How to Create a Newsletter in 7 Simple Steps (2025 Guide)

In 2025, when inbox attention is more valuable than ever, email newsletters are one of the best ways to continuously engage with your audience, establish trust, and expand your business.

Newsletters allow you to communicate directly with your subscribers, regardless of whether you are an e-commerce brand, content creator, or small business owner. A newsletter, as opposed to one-time promotional emails, is more concerned with providing value first through updates, insights, or carefully chosen content while subtly advancing your more general objectives, such as traffic, sales, or brand development.

In this article, we’ll learn what a newsletter is and how you can create a newsletter from scratch in just 7 easy steps.

So, what is a newsletter?

An email sent on a regular basis to subscribers who have chosen to receive it is termed a newsletter. Depending on your audience and niche, it could contain anything from company updates to carefully chosen readings, exclusive deals, professional advice, or anecdotes.

What is the main distinction between a regular promotional email and a newsletter?

Value is prioritised over hard selling in a good newsletter.

7 easy steps to create a newsletter

1: Get clear on your goals

Before you write a single word, ask yourself: What do I want this newsletter to achieve?

Your goals will shape your content, design, and how you measure success. A few common goals include:

• Educating and informing your audience

• Driving traffic to your blog or store

• Increasing product sales

• Building brand loyalty and trust

Next, define your target audience. Who are you writing for? What are their interests, challenges, or needs? The more specific you are, the more relevant and engaging your content will be.

Now, turn your ideas into a SMART goal - Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. For example:

“Increase blog traffic by 30% in 4 months by driving more clicks from our weekly newsletter.”

Finally, choose the key metrics you’ll track like open rate, click-through rate, or unsubscribe rate to see how your newsletter is performing over time.

2: Choose your email marketing platform

There are plenty of tools to choose from, but the right platform should make your life easier not harder.

When picking an email platform, look for:

• Ease of use (think drag-and-drop editors and automation)

• Reliable deliverability (your emails should actually reach inboxes)

• Customizable templates

• Segmentation features to send more targeted messages

Tools like GetResponse are popular for a reason, they offer:

• Over 150 free email templates

• Drag-and-drop customization

• AI-generated email content

• Responsive designs that look great on mobile

• A/B testing, analytics, and spam checks built-in

Of course, there are others to explore (Mailchimp, Beehiiv, ConvertKit), but whichever you choose, make sure it fits your skill level and future needs.

3: Build your email list

No list = no newsletter. But don’t worry, building one doesn’t have to be complicated.

Here are a few fast ways to start growing:

• Add sign-up forms to your website and blog

• Use popups with clear value (like “Get weekly tips to grow your business”)

• Create a lead magnet like a free ebook, checklist, or course that people get in exchange for subscribing

• Promote it on social media (LinkedIn, Twitter/X, Instagram wherever your audience hangs out)

• Use landing pages that focus just on getting subscribers

Here’s the golden rule: never buy an email list. It hurts your deliverability and puts you on the fast track to spam filters (or worse, legal trouble under GDPR and CAN-SPAM).

Focus on attracting people who genuinely want to hear from you.

4: Segment your audience

Not every subscriber is the same so don’t treat them that way.

Email segmentation means dividing your list into smaller groups based on things like:

• Interests

• Purchase behavior

• Location

• Engagement level (like “active” vs. “dormant” readers)

Why does this matter? Because personalized emails perform better. According to HubSpot, 78% of marketers say list segmentation is their #1 strategy for email success.

For example, you might send product recommendations to high-value customers, and blog content to new subscribers. Most email platforms (like GetResponse) make this easy with built-in segmentation and automation.

5: Plan and write your newsletter

Now comes the fun part that is actually writing your newsletter.

Start by thinking about what your audience wants to read, not just what you want to say. Your content should be:

• Valuable (teach, inspire, entertain)

• Relevant (match their needs and interests)

• Concise (people skim emails so get to the point)

Tips for writing great newsletters:

• Use a catchy subject line to increase opens

• Lead with the most important info (think inverted pyramid style)

• Break content into short paragraphs and bullet points

• Add a clear CTA (click here, read more, shop now, etc.)

Use newsletter templates to save time and keep things visually clean. Don’t be afraid to add personality emails that feel human get read.

6: Test and optimize

Don’t just hit send and hope for the best.

Start by A/B testing different elements of your email like subject lines, CTA buttons, or layouts to see what gets better engagement.

Use your platform’s analytics to track what’s working. Important metrics include:

• Open rates

• Click-through rates

• Unsubscribes

• Heatmaps or click maps (to see where people are clicking)

Also: optimize for mobile. Most people check email on their phones, so make sure your newsletter looks good and loads fast on smaller screens.

Before every send, proofread your copy, double-check your links, and preview your email on both desktop and mobile.

7: Schedule and send

You’ve done the hard work, now it’s time to send your newsletter into the world.

Consider your audience’s schedule. When are they most likely to open your email? Many platforms offer features like “Perfect Timing” or “Time Travel” to deliver at just the right moment, based on past engagement data.

You can also set up automated email workflows to send newsletters at regular intervals, onboard new subscribers, or re-engage inactive readers.

After your newsletter goes out, revisit your analytics to see what worked and what didn’t. The more you test and learn, the better your results will get over time.

Final thoughts

Starting a newsletter might seem overwhelming at first but once you get into a rhythm, it becomes one of your most powerful tools for building relationships, driving traffic, and growing your brand.