10 Ways Business Owners Can Make the Most of Seasonal Marketing

10 Ways Business Owners Can Make the Most of Seasonal Marketing


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Your company doesn’t have to specialize in a seasonal product or service for you to take advantage of holiday promotions, or certain trends that only come around once a year. In order to bring you seasonal marketing tips for small business, we asked 12 entrepreneurs from Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC) the following question:

Q. What is one strategy that can help business owners make the most of seasonal marketing campaigns?

Their best answers are below.

Seasonal Marketing Tips for Small Business

1. Start Early

It can really help to beat the noise by starting a seasonal campaign before everyone else. For example, you might send out thank you notes a few weeks before Thanksgiving or send out promotions during the spring for products that are useful for the summer. Avoid fighting the noise by starting a bit before everyone else. – Andrew ThomasSkyBell Video Doorbell

2. Organize Your Content From the Start

You’ve heard the saying, “Don’t reinvent the wheel.” For seasonal marketing, you’ll want to organize content effectively from the start so that you can recycle your best-performing ideas next year. Use a shared drive for your team so all files are uploaded in the same place for review and implementation next year. – Nicole MunozStart Ranking Now

3. Enhance Your Web Design and Logo With Seasonal Images

A great example of leveraging design and logo changes to promote seasonality and events is Google Doodles. Google changes its logo to celebrate holidays, anniversaries, and the lives of famous people. You can do the same! For instance, add some snowflakes, outdoor themes, or fall foliage to your logo or change some design elements to promote seasonality. Be creative and consistent with changes. – Kristopher JonesLSEO.com

4. Customize Your Services

For each season, try to customize your services to what customers need the most. You way want to consider offering side services that you normally don’t to match customer needs. A lawn care company for example, could offer raking during the fall season, taking advantage of a limited customer need, even though it’s not relevant the rest of the year. – Matt DoyleExcel Builders

5. Check Out the Competition

Research what others have done in the past to see what works and what doesn’t so you can use this information as a benchmark for your own campaigns. You can adapt their strategy and use your messaging and differentiation points to set yourself apart and stand out during various seasons. – Drew HendricksButtercup

6. Take Note of Last Year’s Holiday Trends

It seems like every year there is something new and exciting going on in reference to seasonal promotions. Whether it’s social media, mobile or online coupons, it’s important to keep an eye on the competition and see what’s worked in prior years. At the same time, you don’t want to waste time on trends that didn’t. Combine what has worked in the past and what works today to find a winner. –Zac JohnsonHow to Start a Blog

7. Build Reusable Assets

If your business has the opportunity to capitalize on seasonal trends (which not all companies do), spend the time to design campaigns that develop assets that can be used for seasonal campaigns in the future. These could be creative, websites, mini-apps, Facebook pages, email lists, etc. The main idea is to conceptualize these campaigns as investments rather than one-offs. – Nick EubanksI’m From The Future

8. Use Google Ads Extensions

During holidays, use Google Ad extensions focused on the holiday season. If you are a clothing retailer, insert ad extensions related to the holiday. For example, if it’s Easter, advertise “Blowout Easter Sales” on all of your Google ads to get consumers to increase their likelihood of clicking. Use time-sensitive offers to give viewers an incentive to click. – Marcela De VivoBrilliance

9. Map Out Strategy Early

Regardless of whether you’re running a seasonal business or have constant sales flow throughout the year, there are ways to take advantage of seasonality. It is key to map out a strategy for the seasonal pushes that can help the business. Whether it is a discount for the holiday months or a free session to kick off member New Year’s resolutions, it is always smart to have a plan to boost sales. –Josh YorkGYMGUYZ

10. Take the Opportunity to Connect

Use the holiday or season to send a quick note, update or joke to your prospects and customers as a way to stay top of mind. Marketing is about repeat impressions and if you are falling off their radar, your marketing is failing. – James McDonoughSEE Forge creators of FAT FINGER

Spread the word: Social Proof

20 Examples of Social Proof in Action

Written by Sophia Bernazzani | @

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I recently came across the greatest dog bed in the history of dog beds — seriously, it felt like it was made of clouds. And after asking the dog owner about it, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the same company also made regular beds. (Score.)

