Creating User-Friendly Email Newsletters

We developed clear and engaging newsletters for a federal health agency.

Overview

The Why: The email newsletter platform had not been organized or managed for a while, so there were multiple outdated and duplicate subscriber lists in the system. The agency did not have one enterprise email newsletter — instead, they had newsletters for various topics and events. Subscriber lists did not have a clear audience (the general public, researchers, professionals, etc.). Templates weren’t attractive and newsletters often included large blocks of text.

Solution: We audited the subscriber lists and provided recommendations for keeping, merging, or deleting lists — bringing down the number of lists from 55 to 21. We created attractive, customizable email newsletter templates with a limited number of short text blocks using best practices and design thinking. We developed “How-Tos” for all staff and contractors, to maintain consistency and quality of newsletters across the agency.

Outcome: The client adopted the best practices and templates that we provided for subsequent email newsletters.

Putting the End-User First

We worked with the client to identify the intended audience for each email newsletter. We made it a priority to customize the content and topics covered in newsletters to their intended audiences. For example, newsletters intended for the general public shared tips for keeping your heart healthy, while newsletters intended for professional audiences shared details on cutting-edge sickle cell research.

Using Best Practices

We used best practices for designing templates. We kept content blocks short, included graphics, created a clear visual hierarchy, and limited the number of information buckets in newsletters. We established guidelines for drafting newsletter content based on best practices, such as including calls to action, choosing a brief but compelling subject line, and including links to the website so readers have the option to learn more.