How to Create High-Performing Newsletter Ads

Here at Bullish Studio, we know newsletters.

Whether we’re helping creators like @DepthsofWikipedia or Dr. Parik Patel launch and grow their original newsletters, or facilitating advertising campaigns for brands within preexisting newsletters — like Exec Sum, The Watercoolest, and Inside Business — our team has insight into nailing this medium: Welcome to Trade Secrets, our newsletter that offers resources for creators and brands to thrive in the growing creator economy. 

Peers and casual observers alike regularly ask us for advice on how to approach advertising in a newsletter partnership. What tactics work, and what don’t? What type of messaging will enhance a campaign, and what will leave the audience (and possibly the client) scratching their chins? 

Newsletter advertising is an increasingly viable avenue for brands to reach engaged and curious readers, but success is all but guaranteed in this decidedly non-programmatic advertising medium.

That said, literally everyone uses email, and have for quite some time. Social networks come and go, but email has been a constant for decades. And at a time when people have opted out of Facebook tracking (since iOS 14, about 25% of users give apps permission to track their behavior), it's increasingly more difficult to reach new audiences, thus giving email ads a notable advantage. 

To wit, millennials spend an average 6.4 hours every day using email, and 85% of emails are read on mobile phones. And half of employees say they'd prefer to be contacted by brands via email, according to a 2018 Adobe Consumer Email Survey.

So, in an effort to shed some light on best email advertising practices, we gathered a list of core tenets to embrace — as well as do’s and don’ts for each — while undergoing this type of digital marketing. Consider this as a case study, informed by experts at Bullish Studio who reach 10 million readers per month across email newsletters. 

Authenticity

A key question to ask yourself before undergoing any email advertising campaign is, “How do you frame your copy in a way that’s authentic to the audience?”

What’s your sell to a newsletter’s readership, and how do you cater to multiple types of audiences that are distinct yet all attracted to a given newsletter? Here are some best practices.

DO:

Write in an authentic voice that resonates with your target audience. Get familiar with the newsletter you’re advertising in, so that your ad feels seamless amidst the rest of the content. It should feel as if it’s natively part of the newsletter. The best ads are not viewed as ads. The worst ads are the ones that stick out like a sore thumb — including mismatched language/tone, mismatched imagery, and other inconsistencies with the newsletter you’ve placed it in. 

Additionally, tailor your ad to who actually reads the newsletter, on top of what type of consumers might like the brand you’re promoting. This is not always mutually exclusive. For example, when you see an ad on your favorite website, the brand will serve different creative based on who spends time on that site (different properties attract different audiences, after all). It’s a match-making game: tailor your copy based on who will actively be reading it. To do that, put yourself in the audience’s shoes. A person who reads X newsletter might not need your product for the same reason as someone who reads Y newsletter. 

DON’T:

Don’t just plug and play. A successful campaign is much more strategic than just dropping in pre-approved ad copy into an ad slot. A client’s pre-approved copy might not work. Don’t hesitate to give feedback. 

In other words, don’t get repetitive: Often, a brand will send one version of an ad and they will want you to use that in all 10 newsletter placements. That’s not effective if it doesn’t match the vibe of any of the distinct newsletters. If you see the same ad in multiple newsletters, it will come across as if the brand doesn’t care, isn’t putting in effort, and isn’t being authentic. You’re duplicating the message and therefore minimizing your impact when you have a chance to stand out in each individual ad placement. 

Provide Context

An essential aspect of any successful email ad campaign is context. Ensure you’re detailing why your product or service is a fit with whoever may be reading your ad. Establish credibility so the reader will both trust you and continue reading your ad. 

So, what are some best practices for achieving this?

DO:

Have a killer headline. This can be a dealbreaker. If you have a bad headline, no one will read your ad. Headlines should establish credibility or detail why the product or service is a fit.

Tell your story in a quick but effective manner. This means you should avoid throat clearing. Your ad has to be informative and succinct. Don’t cram in descriptors or extra words just for the sake of it. Language should consistently provide value and information in your advert. 

Similar to writing in an authentic voice, providing context should emphasize that you understand what you’re selling. If you know the product, your copy will define the value-add to the reader — and the “so what?” of the advertisement will be crystal clear to the audience, ensuring that they will resonate with the ad. 