Needless to say, I’m now the proud owner of the human-version of said dog bed.

You see, when a friend or family member recommends a product, you’re more likely to take their endorsement seriously. In fact, Nielsen reports that the most meaningful form of advertising is recommendations from friends and family: 83% of consumers in 60 countries say they trust these recommendations over any other form of advertising. 

Download our free case study templates here to help you display your company’s success.

The story of how I bought my mattress is a great example of social proof, which refers to the theory that people tend to adopt the opinions or actions of people they trust. And to help illustrate how brands are using this persuasive technique in their marketing, we’ve put together a roundup of social proof in action below.

What Is Social Proof?

Social proof is the idea that consumers will adapt their behavior according to what other people are doing. It makes sense, right? When we see a line of customers waiting to eat at a restaurant or a photo of a celebrity drinking a certain brand of coffee, it lends an air of gravitas and quality to the product, doesn’t it?

But there’s more to it than that. In fact, according to Buffer, there are actually five different types of social proof:

1) Expert Social Proof

Expert social proof is when an industry thought leader or influencer approves of your product. This could take the form of them blogging, posting on social media, or being quoted or photographed as a product user.

2) Celebrity Social Proof

Celebrity social proof typically takes the form of a celebrity using a product and promoting it on social media or in public. This form of social proof is especially meaningful if the endorsement is unpaid.

3) User Social Proof

User social proof consists of positive feedback from actual users, typically taking the form of customer reviews and testimonials.

4) “Wisdom of the Crowds” Social Proof

“Wisdom of the Crowds” social proof appeals to our sense of Fear of Missing Out (FOMO): When lots of people are using or buying a product, others want to follow suit.

5) “Wisdom of your Friends” Social Proof

“Wisdom of your Friends” social proof refers to the phenomenon I described previously: The recommendations from people we know and trust carry far more weight than other types of promotions or advertising.

Which Types of Social Proof Work Best?

The (social) proof is in the pudding: Social proof in your marketing and advertising can have a huge impact. But what type of social proof works best?

While this will likely depend on the product or service you are marketing, the folks at ConversionXL conducted some research to help shed some light on the situation.

Below you’ll find some noteworthy statistics from their research about the types of social proof that perform best, and what you need to know about convincing your prospective customers:

  • Testimonials featuring photos perform best.
  • Readers remember press mentions featuring company logos more than press mentions featuring quotes.
  • Prominent client logos in testimonials are highly memorable.
  • 86% of female shoppers say they put the most trust in product recommendations from real people — either industry bloggers or people they know — more than celebrities.
  • 66% of consumers trust customer reviews online.
  • 60% of consumers prefer to make purchases from brands they are familiar with.
  • 77% of consumers say that word-of-mouth from family and friends is the most persuasive way to get information about new products.
  • Excessive negative customer reviews in Google Search results can result in a loss of up to 70% of potential customers.

Now that we’ve reviewed what social proof is, and the impact it can have, let’s dive into some real-world examples of each type …

20 Examples of Social Proof in Action

Click the categories below to see real-world examples of social proof:

  1. Expert Social Proof
  2. Celebrity Social Proof
  3. User Social Proof
  4. “Wisdom of the Crowd” Social Proof
  5. “Wisdom of your Friends” Social Proof

Expert Social Proof

1) Nature Made

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Nature Made uses the expert certification of the USP (U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention) to speak for their vitamins instead of describing their quality themselves. The image of the seal of approval also echoes the text in their Facebook post.

2) Workday

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Workday’s Newsroom features an article in the Harvard Business Review about their company culture, which is a smart use of social proof: By featuring a well-known university name and publication with expertise in business, they impress site visitors from the moment they try to learn more about the company.

3) Fitbit

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Fitbit lets health and tech industry experts speak to the quality of their products in the “Buzz” section of their website. It adds a lot of weight to claims of Fitbit’s success when multiple publications are saying the same positive things they are. That could be why Fitbit is often rated the top fitness tracker on the market.

