship with a company, newsletters, which can be mailed daily, weekly, or monthly, are a powerful way for the company to continue to nurture that relationship.
Newsletters connect and communicate with customers. They allow a company to stay top-of-mind and accessible.
But all those newsletters need to be written, and that kind of consistent content creation can be challenging for many companies.
That’s what makes newsletters such a great opportunity for writers looking to generate predictable, consistent revenue.
There’s actually quite a lot of variety when it comes to the types of newsletters companies send …
20 Common Types of Email Newsletters
Here are some of the most common types of newsletters, along with examples of the businesses that would send them:
Original Content Newsletter
An original content newsletter is primarily composed of unique content produced by the sending business. It can include articles, blog posts, reports, or insights created in-house, offering subscribers exclusive and valuable information.
Example Business: A content marketing agency that creates and shares its own high-quality blog posts, articles, and industry insights with subscribers.
Curated Content Newsletter
A curated content newsletter features a selection of content — such as articles, blog posts, or videos — derived from various sources. The sending business sifts through relevant external content and compiles it to provide subscribers with a curated collection of valuable resources.
Example Business: A fashion retailer curating a selection of the latest fashion trends, product reviews, and style tips from various sources.
Blended Newsletter
A blended newsletter, as the name suggests, combines both original content created by the sender and curated content from external sources. This type of newsletter offers a balance of unique insights and diverse perspectives on a particular topic.
Example Business: A food and cooking magazine that combines original recipes and articles with curated content from other chefs and food bloggers.
Digest Newsletter
A digest newsletter summarizes and consolidates important information, such as news articles, industry updates, or research findings. It aims to save subscribers time by providing a condensed overview of recent developments in a specific field or topic.
Example Business: An industry news website that compiles the top news articles, research reports, and updates from the past week into a single newsletter.
Episodic/POV Newsletter
An episodic/POV (Point of View) newsletter tells a story or shares a unique perspective over a series of emails. Each email builds on the previous one, offering subscribers a serialized narrative, personal experiences, or a specific point of view on a topic of interest. This type of newsletter creates anticipation and engagement over time.
Example Business: A travel agency sharing a series of newsletters chronicling the adventures of its travel bloggers and offering a unique perspective on destinations.
Promotional Newsletter
These newsletters focus on promoting specific products, services, or offers. They are commonly used for sales announcements, special discounts, or product launches.
Example Business: A florist promoting new product arrivals, seasonal specials, and limited-time arrangements.
Educational/How-To Newsletter
These newsletters provide valuable information and tips to subscribers. They are often used to position a company as an industry expert, offer tutorials, or share helpful guides.
Example Business: A craft supply retailer providing subscribers with tips, patterns, and instructions for different projects — quilting, knitting, painting, pottery, jewelry making, etc.
Event Announcement Newsletter
Businesses can use event announcement newsletters to announce and promote upcoming events, such as webinars, workshops, conferences, or local events. This can help build engagement and drive event attendance.
Example Business: A live music venue sending out announcements about upcoming performers and other events happening at the venue.
Customer Stories/Testimonials Newsletter
Sharing customer success stories and testimonials can build trust and credibility. These newsletters showcase how a company’s products or services have positively impacted real customers.
Example Business: A software company featuring case studies and success stories from customers who have achieved significant results using their software.
Company Updates Newsletter
These newsletters keep subscribers informed about important company news, such as changes in leadership, awards, achievements, or milestones. This can help maintain transparency and keep customers engaged.
Example Business: A sustainability-focused company sharing news about the achievement of environmental goals, awards, and new initiatives.
Product Updates/Release Notes Newsletter
For software companies or businesses with regularly updated products, these newsletters can inform users about new features, improvements, and bug fixes. It helps users get the most out of their purchases.
Example Business: A software-as-a-service (SaaS) company announcing the latest software updates, improvements, and new features.
Survey/Feedback Requests Newsletter
Companies can use newsletters to routinely gather feedback from subscribers. These newsletters might be sent monthly, quarterly, or at a frequency appropriate to the customer experience for a particular company. This can help them understand their audience’s needs, preferences, and opinions, enabling them to improve their products or services.