DON’T: 

Don’t force certain language: This goes back to knowing your audience. Nothing screams inauthentic more than an ad that attempts to be “hip” because that’s your surface-level understanding of who will be reading it. Forcing a tone or attitude will fall flat and come across as pandering if it’s irrelevant to the actual audience and consumer base. 

At the same time, don’t write for the masses or the “collective audience.” Write in a way that appeals intimately to each individual reader/customer, as if your ad was tailor-made just for them. To quote the legendary adman David Ogilvy, “The consumer isn’t a moron. She is your wife.”

Don’t bury the lead: When writing an ad for an email or newsletter campaign, don’t save your primary information or value-add for the closer’s call to action. Don’t bury the important stuff! The benefits of your goods or service should be already known from the ad’s headline — and your value-add should be upfront and center throughout the whole ad. 

Approaching Design and Layout

We could have a full article on how to approach the design and aesthetic of your ad placement. For the sake of brevity, we’ll keep it simple and straightforward — just like how you should approach your ad. 

DO:

Match the aesthetic of the newsletter you’re advertising in. If your ad is visually loud in the wrong ways — and sticks out like a sore thumb — newsletter readers are more likely to skip over the copy. Again, the ad should flow seamlessly with the newsletter you’re placing it in. 

Have an easily-clickable call-to-action. A major pitfall of newsletter ad campaigns is when people bury the CTA, making it difficult for readers to engage with the brand outside the actual ad. Don’t bury the CTA and don’t over-do it with many CTAs. More CTAs do not equal more clicks.

How to Handle Disclaimers and Terms + Conditions

A major deal breaker for email campaigns is a salient disclaimer or one that distracts from the rest of the copy. You should pay attention to how disclaimers actually look and appear in an ad. Disclaimers are important and should stand out separately from the ad itself. Give the readers an opportunity to consume the ad and then the fine print.

Of course, every email or social media ad needs to adhere to the FTC's Advertising and Disclosure Guidelines — are ads do, and yours should, too. 

DO:

Maximize the use of asterisks when possible and place a disclaimer in a discrete, strategic, and tasteful manner. 

Get creative with fading the disclaimer. If your ad copy uses black for the font, consider using a different color for the disclaimer, like grey. 

DON’T:

Don’t mix in your disclaimer with the rest of the ad copy. It shouldn’t just bleed in. The disclaimer should not draw the attention of the reader or become the focal point of the ad. 

Similarly, don’t let the look of the disclaimer detract from the CTA. You can’t “bury” the disclaimer, but it should be much less in-your-face than your main value-add talking points or the call to action. 

Ad Sequencing and Frequency

When working on an email advertising campaign that may include placement in multiple newsletters, be mindful of your ad sequencing and frequency. You don’t want to use the same exact ad in 10 newsletters, otherwise you’re missing out on enhanced engagement from readers. 

DO:

Be strategic about sequencing ads. You want to engage readers over time. Therefore, if you have a deal for 4 ad placements, you want the ads to build off each other as if they were an ongoing story. 

Refresh the creative. Each ad should build upon each other. This could mean providing selling point 1 in the first ad and selling point 2 in the second ad…. OR, expanding upon the first point in the second ad. You don’t just want to copy and paste the same ad. Each should be nuanced and fresh, while still building upon the previous. 

Be mindful of different ad placements. Make sure you consider how a larger primary ad works with a complementary secondary ad. You should be able to deliver the same impact across various character count placements. Avoid redundancy and aim for complementary messaging (so the various ads work in tandem). 

DON’T:

Don’t schedule all your placements too closely together. It results in audience burnout and is a missed narrative opportunity.

Don’t just copy and paste the same ad throughout the campaign. Each should be nuanced and fresh, while still building upon the previous. 

Closing Thoughts

At a time when new advertising methods are straying away from programmatic campaigns, human touch and creativity are essential, especially when connecting with loyal newsletter audiences. Though a primer, the tips and tricks underscored above will help you and your team nail any email advertising project. Keep on trucking, and don’t be shy to reach out and ask the Bullish team for any advice or follow-up questions.