by Mark Brownlow
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Times change. First there were one-off promotions, then campaigns, and now opt-in email newsletters are at the forefront of email marketing efforts.
Content is (still) king in email newsletters. But every point counts in the race to win the hearts, minds and inboxes of your customers and prospects. So what else belongs in there other than "content?" Here are some reminders...
1. Masthead
At the top of your newsletter you need a masthead. It puts the reader at ease by reminding them of what they're reading and why.
Make sure it at least contains the name of the publication, plus possibly an affiliation, tagline, issue number and date, and link to the associated website.
You should be able to fit all that into 3 or 4 lines, freeing up the rest of the valuable "above the fold" space for content. If you're publishing a HTML newsletter, then you have more leeway to include additional masthead details without sacrificing space. Consider, for example, an "archive" link.
2. Introduction to the Contents
If you're publishing a longer newsletter, where most of the content is not contained within the first few lines of the email, then you need to give people an anchor or reference from which to evaluate and explore your newsletter.
You can think of it as a section of text designed to grab the reader's attention and pique their interest - give them a reason to explore your content. You might take a traditional "table of contents" approach, or go for a more vibrant text introduction.
3. A Name
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