Twisted in knots about how to design your email newsletter? Biting your nails over HTML code, color schemes and layout?
Relax. (Deep breaths... In and out...) It turns out you don't need to be a graphic designer.
Here's the good news: Your readers are expecting to read email, which means your words are way more important than your design.
Here's the even better news: You can use a template. You don't have to design the thing yourself. Don't get us wrong: How your newsletter looks is important. But, you can achieve that interesting visual punch while keeping it clean and simple.
Here’s how:
- Make the words easy to read. People don’t expect the same visual stimulation that they do when they visit a web page.
- Use a custom template. Use generic templates means and your emails will look like every other nonprofit that uses them. Custom templates are created just for you, to match your website, colors, logo and style. Network for Good's EmailNow subscribers can purchase custom templates for only $99.
- Give text top billing. You can still use a stylish design and photos. Just make sure that the text is a priority and wraps cleanly around any graphics.
- Stick with basic fonts. Online readers skim more than read, so legibility is even more important. The fonts Verdana and Georgia were both designed for the screen and Arial and Trebuchet work well online too.
- Give your campaign the five-second test. Once you've got your draft ready, send it to yourself. When it arrives, pop it open for five seconds and then close it. Then ask yourself: What was this email about?
Your supporters are more interested in what you are saying than in how cool your email looks -- your really cool supporters are reading it on their phones and won’t see your design anyway!
Not using an email service that includes layouts or offers branded templates? Consider EmailNow powered by Emma from Network for Good. Check out a demo here.
Kivi Leroux Miller is president of Nonprofit Marketing Guide.com.