4) 2U

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Education SaaS company 2U uses expert social proof to lend gravitas to its homepage. Highlighting press mentions on your website commands authority and lets visitors know that important voices are talking about you in the press. (Check out this handy PR guide for more on the power of press.)

Celebrity Social Proof

5) Jenny Craig

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When celeb Kirstie Alley signed on as Jenny Craig’s spokeswoman, she lost a well-photographed 50 pounds on the program, helping to skyrocket the brand’s popularity in a crowded market: It’s one of the top three diet plans in the United States.

6) Cisco

Here’s Cisco using celebrity social proof to add wow factor and storytelling to market their IT systems, which aren’t typically the most exciting commercial topic. The celebrity adds a human element to a highly technological space in a way that’s memorable and inspires recognition. (Who doesn’t love Obi-Wan Kenobi?)

7) Tracy Anderson Method

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Gwyneth Paltrow is a longtime fan and friend of Tracy Anderson and her exercise program, which she frequently posts about on social media. This isn’t an official celebrity endorsement, and its authenticity helps drive more people to Anderson’s program: The Tracy Anderson Method is now a multi-studio, DVD, and live streaming fitness empire.

8) Manuka Doctor

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I had never heard of Manuka honey until I watched this episode of Broad City, but it exploded in popularity after Kourtney Kardashian started using it on her reality show, and then became a celebrity ambassador. This is a particularly successful celebrity social proof because Kardashian’s longtime use of the product lends more authenticity than a celebrity endorsement alone would.

9) Wix

Website builder Wix uses Heidi Klum for celebrity social proof in their commercial. It works in two ways: to add a high-profile name to a business in a competitive industry, and to demonstrate Wix’s pitch (that anyone can build a website).

Wix also used Kung-Fu Panda (fictitious celebrities count, too) in their 2016 Super Bowl commercial, which garnered more online views than any other commercial at the game.

User Social Proof

10) Yelp

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Yelp relies on user reviews to rate restaurants, bars, and business, and the use of social proof is beneficial for their company and for its users searching for customer reviews. Yelp generates roughly 145 million visitors each month and is one of the most popular websites in the United States.

11) IMDb

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IMDb visitors can consult their review directory to learn what other movie-goers are saying about films they’re interested in, and its savvy use of social proof helped make it the top movie review sites online today with 250 million unique visitors per month.

12) Amazon

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Customer reviews and testimonials are one of the strongest forms of social proof, and Amazon provides another great example of how they can be used. In their review sections, they publish the breakdown of the different ratings so visitors can easily see if the majority of purchasers were happy or unhappy with what they bought.

Customers can also publish reviews with specific comments and photos of their purchases, which are more eye-catching forms of social proof for visitors than testimonials alone.

13) G2 Crowd

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G2 Crowd is a business built on user social proof: It offers businesses a database of reviews and recommendations before making a software purchase. The reviews feature verified users of the product, their LinkedIn career information, and the logo of the product being reviewed, which is a research-backed strategy for promoting greater viewer recall and retention.

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14) BuzzSumo

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Here’s a thorough example of user social proof from BuzzSumo. Their website features customer testimonials and case studies so visitors can read about the full story behind the product they’re considering without any question of its impact on real customers and organizations. This transparent user proof is extremely compelling for visitors and potential customers.

“Wisdom of the Crowd” Social Proof

15) Copyblogger

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Copyblogger has a fantastic blog, and they use the CTA above to get readers to subscribe by encouraging them to join a larger community of people with shared interests. If 334,000 other people are finding value in the content, it must be good, right?

16) Netflix

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Netflix takes advantage of user trends by suggesting new TV and movie options based on popularity. This clever use of social proof helps them keep people binge-watching instead of navigating away when they finish a movie or season — a great retention strategy, if you ask me.

Much like when things are trending on Twitter, trending suggestions aim to pique the interest of users and persuade them to tune in.

17) TrackMaven

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TrackMaven’s blog features a “Most Popular Content” sidebar shown above to show blog readers other articles that are generating lots of reader traffic. This feature encourages visitors to go with the crowd and spend more time on the site, where TrackMaven can prompt them with calls-to-action and content offers to generate leads.