Example Business: An online retailer seeking customer feedback through surveys to improve the shopping experience.
Holiday/Seasonal Newsletter
These newsletters align with holidays or seasons and offer themed content or promotions. This can be a fun way to engage with subscribers and boost sales during specific periods.
Example Business: A greeting card company sending holiday-themed newsletters with new card designs and special promotions.
Industry News Roundup Newsletter
These newsletters summarize and share relevant industry news, trends, and insights with subscribers. This positions the sending business as a valuable source of industry information.
Example Business: A finance consultancy summarizing and sharing the latest economic trends and financial news with subscribers.
Member-Exclusive/VIP Newsletter
These are premium newsletters for loyal customers or for those who have subscribed to a premium tier of membership. These newsletters can provide exclusive content, early access, or special discounts as a perk of loyalty/membership.
Example Business: An online fitness platform offering exclusive workout routines, nutrition tips, and discounts to premium subscribers.
Personalized Recommendations Newsletter
These newsletters use customer data and purchase history to send personalized product recommendations. This can help increase sales and enhance the customer experience.
Example Business: An online streaming service providing subscribers with personalized movie and TV show recommendations based on their viewing history.
Social Media Highlights Newsletter
These newsletters summarize a company’s recent social media activity in an email, including popular posts, comments, or mentions. This can encourage subscribers to engage with the sender’s social profiles.
Example Business: A clothing brand summarizing the most engaging social media content from the past week for subscribers.
Partner/Affiliate Promotions Newsletter
Companies can collaborate with partners or affiliates to cross-promote products or services in their newsletters. It can be a win-win for both parties.
Example Business: An influencer marketing platform promoting products or services from partner brands and providing affiliate links to subscribers.
Employee Spotlight Newsletter
These newsletters highlight notable team members, share their stories, or showcase their expertise. This can add a human touch to a brand and make a business more relatable.
Example Business: A home service company — HVAC, landscaping, housecleaning, etc. — introducing subscribers to key team members, their roles, and contributions to the company's success.
Monthly Roundup Newsletter
These newsletters typically are sent at the end of each month to give subscribers a recap of the most significant developments, updates, or highlights related to a business or industry. It can include summaries of popular blog posts, important news, upcoming events, and other relevant information from the past month.
Example Business: An accounting firm sending a monthly roundup newsletter to subscribers, summarizing key industry news from the past month as well as upcoming events and tax filing deadlines.
Newsletter Clients are Out There Waiting, and They Need You
As I hope you can see, there’s an enormous diversity in both the types of newsletters being written and in the businesses that send them. Really, any company that wants to communicate regularly with their customers and engage their audience should be sending a newsletter.
The reality is that some are, and some aren’t … yet.
For those that aren’t yet sending a newsletter, you can help them establish one and maintain a consistent publishing schedule right from the start.
For those that currently have a newsletter (look for a newsletter signup form on their website as evidence that they have one), there are several ways for you to help:
- Help them be more consistent. Maintaining newsletter consistency is a challenge for many companies. They believe in the strategy but struggle with the execution — namely the writing — of a newsletter.
- Help them revive an ailing or dead newsletter. If their current newsletter has become stale or they’ve stopped sending it completely, you can help revamp and revive it by either changing the content type or by simply bringing new energy to it with your writing expertise.
- Help them launch an additional type of newsletter for additional connection with their subscribers. For example, if they’re currently sending a weekly curated content newsletter, they might benefit from adding a monthly customer stories/testimonials newsletter.
Newsletter clients really are everywhere. They’re online. They’re in your town, maybe right down the street. You may even be their customer (if so, you have a unique “in” with them already).
They’re out there. And they need you.
Don’t let them down.
How to Write Engaging E-newsletters: Earn Ongoing Income by Turning Casual Prospects into Devoted Customers
Start writing e-newsletters that build relationships and turn casual prospects into devoted customers. With this skill, you can earn thousands of dollars a month in retainer contracts. Learn More »
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