What to Include in a Newsletter for Artists and Creatives

What should I include in my newsletter?

I get asked this question all of the time. Writing your first newsletter can be an intimidating task. Your words are being sent out for your customers to see. What do you say, how do you say it, and how will it be received? No need to worry because I have a few tips to help you decide exactly what to include in your business’ newsletter.

DETERMINE FREQUENCY

You might be unsure of how often to address your audience. I recommend first determining how often you can realistically create and send an email and how much do you have to say.

Some things to think about include:

• What are your current commitments. Do you have time to send a monthly email or would it be better to send quarterly.

• Are you producing a lot of new work? How quickly are you creating? Do you have new pieces to show if you do decide to send emails more frequently.

• Are you involved in events, art shows or other activities in the community that you could also share about?

Determine what will work for your schedule and write it into your calendar. So many artists get excited and say they are going to send weekly, monthly or quarterly emails, but when the time comes they either forget, are too busy, or have lost interest. Hold yourself accountable to whatever goal to set for yourself. It will make a much bigger impact in the long run.

BRAINSTORM

Next, think about what you want to include in your email. Some topics include:

• New products

• A new series coming soon

• Events or art shows

• Blog updates

• Updates on the local art community

• A little bit about you as an artist

I encourage having a running list of ideas, so if the time comes to send an email you aren't stuck without new content. Marketing is all about quality over quantity, so this will ensure you don't have to repeat content or fill an email with useless words.

CONSIDER YOUR TONE

Now that you have your outline, let’s think about tone. The three things to consider are your Ideal Customer, your brand and your voice, in that order.

First, consider how you would speak to your Ideal Customer. Are they young and fun or more serious? Do they want a bright and colorful email or sleek and trim lines?

Next consider your brand. Your brand should be based on your Ideal Customer’s interests and your artistic style. Use your branding throughout your email, but also use your brand tone in the writing.

Finally, consider who you are and how you speak. People want to buy your art, but often they buy the art because they connect with the artist behind the work. How can you show parts of yourself and your voice? You can use my ebook "Launch Your Art Business" to help answer some of these business questions.

INCLUDE HIGH QUALITY PHOTOGRAPHS

As with your store, it is vital to include quality photographs in your newsletters. Nothing is worse than getting excited to open an email and having the photos be blurry or dark. Take time to make sure you have high quality images.

I hope this helps! My last tip is to send the email to yourself before you blast it to the masses. This is a great way to find any technical glitches that might not appear on the backend.