Newsletter Examples: How to Use Newsletters to Grow Your Sales Funnel

Customers and prospects who subscribe to your newsletter are high-value contacts because they’re interested enough in your brand to give you permission to deliver content directly to their inbox. If you’re looking for the best ways to connect with these valuable email subscribers, your business can look to newsletter examples and best practices.

Read on for tips on how to build an effective email sales funnel and email marketing strategy, including newsletter examples.

How Can Newsletters Help My Business?

The average conversion rate for website visitors is 3.68%, but 55% of consumers who prefer digital engagement from businesses said email is the preferred means of contact. Email is an outstanding way to build, maintain, and develop customer relationships. Your clients want to hear from you.

However, even if your website is perfectly optimized for sales, each shopper is in a different stage of the buying process; only some are ready to buy. A well-crafted newsletter strategy helps you capture more leads and nurture them until they are prepared to purchase.

Email is not the newest digital marketing tool in the box, but it does continue to deliver at a higher rate of return than most other digital marketing avenues. Most businesses consider 2:1 a solid return on money spent on ads, earning $2 for every $1 spent. Email easily outstrips that, with businesses making an average of $36 for each $1 they spend on email marketing, with some reporting ROIs of $45.

Marketing newsletters work because they share relevant information with interested people. They are a robust and powerful tool to develop customer relationships, nurture leads, and grow your sales funnel. Here is how to build an effective newsletter funnel.

How Do I Drive Business With a Newsletter?

You want interactions with your company to be as easy as possible, and newsletters are one part of that equation. An existing customer might benefit from other products or services but may not take the time to browse your website to find them. Instead of relying on subscribers to initiate a purchase or research your new product line, newsletters do that work for them. This becomes clearer when we review the newsletter examples below.

Understanding How Newsletters Support the Sales Funnel

A marketing and B2B newsletter can be part of a sales funnel that guides your leads through the buyer’s journey.

Generally, there are four vital stages in the buyer’s journey. These include the following:

1. Attention/Awareness
2. Consideration/Interest
3. Conversion/Action
4. Retention/Loyalty

No matter what stage the prospect is in when encountering your website, your newsletter helps you maintain the connection through and beyond the purchase.

You can design email newsletters that promote purchases, others that build loyal brand advocates, and additional messages that expand your audience’s knowledge of your offerings to keep them engaged with your business.

Getting the right message in front of buyers at different stages of your journey means breaking down your contact list and organizing your communications.

Segmenting Your Email List

Email segmentation involves dividing your list into smaller groups according to what they purchased, who they are, or what interests they’ve shared. It allows you to send more targeted emails, which increases your open rate and keeps readers more engaged. In addition to segmenting by interests or demographics, you can segment large lists by where they are in the buyer’s journey.

Your funnels may be more complex for higher-ticket items and more straightforward for low-cost items that require little consumer education.

For example, someone buying office supplies for a small team may quickly move through the four stages. It’s likely they know what they’re looking for, and the supplies solve a problem they know they have.

In contrast, an annual CRM software subscription is both more expensive and more of a commitment. In this case, the buyer may need to be nurtured through the stages with information about why your product is superior to the competition. They will need insight into features and benefits, possibly including demo videos and social proof.

These four stages give you a general format you can mold to your products and customers. Before diving into specific newsletter examples for each stage, here are the essential components of an effective email newsletter.

What Are the Main Components of a Newsletter?

The main components of a newsletter are the following:

• A concise, informative, and interesting subject line
• Between 40 and 140 characters that add to the subject line and invite readers to click (often referred to as “preview text”)
• Reader-focused featured content
• Engaging and relevant images or motion graphics, if appropriate for your topic
• A clear CTA
• Company contact info, including social links
• A one-click unsubscribe option

A newsletter must capture the prospect’s attention, compel them to click, and then deliver on the promise made in the subject line and preview text. More customers will remain engaged if you consistently offer value in your emails.

Each email you send should allow readers to engage with your brand and purchase products or services. However, the sales pitch should come after valuable, reader-focused content. People will disengage or unsubscribe if you only use your emails to sell to your prospects.

Putting the 4 Stages Into Action (With Newsletter Examples)

While it can be tempting for marketers to focus on the conversion stage, that leaves a lot on the table. The most robust results come from addressing buyers at every stage. A fully developed newsletter funnel builds more loyal customers and nurtures your warm leads into buyers.

Here is a more in-depth look at the four stages, including newsletter examples for stages two and three.

Sales Funnel Stage 1: Getting Their Attention (Awareness)

Prospects in the awareness stage are probably not already on your email list. They are aware of their problem and are looking for a suitable solution. Unless the product or service is straightforward and affordable, most shoppers at this stage will be gathering information and not ready to buy.

Whether they find your website through social media, paid ads, or content marketing, the first step in your sales funnel is to offer them something they want in exchange for their email address.

What Do You Offer to Capture the Lead?

What you offer will depend on your products and customers. For example, if you sell a software tool to businesses, you may offer a free trial. Interested customers have a low-risk opportunity to realize how valuable your software can be to their workflow.

However, if you sell remote heart monitors to hospitals and healthcare practitioners, they may need more nurturing before jumping into a trial. You will need to forge a relationship and build trust and credibility before they are willing to buy. In that case, you may get their email address in exchange for an eBook, whitepaper, case study, webinar, or free consultation.

Why Are Visitors Coming to Your Website?

Understanding the prospect’s motivation is the key to capturing the most warm leads possible in the awareness stage. Why do they come to your website? What are their pain points, and how is your solution superior to the others they may have found?

If your lead magnet speaks to the prospect’s pain points and offers them the solution they want, they are more likely to give you their email address in exchange. The second essential component is to make the lead magnet highly visible and easy to access.

