Michelle Dassen
It’s a utopian dream for each marketer that readers see his newsletter as an indispensable source of information they can’t find elsewhere. A professional visual is of course crucial, but what makes the newsletter really stand or fall is the content. According to Quartz Insights, 60% of the managers use e-newsletters as one of the three daily news sources. And theSkimm has well understood that.
The principle of their business is simple: “We read. You skimm.” TheSkimm filters the news from all corners. You just quickly glance at your daily Skimm-mail and you get it. They aim at busy career women that like to have their smartphone close during breakfast to quickly run through the latest news in order to leave for work fully up-to-dated. No worries for ladies with a morning mood, because the writing style of theSkimm is so snarky that you close the door good-temperedly behind you. We have taken a closer look at the content of the Skimm-mail to provide you with the necessary tips & tricks so that you can implement them in your email marketing strategy.
1. Stay with me. Does the subject line ring a bell for you? For those who do recognize it, Sam Smith can immediately evoke a positive feeling. TheSkimm picks out a recognizable subject line every day to lift a corner of the veil about the news topics. So make sure that the title covers the body of your email. Of course you are scoring when you include a little extra (such as an amusing word-play).
2. Next, theSkimm entertains us with a playful “quote of the day” with a witty remark. Does it also remind you of that one person that always has an answer to everything? Then this opener definitely hits the spot. A quote in your email always works well. You engage the readers in your story and you seduce them to the rest of your newsletter.
3. Then we come to the heart of the matter: the news section. TheSkimm has dived into the mass of news flashes to keep a relevant selection. Did you previously have to skim endless articles, while you were only curious to the essence? Then theSkimm offers you an easy to swallow version and you’re completely up-to-speed. Process nice bits and pieces in your newsletter, but don’t lose the content out of sight. TheSkimm doesn’t include images, nor screaming call-to-actions. Only a link to the original article. TheSkimm really keeps her focus on the newsletter.
4. What does theSkimm base her selection of newsletters on? She always asks herself the same question: does this really come up during a family dinner, an interview or an average day of the readers? There you see the smart approach with “Repeat after me”. Try to chew the content of your newsletter in a way that the reader can mention it as some sort of catchy “did you know?” fact on any moment.
5. You should allow the readers to share the content of newsletters quickly and intuitively. That is the “way to go” for an even more successful email marketing campaign. Nothing as frustrating as when you want to share a juice story, but you cannot find the sharing widgets. One simple press on the button should be the only effort a reader is supposed to do while sharing your story via social media. Even more, theSkimm allows the readers to share the “Quote of the day” as an image via Instagram. A great idea to create engagement and to increase the exposure of your message.
1. Stay with me. Does the subject line ring a bell for you? For those who do recognize it, Sam Smith can immediately evoke a positive feeling. TheSkimm picks out a recognizable subject line every day to lift a corner of the veil about the news topics. So make sure that the title covers the body of your email. Of course you are scoring when you include a little extra (such as an amusing word-play).
2. Next, theSkimm entertains us with a playful “quote of the day” with a witty remark. Does it also remind you of that one person that always has an answer to everything? Then this opener definitely hits the spot. A quote in your email always works well. You engage the readers in your story and you seduce them to the rest of your newsletter.
3. Then we come to the heart of the matter: the news section. TheSkimm has dived into the mass of news flashes to keep a relevant selection. Did you previously have to skim endless articles, while you were only curious to the essence? Then theSkimm offers you an easy to swallow version and you’re completely up-to-speed. Process nice bits and pieces in your newsletter, but don’t lose the content out of sight. TheSkimm doesn’t include images, nor screaming call-to-actions. Only a link to the original article. TheSkimm really keeps her focus on the newsletter.
4. What does theSkimm base her selection of newsletters on? She always asks herself the same question: does this really come up during a family dinner, an interview or an average day of the readers? There you see the smart approach with “Repeat after me”. Try to chew the content of your newsletter in a way that the reader can mention it as some sort of catchy “did you know?” fact on any moment.
5. You should allow the readers to share the content of newsletters quickly and intuitively. That is the “way to go” for an even more successful email marketing campaign. Nothing as frustrating as when you want to share a juice story, but you cannot find the sharing widgets. One simple press on the button should be the only effort a reader is supposed to do while sharing your story via social media. Even more, theSkimm allows the readers to share the “Quote of the day” as an image via Instagram. A great idea to create engagement and to increase the exposure of your message.
The number of communication channels keeps growing, but the trick is to review traditional ways of marketing. Implement email marketing in a renewing way so that recipients see your email as a piece of added value they can’t seem to find elsewhere. Look at the results of previous email campaigns and learn from that experience. What works with the audience? How can your newsletters be a vital source of information for the readers? What makes your newsletter unique?
Let theSkimm be an inspiration for your own email marketing campaign. For many women theSkimm belongs to their daily routine. Of course you don’t have to bother your recipients every day to make this strategy work. As long as the email has enough content, weekly or even monthly is fine as well. Wondering which effect the implementing of email in an enriching way has on your business? In any case, we are.
