100+ Themes & Ideas To Freshen Up Your Blog Newsletter!
Thursday, October 01, 2020
Email marketing is a really effective way of promoting your blog posts & making money off of affiliate links. There are so many ways you can utilise your mailing list, but it can be hard to come up with talking points. I have compiled a long list of themes, freebies and newsletter ideas that you could try out on your subscribers!
Why You Should Spice Up Your Newsletter
We often skip the promotional emails as they can be spammy. If you have affiliate links or sales in your newsletters, you don't want people to delete them. Instead, spicing them up and adding something new can encourage clicks and engagement. If your newsletters are notorious for having fun themes and great offers, it may encourage other people to sign up for them. Having the same run down every week can be boring and may lead to unsubscribers. Giving each week a theme allows people the chance to engage with your newsletter, and they are more likely to click on it. For example, if you see a Black Friday deals email just for the event, you'll probably click on it to see what it's about!
Things You Can Include In Your Newsletter
Blog newsletters can great ways of directing traffic to your blog, making sales or giving exclusive advice. There are lots of features that you can include in your newsletter to make it unique.
Freebies - Freebies are a great way to entice sign-ups and keep people interested. Offer a freebie as a thank you for signing up. You can also include freebies in your newsletter to make people read on. I have a whole blog post about freebies that you can use for your blog or newsletter!
How-to guides - If your blog has a niche, you can come up with an exclusive how-to guide for your readers. The guide could be simple and something relatable to your theme. It could also solve a common blogging issue!
Recipes - If you're a food blogger, you could include a fun, quice recipe in your newsletter! The recipe could be limited to the newsletter and can be as simple as making a mug cake! Recipes are a fun thing to share in your newsletter.
Playlists - Lifestyle bloggers could add a link to their Spotify playlist within their newsletter. It adds a personal touch and gives your readers something to think about during the week. It will keep your readers thinking about your blog, which is a key benefit to playlists.
Exclusive advice and content - Make your mailing list something that people want to subscribe to. If you offer exclusive, limited-time content, it gives your readers a sense of urgency. Don't offer this advice anywhere else!
Round-up posts - Every week, you can share all of your latest blog posts in one place. It means you can get an extra few clicks. I also like to share the articles I have been loving this week as it brings in the community element!
Polls & surveys - If you're doing research, you may want to include surveys and polls in your newsletter. You will get feedback from genuine readers, rather than posting it on social media where you can get spammed with inaccurate results.
Affiliate links - Email marketing is a big thing! If you want to make some extra sales, try adding your affiliate links within your newsletter. It entices clicks, and gives you another source of traffic to your product!
Offers & giveaways - You could run an exclusive giveaway in your newsletter, or share limited codes with your readers. Both of these encourage sign-ups, and you may even make a sale! Make sure your offers are related to your blog.
Ideas By Theme
I try to bring out a new newsletter each week. It's good to be consistent so your readers can expect it. But also having a special edition at a random time can create interest. I do my newsletter by themes because I think it is a fun way of presenting the information. You can tailor all of your features to a theme as then the whole newsletter flows better. You don't need to have a theme to create a successful newsletter, but it can make them more interesting. Here is a list of themes that you could try out!
- Self-care & wellbeing
- Christmas themed
- Productivity & motivation
- Blogging tips, tricks and advice
- Themed to the season
- Themed to a special yearly day
- Small business themed
- Eco-friendly & sustainability
- Summer festival
- Your birthday
- Gratitude
- Vacation and relaxation
- Themed to an event or celebration
- Pop art party
- Animal themed
- A good cause/charity you feel passionate about
- Music & culture
- Pamper party
- Back to school
- Blogmas themed
- Blogtober themed
Ideas By Month
If you aren't feeling a theme, then you can focus your newsletter on what month it is! Every month there are events taking place, so you'll always have something to talk about. If you have a birthday coming up, you could include that in your newsletter too!
January
Dry January
New Years Resolutions
Weight Loss or Fitness
Motivation & Inspiration
Productivity
Self-improvement
February
Black History Month
Goal setting & productivity
Lunar New Year
Valentine's day
Florals & Flowers Coming Into Bloom
March
International Women's Day
St Patrick's Day
International Earth Day
Mardi Gras
National PI Day - great for bakers!
Preparation For Spring
Themed Around The Colours Yellow or Green
April
Spring Cleaning
April Fools Day
Easter Theme
World Book Day
Autism Awareness Month
May
Exam Revision
Cinco de Mayo
National Teacher's Day
Mother's Day
Mental Health Awareness Week
Star Wars Day
June
Father's Day
Pride Month
National Family Week
Summer Solace
July
Plastic Free July
Christmas In July
Picnic Month
Independence Day/4th Of July
August
Summer Themed Post
Travel & Holiday Ideas
Book Lovers Day
National Smores Day
Back To School
Romance Awareness Month
September
Suicide Prevention Month
Remembrance Day
Macmillan Coffee Morning
Back To School
University Related
Productivity & Organisation Themed
October
Stoptober
Fall/Autumn
Winter Fashion
Blogtober
Things Relating To Brown/Red Colours
November
Fireworks Night
Christmas Planning
Family & Dinner Parties
December
Christmas Related Ideas
New Years Resolutions/Self-improvement
Blogmas
New Years Party
Supporting Charities
Freebies For Your Newsletter
To entice sign-ups, you might want to offer a freebie as a thank you. You could also include freebies in your newsletter to encourage people to stay subscribed! There are lots of freebies you can make and tailor to your theme or blog.
Mini How-to Guides
Checklists
Miniature eBooks
Media Kit Templates
Pinterest Pin Templates
Worksheets & Printables
Mini Email Course
Free Discount Codes (to increase purchases!)
Have I missed any themes and ideas off this list? Let me know what else I can add to the ideas! Don't forget to sign up for my newsletter if you'd like to stay updated with my blog posts or want to see how I write my weekly letters. There are lots of ways to personalise your newsletter, you just need to find what works for you! Freebies are a great way to increase sign-ups, so make sure you create a few cool ones for your mailing list!
12 comments
This is such a helpful post if you're feeling in a bit of a jam with content. I like to kind of do my own thing and then add in some themed content to keep everything flowing an evergreen! Some really good tips in here!
ReplyDeleteRosie
loverosiee.co.uk
Oh my god so many good ideas
ReplyDeleteCopy and paste
Copy and paste
Must remember at least one !!
Such great ideas Em, I haven't set up an email list or newsletter yet because I just have no idea where to even start with it! I shall be using this in the not to distant future x x
ReplyDeleteThese are some wonderful ideas! I need to keep them in mind for sure when i do a newsletter
ReplyDeleteWow, this is an incredibly helpful post! I'll definitely keep referring back to this for future use - thanks for sharing! x
ReplyDeleteSophie | www.loveandliterature.co.uk
Love the themes and blog ideas - I will definitely be coming back to this page when I get stuck on ideas!
ReplyDeleteI needed this! I am bad at creating newsletter as i am not sure what to put in it aside from round-up posts. Will try these for sure :D
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of doing a playlist. I love music and introducing new music to others. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas! I'm never really sure what to put in my emails. This will help.
ReplyDeleteA great resource to help us out when we're stuck on what to include for our blog! Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI've been a hit a bit of a subscriber slump, where I'm getting a bunch of readers, but not returning readers. I've also been getting less people sign up for my emails. This is a great list of things to add to my emails! Thanks so much xx
ReplyDeleteMelina | www.melinaelisa.com
I love your newsletters, and thanks for the inspo!
ReplyDeleteKatie | katieemmabeauty.com