“Wisdom of your Friends” Social Proof

18Facebook

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Facebook suggests Pages and articles for users based on how their friends are interacting with the social media platform. This form of social proof is supported by our inherent trust in people we already know:

Remember, we take our friends’ recommendations more seriously than any other type of advertising.

19Ticketfly

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Ticketfly pulls customer Facebook data to show them which of their friends are attending the same events as they are. It also uses social share buttons so users can share what events they’re attending to garner more interest among their social media networks.

20) Stitch Fix

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Stitch Fix recruits new customers for its personal shopping service using social proof by offering a hefty $25 referral bonus for sending friends to the site. It’s a cost-effective method for retaining me, their current customer, and recruiting my friend, who could become a new one.

Now that you’ve learned all about social proof, check out our article to learn how to take your social proof to the next level. Happy brainstorming!

UPMC Research Study: How Doctors Think

‘How Do Doctors Think’ is a NIH-funded study, run by University of Pittsburgh researchers, designed to assess the ability of an adventure video game to influence physician decision making in trauma.

They are recruiting emergency physicians who work at non-trauma centers in the US to participate in the trial. The study uses two apps to give Doctors an inside view of what a Trauma unit might be like.

77 Design Co. was selected to help revise the branding and materials for this year. We created several pieces including booth banners, coroplast signs, labels for the iPads, documentation, handouts and flyers.

Our expertise allowed us to examine their needs and create a cohesive package that will communicate exactly what the research study is about and how Doctors can learn more about Trauma.

Design. Create. Print.

How can we help YOU today?

5 Reasons Why Prospects Don’t Buy From You

5 Reasons Why Prospects Don’t Buy From You

Written by Marc Wayshak | @

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Every salesperson knows the pain of “the ones that got away.” Think of the prospects you just couldn’t set meetings with, no matter how hard you tried. Consider those who never purchased your product or service — even after you poured time and energy into making the sale. It’s easy to remember exactly who these prospects were. But do you know why they got away?

In sales, it can be difficult to recognize the mistakes you’re making. Asking would-be customers for their comments rarely results in honest, helpful feedback on your sales approach. Fortunately, most customers decide not to buy from a salesperson for the same few reasons. Chances are, you’ve lost sales — and prospects — due to one of them.

It’s time to learn the five most common reasons why customers don’t buy from you. Once you understand the mistakes you’re making, you can finally start to dominate your competition in sales. Take a look:

1) You’re trying to sell to everyone.

A good sales pipeline is about quality, not quantity. If your prospects aren’t buying from you, you must reevaluate the quality of your sales pipeline. Plain and simple.

Great salespeople don’t try to sell to anyone and everyone. They understand that most prospects aren’t good fits — and they disqualify them rather than trying to force a sale. By taking this approach, you’ll free up your time to focus on the best prospects who are most likely to benefit from — and ultimately purchase — whatever you’re trying to sell.

2) You’re “turning off” customers.

The vast majority of salespeople have a huge problem: They’re salesy. That is, they’re overly enthusiastic about their product or service — and prospects can see it coming from a mile away. What a turn-off! If you want to stand out from your competitors, stop being salesy. Tone down the enthusiasm for a more genuine and personable approach.

Other salespeople turn off customers by asking prospects to educate them. They might ask, “Hey, George, can we set up a call so I can learn more about your business?” Prospects don’t want to educate you — they just want you to fix their problems. Always show the value you bring before engaging prospects in a conversation about their business.

3) You’re not asking enough questions.

Many salespeople make the mistake of being so focused on their offer that they never ask questions to determine what’s going on in their prospects’ world. Once you’ve engaged your prospects, it’s time to move forward with understanding their key objectives.

Ask thoughtful questions to uncover your prospects’ challenges, objectives, budget, and decision-making process. Add value by showing how your product or service will help them accomplish their key objectives. Remember, prospects don’t actually care about your offer. They only care about solving their challenges and accomplishing their goals.

4) You’re too focused on price.

