Issue #162 All About Email

Hi, friend. 👋

Welcome to Issue #162 of All About Email!

Last week, we discussed BIMI, which is now available to small and medium-sized businesses, with no more trademarks required.

This week, I share my updated content framework, which you might find very helpful if you need structure and processes to help you write email newsletters or when you get stuck.

Let’s go! 👇

My Content Framework

I don't usually use a content plan, and I write these emails each Monday morning unless something inspires me between newsletters.

📰 These days, there’s always something in the email world that offers inspiration, and as you might know, friend, I love a mini-series.

Creating an email can be pretty time-consuming.

Having a content calendar can be helpful, but sometimes, it adds pressure to create content that doesn't fit my message at a specific moment.

It is something I continually wrestle with (and you might too), although I am getting much better at planning out my content, sort of...🤣

Flexibility

While structure and planning are important, I think it's equally important to be flexible and not force each email to fit your structure/framework:

• Sometimes, I write a "thought piece" and not much else.

• Other times, the Email News section might be very short or very long.

• There could be “Breaking News” in the email community that you want to cover.

So, friend, do you have a structure and process?

I would love to hear about it. Reply to this email and let me know.

Structure/Framework

💪 One thing that does help me massively in creating my content is a structure or template.

• It allows me to duplicate my email each week and swap out the content.

• If (like me) you don't always plan ahead, a framework or structure can be beneficial to write emails on the fly.

There is a bit of a process for each stage in my framework.

Let’s dive in! 🤿 

Overall Structure

Introduction

🚨 This is one of the essential parts of my email.

• It allows new subscribers to read the previous issue.

• It is also a reminder for existing subscribers.

• The introduction allows me to summarise and tease the content of the weekly topic to get people excited and encourage them to read.

Main Content

🧠 This is the part that a lot of people might find challenging.

If you sometimes find it hard to create content (we all do), this content creation idea article will help.

(It contains some tips from me, too. 😉)

I usually have a rough idea of what I am talking about each Monday, and it is often inspired by conversations with other marketers, something I have read, or client work.

✍️ Once I start writing, I'm lucky that the words flow onto the page.

One aspect of the main content that used to take the longest was image creation, but ChatGPT and, more specifically, DALLE sorted that out.

⚡️ These AI tools allow me to quickly:

1. Iterate on some images (I have some saved prompts to get me started)

2. Generate a Title

3. Generate Alt Text

Items 2 and 3 are essential for accessibility.

Feedback

This is a section many of you might not have seen.

🤔 It can be beneficial, but sometimes not, so I removed it.

You can read more below:

• Starting a Feedback Loop using SparkLoop Reactions.

• Why I stopped and things to consider.

🐝 But now I am on Beehiiv and will use their built-in tool “if” I bring this feature back.

Email News

This is one of the most time-consuming parts of the email.

🤓 I have weekly sources to check:

• Twitter/X bookmarks.

• LinkedIn bookmarks.

• Industry newsletters I subscribe to.

• RSS Feeds I subscribe to.

Once I’ve decided which stories to include, I add the links.

💡 This is also an excellent opportunity to learn about the community, what’s new, and what to look out for in email marketing.

Conclusion/Footer

This is where the two important “hooks” happen. My “That’s it for this week 👋” sections act as a:

• Summary of the newsletter, sometimes with added spice in the “Before You Go” section, which appears occasionally.

• What readers can expect next week. **

** 🧠 That last one also benefits me by giving me a kickstart on planning my topic for next week.

Review

🚨 Even though it's the last step, it's one of the most important.

Pre-flight checks:

• I check the email looks good on mobile and the web.

• Do all my merge tags/dynamic content work?

• I test all the links work (although, sometimes, I mess up 🤦‍♂️).

• I run my content through Grammarly, which improves my overall writing.

That’s it for This Week 👋

⏭️ I will take a little break for a week (I have a bit of a crazy week this week and next with client work).

We will return in our usual format on Monday, 28th October, but I might sneak a quick announcement out next week…👀

Email Marketing News & Tips

This week's excellent and insightful email news & tips:

• Linktree - Drive newsletter sign-ups from social media. (Naomi West)

• Mail Frames - A new web app and companion Chrome extension that helps you create beautiful, responsive email templates effortlessly. (Andrew Nelson)

• Klaviyo Keeps Giving - There are new list updates inside flows and two ways to utilise these. (Midge Hazewinkel)

• Email Season - It’s the most wonderful time of the year. (Alison Gootee)

• Webinar - 6 Common Accessibility Myths that Cost Brands Customers. (Sarah Gallardo)

• From the Experts - The Best Piece of Advice I Ever Got About Newsletters. (Inbox Collective)

• Sustainability - Sustainable Email Marketing: Best Practices And Examples [2024] (Moosend)

• First Aid - Is Your Email List Healthy? Here’s How to Find Out. (ZeroBounce)

• More Inbox Changes - This week, we're talking about Apple and how a few recent update shenanigans will soon impact email senders and a recap of iOS 17’s impact on email links.
(Des Brown)

• Event Marketing Examples - Crafting Engaging Campaigns (Beehiiv)

If you have a question about this email or email marketing, reply, and I will answer you as soon as possible.

I hope you have a great week! 👋