What The Web Needs Now Is A Good Email Newsletter Designer

I’ve had more than a few copywriting clients ask me, “Do you know of a good designer who can create an email newsletter template for me?”

Mind you, I’ve designed at least three custom ezine templates using my, ahem, limited creativity skills. They’re certainly respectable-looking enough. They’re not even remotely spammy. And yet, when I think of a world class ezine format, people like Suzanne Falter-Barnes, the Dog Whisperer and GoDaddy.com come to mind. I’m talking about a wicked cool design that reflects your brand and knows how to “behave” when confined to the limited space in a variety of email formats - Microsoft Outlook, Eudora, Yahoo!, Gmail, Hotmail. (Notice I didn’t say “AOL” - I’m not going there, okay?)

So, this is what happens each time I have cause to go hunting for a good email newsletter design expert. I open up my email and fish out all the addresses of various graphic design and Web design professionals with whom I work. And then I must initiate a conversation with each of them that goes something like this:

“Hi, I was wondering, have you ever designed an ezine template before?”

“Well, no, but it seems easy enough, right? I’m sure I could pick it up.”

(Politely wrap up conversation and move on to other prospects)

Or some will say: “Yeah, I’ve done a few of them in my day” so I take a chance on their skills. And then instead of getting the originality and creative flair I expected, they design one that looks exactly like mine. Jeez, I could have done a “save-as” and changed the colors and images myself! This has happened to me three times in the last month.

Yes, I’m sure that after a few screw-ups, your trial-and-error method of developing email newsletter designs will gradually result in a flawless finished product. However, many busy online consultants are searching for seasoned expertise now. We aren’t quite as willing to subject our good clients and their readership to your experimental approach.

Here are some common errors made by novice newsletter designers:

Linking problems. Using relative URLS instead of full ones, so that images and links don’t translate once they’re sent via email.

Translation issues. Setting the link color wrong so that it comes out in some garish blue instead of the color that you were expecting to see.

Image size. Not knowing how to compress images for quick loading.

Poor table alignment. The newsletter arrives in folks’ inboxes looking “crazy.”

Absence of branding. You want your email newsletter to “match” your Website. That means creating a graphic header that coordinates with your logo, and choosing the same color scheme.

Wrong use of style sheets. CSS does not translate to email. You will know that your CSS-based ezine design is worthless when you paste the HTML into your list management software’s “form” and it comes back as missing images and Times New Roman 12 point standard blue.

Spam violations. Spam crimes that will banish you to the Junk Folder: Opening your newsletter with “Greetings!” or “Dear Friends”. Use of the word free (and many words like it - there’s a list of them, do a Google on Alexandria Brown and you’ll find her article).

Unnecessary header tags. These will also score you higher on the spam list.

I’m sure there are more requirements involved with ezine template design that I don’t even know about. I myself would like to see one of our resident Web design professionals create, brand and market a “custom email newsletters ONLY” style of Web site. Just think of the keyword advantage living within such a refined niche. Heck, I know the thought of the income potential living here is getting me all hot and bothered. If you’re an old salt at this, step up and make yourself known.

If my copywriting clients wanted cookie cutter templates, I’d happily direct them to the fabulous array of choices on Constant Contact. However, it’s relatively painless and worth the extra investment to have a sleek, professional quality ezine template created that echoes your unique brand and helps cement you into the minds of your future customers. Serious marketers know this, and that’s why they need to see/hear that you’re out there and ready to create a one-of-a-kind newsletter template that puts their competition to shame.

Email newsletter templates: are you up for the challenge?

Copyright 2007 Dina Giolitto, Wordfeeder.com Copywriting and Marketing. All rights reserved.

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[tags]email newsletter design, newsletter template, ezine publishing[/tags]