increasing revenue: design thinking as an email publisher
good morning media folks ☀️
Newsletters are growing. But with growth comes its problems. While I love platforms like beehiiv and Substack for democratizing access to owning your audience... we’re seeing 1,000s of newsletters pop up a day.
What does that mean for you as an operator?
- more email noise
- less opportunity to monetize
- more bad apples
- AI-generated content
- copycat designs
But I have a fix. It’s applying design thinking to your newsletters to help you stand out. In 2024 the newsletters that demonstrate the ability to think about user experience from a micro and macro perspective, will see the best engagement and monetizing opportunities.
1. the power of design for audience engagement
In a state where every newsletter looks the same, there are two things you can focus on to increase audience attention:
visual appeal:
Having a legit color scheme, images that are high-quality (not AI-generated), and focusing on your typography will capture the audience's attention immediately.
user experience:
You need to have a design system in place for customer-facing products. Like newsletters, media kits, landing pages, etc.. Your layouts play an extremely important role. Creating familiarity, delighting, easy for the eyes to consume, and increasing attention on monetary products…. makes it easy for your readers to navigate and read. Leverage grid systems, use white space, and have a hierarchy for your font weight. These small details make a huge difference in your engagement.
2. design-driven revenue generation
A well-designed newsletter gives you more revenue opportunities. You open yourself to more budgets because you draw in higher-end advertisers who are looking for quality platforms. This is exactly where you want to be.
There's also a correlation between thoughtful design elements and increased engagement with Ads. If you arm yourselves with a well-designed newsletter, naturally your Ad products will stand out. This means increased click-throughs and higher purchasing intent from your audience. That could result in longer partnerships and higher spending from advertisers.
3. more advertising appeal through design
Having a design system in place puts you in a great position to seamlessly integrate Ads that enhance your newsletter position. Not disrupting reader experiences. That means owning the entire process of creating this content for your Ad partners. Which gives you power. It proves you have a high-quality product. This will be shown by your design, performance, and the partners you work with.
There’s also something about visual harmony. When you align your Ad design with the newsletter's aesthetic, it maintains reader interest. And that’s good for your pocket.
4. attracting and retaining subscribers
Subscriber acquisition is hard. You need to give yourself an extra vehicle to get subscribers to sign up organically. A well-designed newsletter becomes a selling point to attract new users. Your content could be amazing, but if it isn’t presented in a way that’s easy and delightful for them to consume... there’s a chance you'll never hear from them. Give potential readers as many reasons as you can to subscribe and stay.
Not only that, but your current audience is the kindle to the potential fire. Good design means your content becomes shareable. Which means more eyeballs.
5. real-life examples: Earthfolk and Dense Discovery
Earthfolk’s newsletter uses a nature-inspired color palette with a clean and minimalist design. This matches up with their brand ethos of environmental mindfulness and community. It immediately increases trust and brand loyalty.
Their layouts are user-friendly, with high-quality images and well-organized text. Content is engaging, easily digestible, and pushes the reader to spend more time with the newsletter.
You’ll notice there are clear call-to-action elements that are integrated. So it makes promoting products subtle, but very effective. Visual harmony.
Dense Discovery does a wonderful job presenting a clear segmented layout. This structure makes it easy for readers to navigate and find topics of interest. It maintains a balance between engaging visuals and concise text. This content is approachable.
Ads and sponsored products are woven into the design and continue to maintain integrity while proving value. Nonintrusive Ad placements attract quality advertisers.
These design choices are very intentional. They respect their brand identities and content strategies.
In a sea of [new] newsletters... be the lighthouse. The best place to stand out is starting with your design. Be intentional, and the revenue will follow ⛯
see you next week,
shaan
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