How Newsletter Layout Can Boost Online Selling

You can’t judge a book by its cover, unless you’re the recipient of an email newsletter, in which case hitting the “Delete” button can be done with ease. Having an effective layout is essential to increasing the open and click-through rates of your mailer. Let’s take a look at a few basics of e-newsletter layout.

Lead off with a header. Always start your newsletter with a header image. It could be as basic as saying “XYZ Newsletter” with a slick graphic that includes the site’s logo. Your image should be a plain gif or jpg, not animated or Flash-based, and it must be simple and direct. Remember, the header is where your readers will learn where the new message in their inboxes came from. Don’t let it be deleted!

Know when to fold 'em. When you build your newsletter, place all of your important content above the fold -- at the top of the message, without requiring a scroll-down. Whether this takes the form of images or text is up to you, but ensuring that your key stories remain above the fold in standard email programs is an absolute must.

The easiest way to identify whether the important information will display at the top is to test it over… and over… and over. Skim through your email distribution list and locate the top three or four extensions like aol.com, msn.com, and yahoo.com. Then, send a test message to an email account on each of these mail servers to see if the interface shows your desired information above the fold.

It’s all about the Benjamins. Reserve your prime space -- the real estate above the fold -- for your cash cows. If you’re debuting a new product, it’s probably worthy of a top spot. If you have a new feature, a new promotion, or a new hire, put these at the top as well. Remember, recipients are likely to click on the first hyperlinks they see, so make them count.

Text reinforced by images leads to even more clicking. For example, placing your lead story at the top and then putting an image next to it draws the reader’s attention to both pieces of content and fosters additional clicking. The trick is to ensure that your image can also be clicked, which most online newsletter services allow you to do with ease. Always make certain that your layout allows for multiple ways to click on important content.

KISS -- or be deleted. Remember that old acronym, KISS? Keep It Simple Stupid. The simpler your newsletter layout is, the better. Having multiple columns with scads of content is not advisable. Instead, stick to three or four key stories accompanied by a few images.

Focusing on just a few stories is ideal. Bear in mind that most of your readers’ time will be spent above the fold anyway, so use headers or bolded text to point out reasons for them to continue scrolling down your newsletter. We use headers to divide content in a clear and concise manner, even using the words “Newsletter Promo” above one area to make it painfully obvious that it’s a promotional section. Reading a newsletter shouldn’t be an IQ test, so design it to be as straightforward as possible.

A picture is worth a thousand words. One facet of an effective newsletter layout is keeping your word count to a minimum. Instead, focus on utilizing images, video, and other multimedia. Your recipients won’t have time to read a text-heavy newsletter, so use images when in doubt. Keep verbiage as short as possible and reinforce written content with images. We all like to look at pictures, so build in plenty of space for them.

— Dan Cypra is an Internet gambling industry expert and writes for several of the leading poker news sites on the Web.