An email someone wants to open
How to write a newsletter that gets read starts with one question: what does the reader get from it this month? A good newsletter has a subject line that says what is inside, one topic that helps the reader, a short format with one clear next step, and a sender who is a person. Everything about yourself that does not help the reader can go.
Below: a format that works, an example you can copy, how often to send, which tool fits, what EU law asks about consent and unsubscribing, and what Gmail has required of senders since February 2024. Written for businesses that mail customers in Europe, including companies based outside it.
How to write a newsletter: the format that works
| Part | What goes in | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Subject line | What the reader gets, in under eight words | "Three quote mistakes that scare clients off" |
| Preview text | The line shown next to the subject | "And how to fix them in ten minutes." |
| Opening line | Why this matters now | "We got the same question four times this month." |
| The topic | A tip, an answer, an example, 150 to 300 words | The three mistakes, each with the fix |
| Next step | One button or link, one thing | "See our quote template" |
| Sign-off | Your name, your role, a way to reply | "Just reply to this email." |
The subject line decides whether someone opens. Say what is inside, not how excited you are: "October newsletter" opens rarely, "What the new e-invoicing penalties mean for you" does. The preview text is your second chance; do not leave it empty, or the mail client shows the first line of your email, often "View this email in your browser".
An example you can copy
Subject line: "Check your quote in three minutes". Preview text: "The checklist we use ourselves." Opening line: "A quote that arrives two days late loses to one sent today. A quote with a mistake always loses." Then three short paragraphs, each a mistake and its fix. A button: "Download the quote template". Sign-off: "Questions? Reply to this email, I read them myself. Sarah, founder."
- Prove the senderEvery senderSPF or DKIMMore than 5,000 a dayBoth SPF and DKIM
- DMARCEvery senderNot requiredMore than 5,000 a dayRequired, policy may be none
- UnsubscribeEvery senderAn unsubscribe link, as EU rules requireMore than 5,000 a dayOne click from Gmail, plus a visible link
- Spam rateEvery senderBelow 0.3 percentMore than 5,000 a dayBelow 0.3 percent
- Encryption and DNSEvery senderTLS and valid DNS recordsMore than 5,000 a dayTLS and valid DNS records
Google advises keeping the spam rate below 0.1 percent. The 5,000 threshold counts all mail from your domain together.
Before you press send
- The subject line says what is inside, in under eight words.
- There is one topic, not five, and one button or link as the next step.
- The sender is a named person, not info@.
- You sent a test to your own phone and to a Gmail address.
- The unsubscribe link works and your list only holds people who agreed.
How often to send
One good email a month beats four half ones. A fixed rhythm helps your reader and you: same day, roughly the same time. Fix topics a quarter ahead in a content calendar template, and take the fixed moments from the marketing calendar 2027: January sales, Mother's Day, summer, Black Friday, year end.
| Business | Rhythm | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Company outside the EU mailing European customers | Monthly, per language | Separate editions read better than one in English for all |
| Service business | Monthly | Enough time for a topic that helps |
| Online store | Every two weeks, weekly around promotions | Offers change faster |
| Agency | Monthly, with a case | Proof of work convinces clients |
What EU law asks
A newsletter with offers or promotions is commercial communication. EU rules then require prior consent. There is an exception for existing customers: if someone bought from you, you may email them about your own similar products, provided they can unsubscribe free of charge in every email and could already do so when you collected their address. You must be clear about who you are; a concealed sender is not allowed. Consent must be demonstrable and can be withdrawn at any time.
These rules follow the recipient, not the sender. A company in the UK, the US or Switzerland mailing customers in Belgium, Germany or France falls under them, and under the GDPR when it offers goods or services to people in the EU. Record who signed up, when and through which form, and state in your privacy policy what you do with the addresses; see do I need a privacy policy.
A bought list, or business cards from a trade fair without consent, falls outside these rules. Starting that way risks complaints and a domain that ends up in spam filters.
Your first newsletter in five steps
- Choose the reader and the topicOne reader, a topic that returns every month, one goal per email.
- Build a list with consentA sign-up form on your site, with a box that is not pre-ticked.
- Write to the formatSubject line, opening line, the topic, a next step, your name.
- Test and sendOn a phone and in Gmail, at a fixed moment in the week.
- Measure and learnClicks and replies say more than opens. Adjust the next topic.
What Gmail requires of your sending
Since 1 February 2024 Gmail sets requirements for every sender: prove with SPF or DKIM that the mail comes from you, send over an encrypted connection and keep your spam rate below 0.3 percent; Google even advises below 0.1 percent. Anyone sending more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail needs both SPF and DKIM, a DMARC record, and one-click unsubscribe from within Gmail next to a visible unsubscribe link. A good sending tool handles most of it; the DNS records of your domain you set once, or have set by whoever runs your website. Whether your domain already meets them shows in ten seconds in our DMARC checker.
What each of those records does is in SPF, DKIM and DMARC; if the newsletter still lands in spam, why are my emails going to spam walks through the causes.
Which tool fits
For a first newsletter, a sending tool with a free or low-cost starter plan, templates and a sign-up form is enough. Outlook or Gmail themselves are not newsletter tools: you miss unsubscribe handling and statistics, and you risk your own mailbox being flagged as spam. Pick a tool that stores customer data in the EU, or document how transfers are covered.
If a sign-up should trigger a welcome email and then a series, or a purchase should put someone on the right list, connect your tool to your site or store. If subscribers should also land in your customer records, decide first where those live; CRM vs ERP explains the difference.
Three kinds of newsletter
- The knowledge letterOne tip or answer a month. Works for service businesses.
- The offer letterNew, featured, a promotion. Works for online stores.
- The customer letterWhat is happening with you, with a question. Works for small teams.
What it means for your business
A company from abroad mailing Belgian customers writes per language: Dutch for Flanders, French for Wallonia, both for Brussels, and adjusts sender name and holidays. A service business does best with a monthly knowledge letter: a question clients ask, with your answer. An online store wins more with offers and timing, but watch the discount rules; see Belgium's sales period 2027. An agency sends a monthly letter with one case and one lesson.
Writing with help
A language model helps you draft faster, as long as you supply the topic, the example and the figures. How to ask, is in ChatGPT prompts for marketing. What you write in a newsletter often works as an article on your site too; see how to write a blog post for SEO. Seasonal mails such as business new year wishes you plan separately.
Your sign-up form
A newsletter grows with a good form: short (an email address and perhaps a first name), with one line on what the reader gets and how often, and no pre-ticked box. Put it on your most visited pages, not only in the footer, or give it a landing page of its own when you offer a guide or checklist in return. If your forms mostly attract spam, read how to stop contact form spam.
How VBS writes your newsletter
From Ghent, Belgium, we set up your newsletter: the sign-up form on your site, the link between your sending tool and your store through AI automation, the DNS records Gmail asks for, and the first emails, written around your customers' questions in their languages. We built our own mail service on Amazon SES with templates as data, and a shared form service with spam filters for eleven client domains. Book a call.