Wondering how to make a newsletter that drives action?

It comes down to using two simple words:

“Read more.”

Why? If your business is in the habit of sending jam-packed newsletters, filled with updates, articles, and tips — you might be unintentionally turning your readers off.

Rather than overwhelming your subscribers with text-heavy emails, add Read More blocks to let readers quickly skim your emails and find the topics that interest them.

This will increase your email engagement and help you learn what topics are most interesting to your audience.

Learn more about transforming your email marketing results during our FREE webinar: How to Give Your Email a Makeover. Can’t attend live? Register anyway and we’ll send you a recording.

Take a look at this example from Aquarius Property Management:

Aquarius’s newsletter provides readers with a clear primary call to action: to view Featured Rentals.

To support their main call to action, Aquarius adds Read More Blocks to include two engaging articles on the benefits of renting and the local eats available near their rental properties.

Why bother adding Read More blocks to your email?

In the email above, Aquarius received a 24 percent click-through rate — over 4X the industry average for Real Estate professionals!

And by tracking clicks, they can also get valuable insight into what information their audience is most interested in to guide future mailings.

While you can share content from other sources — as Aquarius did — if you have a regularly updated website or blog, you can share your own content and drive website traffic.

How can you add Read More blocks to your newsletter?  

Adding a Read More block is easy with Constant Contact’s drag-and-drop editor.

1. Drag a Read More block into your email template

2. Copy and paste the URL you want to include

3. Include a few lines of text to preview the article

Constant Contact’s Read More block will automatically generate a preview of the original source — complete with an image, headline, first few lines of text, link to the full content, and name of the source.

You can then customize the preview text to tailor it to your audience and provide your own take.

Ready to see how Read More can increase your email engagement?  

If you’re ready to give this feature a try, we’re here to help!

Join us for a FREE webinar: How to Give Your Email a Makeover to see how small businesses and organizations have increased their engagement with a few small tweaks.

We’ll take a look at examples from small business and nonprofits like Aquarius that recently gave their emails a fresh look and go over how you can do the same.

Note: Aquarius Property Management worked with BJC Branding on their new email design and strategy. If you’re interested in outsourcing your marketing, consider working with a Constant Contact Solution Provider.

The post How to Make a Newsletter More Engaging With Two Little Words appeared first on Constant Contact Blogs.