Choosing the right email platform for your newsletter is a challenging task. With countless options and extensive lists of features,you might find yourself feeling overwhelmed and frustrated.
Since most platforms provide similar capabilities, how do you decide which fits your needs best? Well, I’ve compiled a list of 7 email newsletter features to prioritize when selecting the right platform for your goals.
Here's what you should look for:
1. Role Management
As your team expands, coordinating with multiple editors, writers, and sales reps can get increasingly complicated. Therefore, having a method for granting access and permissions to specific roles is essential.
For instance, some users should be able to edit content without broader account controls. With the ability to adjust role settings as responsibilities shift, you can ensure smoother user management and simpler workflows.
2. Design Customization
It’s no secret that customization is an essential component when drafting a newsletter. Look for robust design settings that provide advanced customization capabilities, allowing you to craft templates that align with your visual brand standards.
A one-size-fits-all newsletter template won't effectively showcase your unique brand. Your email provider should make it easy to tailor elements like CTAs, fonts, and content blocks to your specific needs.
3. Template Organization
Are you managing multiple newsletter editions? Having a template gallery can significantly improve your efficiency. It helps you build, organize, and reuse designs. Many content editors or admins often struggle with wasting time hunting for suitable templates or making mistakes by copying old versions of newsletters.
To avoid these problems, we recommend creating a set of go-to templates that can streamline your newsletter operations. This not only enhances efficiency but also reduces the chances of mistakes when sending subsequent editions.
4. Built-In Curation Tools
Make sure that your chosen platform includes built-in curation capabilities that simplify gathering relevant content. Features like composer blocks, browser extensions, and more should make content curation a breeze.
You should be able to customize the parameters based on your audience preferences and instantly pull content into your template.
For publishers managing recurring editions, we recommend our automatable curation tool. You can set filters, and Letterhead will automatically pull fresh, relevant articles from RSS feeds into your recurring newsletters.
5. Analytics to Measure Performance
As your organization expands beyond a few newsletters, manually tracking performance data becomes a cumbersome task.
Those who sell advertising in newsletters often find themselves sharing laborious manual metrics reports with sponsors to provide comprehensive data on impact and reach.
To save time, a robust email provider should offer essential analytics elements like campaign tracking and metrics dashboards. The platform should also allow you to easily place and manage advertisements and internal promotions within one or multiple newsletters.
6. Social Sharing Options
To maximize your reach, you must expand your subscriber base. Look for a platform that facilitates seamless social sharing.
It's even better if it allows your readers to share your content on their social networks as this can drive referral traffic and provide social proof.
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7. Intuitive Interface
A platform loaded with tools won't do you any good if it's tedious and complex to use. Go for an intuitive interface with drag-and-drop functionality that's suitable for users of all skill levels. Complex tools can lead to frustration, while user-friendly software maximizes adoption.
For example, at Letterhead, we implement the use of drag-and-drop tools. This helps new newsletter users create templates quickly, use various curation features, and seamlessly add integrations.
By evaluating providers based on these key capabilities, you can identify the solution that truly streamlines your newsletter processes. Focus on picking a smart email provider, and you'll be on the path to success.
Work Smarter with Letterhead
So, are you going to use a generic email service provider or one specifically designed with media publishers in mind? Wait, is that really a question?
Letterhead provides the essential tools to work smarter. Schedule a free walkthrough to see how we can optimize your newsletter workflow.
