Writers Tricks of the Trade Volume 5, Issue 5 | Page 19

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BOOKS BY JANE FRIEDMAN

NEWSLETTERS (CONT’D)
Even if you can’t offer something of tangible value, consider how to add something
each time that’s meant to do nothing but delight or draw a smile. Bo Sacks does this
effectively with a closing, humorous image in his newsletter.

3. TRY A SIMPLE A/B TEST ON YOUR SUBJECT LINE.
An A/B test is when you create two newsletters, but change one single quality, and
test them against each other (by sending to a small portion of your list) to see which
performs better. I recommend testing your subject line to find out what leads to
better open rates, so over time you know exactly what triggers your readers to
open your messages. Here’s an example of a recent A/B test on my list.

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4. USE BOLD, ITALIC, OR OTHER SIMPLE FORMATTING TO DRAW ATTENTION TO
IMPORTANT CALLS TO ACTION.
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