Stage 2: Consideration (Interest)

You have the prospect’s email address. They’ve located your business as a possible solution to their problem but are still comparing products, reading reviews, or researching alternatives.

In this stage, you want your newsletters to connect with your readers about their pain points and goals. The way to build trust at this stage is to help them understand how your products or services solve their problems without trying to give them a hard sell.

Types of newsletter content effective at this stage include the following:

• Explainers (emails that answer a series of questions)
• Case studies
• Webinars focusing on specific features of your products
• Testimonials

Newsletter Examples: Remote Heart Monitor

In the newsletter below, the company addresses the common pain point of data management. Healthcare providers are often overwhelmed, and a device that delivers the data most relevant to an individual patient saves them time while helping them offer better care.

Subject: Can Remote Heart Monitor Data Management Be This Simple?

Preview text: Easily personalize the data you receive on each patient.

Body text: Remote heart monitors revolutionize cardiac care. However, this advancement brings a new challenge: overwhelming data.

We’ve listened to the concerns of healthcare professionals like you and developed a solution tailored to your needs.

With the BIO5000, you receive the relevant data for each patient’s condition. You can use automated filters or set up a tailored data stream. Customizable tags, filters, and categories let you organize patient data in the way that makes the most sense for your practice.

The best part of real-time data is reducing mortality through rapid response. The BIO5000 has automated alerts that inform you instantly about patient-specific risk factors.

Here’s What Healthcare Providers are Saying:

Using the BIO5000, I’ve gotten at-risk patients into the hospital before an MI or CVA. Our ability to customize real-time alerts for each patient means we save more lives. – Dr. Michael Jones, Cardiologist

Before using the BIO5000, I either had too much data or not enough. Now, the data is more manageable, and I have the information I need to deliver the highest standard of care. – Dr. Jane Smith, Cardiologist

Explore the BIO5000. Dive into the features, see the difference it makes, and decide for yourself. (Link to landing page)

Stage 3: Conversion (Action)

A prospect in the conversion stage has all the information they need to take action. Newsletters in this stage offer the encouragement and incentive they need to leap.

The value you offer at the conversion stage may be a free trial, a time-sensitive discount, a special bundle, a product demonstration, or a free consultation. Make it easier to purchase from you.

Customization is advantageous at the conversion stage. The more targeted the newsletters are to the prospect’s interests, the more likely you will inspire them to take action.

Newsletter Examples: Standing Desks for e-Commerce Website

This email is for customers browsing the standing desk selection, a popular item on this e-commerce site.

Subject: Join the Standing Revolution! Limited-Time Discount

Preview text: Elevate your home workspace and embrace a healthier lifestyle with a standing desk!

Body text: Is your desk forcing you into a sedentary lifestyle? For three days only, we are offering an exclusive offer on standing desks so work isn’t getting in the way of a healthier lifestyle. Save 15% and get a gift with each order.

Ergonomics meets elegance with our standing desks.

• Our ergonomic standing desks ensure maximum comfort and adaptability
• Choose styles that complement your home decor
• Transition smoothly between sitting and standing

Enjoy a 15% discount on our top-selling standing desks for three days only. Plus, get a FREE anti-fatigue mat (worth $75) with every purchase to enhance your standing experience.

Shop Now & Save 15%

When you shop with us, you get:

• Free Shipping: Delivered right to your doorstep at no extra cost
• 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee: If you’re not 100% satisfied, return it for a full refund

Client Reviews

As someone with chronic back issues, this desk has been a revelation. I’ve noticed a significant reduction in my back pain since making the switch. – Oscar T., Financial Analyst

It’s been a game-changer for my posture and energy levels throughout the day. – Jordan M., Graphic Designer

The build quality is top-notch, and the assembly was a breeze. A lot of thought went into the design and features of this desk. – Elena G., Architect

Take advantage of this limited-time offer to transform your workspace and boost your well-being.

Stage 4: Retention (Loyalty)

Once you’ve invested in capturing emails and converting site visitors into customers, the best thing you can do is stay in touch. Emails focused on retention increase your average customer’s lifetime value and can transform shoppers into brand advocates.

The effectiveness of marketing newsletters is evidenced by the percentage of marketers who use them, including in the B2B arena. 69% use B2B newsletters to distribute content.

Critical to the retention phase are regular marketing emails. These could be once a week or once a month. They serve to keep customers up-to-date with your brand, highlight promotions, announce new products or software features, and upsell based on relevant interests.

As with all email strategies, the more targeted you can make your newsletters, the more they will connect with your readers. The simplest way to determine your subscribers’ interests is to ask them to select their preferred topics by allowing them to check boxes when they subscribe.

While there is room for cross-selling and upselling in your retention emails, the primary purpose of most of the newsletters you send should be to deepen customer relationships.

Here are some example email use cases at this stage:

• Share blogs or videos relevant to customer interests
• Send how-to videos related to purchases
• Share stories from behind the scenes or events
• Share customer success stories and testimonials
• Ask for feedback on surveys
• Request reviews on third-party sites
• Promote incentives for friends and family who purchase

The Power of Email Newsletters

Your marketing team invests significant time and effort into directing traffic to your website. An effective newsletter sales funnel leverages that asset, making the most of each person who shows interest in your brand. Use the newsletter examples provided to maximize the success of your email marketing strategy.

If developing email content for each stage of the buyer’s journey seems daunting, our hand-selected writers and expert account managers can help. We can help you develop and execute your content strategy. Connect with us today to find out more.

Joan Weisman

Joan Weisman’s strong research skills, SEO knowledge, adaptability of style and voice, and passion for staying current make her an asset for freelance web content, SEO, and copywriting.