When asked what goes into a prospect’s decision, many salespeople think that price ranks as one of the top two concerns. In reality, price ranks much lower on the list of priorities for most prospects — usually around sixth, seventh, or even eighth place.

Next time you sit down with a prospect, stop focusing on price. Instead, focus on the value of the challenges you’ll be solving for the prospect, and see how quickly concerns about price can fade away.

5) You don’t ask for feedback.

Smart salespeople get constant feedback throughout the sales process to gauge how the prospect is feeling about the conversation.

Try asking simple questions such as, “Do you agree with what I just said?” or “Does this make sense in your world?” If the prospect agrees with you, you know you’re on the right track. If they don’t, that’s your cue you need to change direction and get the conversation back on track.

Which of these common mistakes have you been making in your sales process? Share your thoughts and experiences in the comments below. Make the changes necessary to ensure your next prospect isn’t “the one who got away” and start crushing your sales goals.

20 Fall Marketing Ideas That Will Get Your Business Noticed

20 Fall Marketing Ideas That Will Get Your Business Noticed

Fall is an ideal time to promote your business: people are back in town after vacation, kids are back to school, and everyone’s ready for a fresh start. Take advantage of the season’s opportunities with these marketing ideas.

  1. Launch an Instagram photo contest: Invite customers to post pictures of themselves engaged in their favorite fall activities (apple picking, flag football, etc.) with a designated hashtag. Choose a winner and offer them a free gift, and re-gram the photo on your account.
  2. Hold a “can-do” event: Email customers offering them a discount when they bring in canned and other nonperishable food items to donate to a local food pantry.
  3. Put your name on it: Ditch the paper or plastic bags (at least temporarily) in favor of reusable shopping bags featuring your business’s name. You could also encourage customers to carry it by offering a discount when they bring it into the store.
  4. Sponsor a team: Support young athletes in a way that fits with your business. For example, if you sell women’s clothing, maybe partner with a girls’ soccer team. Or if you run a restaurant, make your establishment the official pregame coffee spot for parents or postgame hangout for players.
  5. Advertise on local blogs: Identify the most popular blogs in your community for news, style, food — whatever best aligns with your business — and advertise special promotions for readers. Not only are the rates less expensive, but you can more easily reach your target market.
  6.  Hit the festival circuit: Chances are that organizations in your area host a fall fair or Oktoberfest, so find out how to set up a booth or get involved in sponsoring the event.
  7.  Host a social IRL party: Invite all your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram followers to meet up in person at your store for a shopping party with special promotions and giveaways.
  8. Offer an appealing deal: Entice people in by offering a discount. You can promote your sale via window signage, social media posts, or using something like constant contact.
  9. Lend your space: Reach out to a favorite local charity, like an animal shelter, and offer them your shop for a fundraising event.
  10. Celebrate new holidays: Halloween and Thanksgiving get all the glory, but you can make your business stand out with fun, social media–friendly holidays unique to your business, like a “Sweater Weather Saturday” sale or a “Pumpkin Spice Appreciation Day” event.
  11.  Start a deal-of-the-week email: Send targeted messages to customers with an email marketing tools offering special discounts on specific items or services.
  12.  Team up with local businesses: Work with other neighborhood shops to pool your resources (and social media reach) to throw an autumn-themed weekend event with food, entertainment, and lots of special promotions.
  13. Bring in the experts: Identify common problems among your customers (home organization, wardrobe ideas, hair updates), and designate a day to offer the expertise of your staff and outside consultants with free in-store consultations.
  14. Throw a “treat yo’self” party: Email your best customers and invite them to a special event with complimentary manicures, chair massages, and makeup application along with cocktails and appetizers.
  15.  Spend now, save later: Holiday shopping season is looming, so tempt your customers with a deal: if they spend a certain amount now, they’ll get a designated amount off their purchase after Thanksgiving.
  16.  Get media savvy: Reach out to local TV news, radio shows, and podcasts to pitch seasonal stories that relate to your business, like fall fashion updates, seasonal recipes, and more.
  17. Hire fresh talent: Need new photography, graphic design, or social media help? We know someone who can help!
  18. Donate to local auctions: Fall is a huge fundraising time for schools and charity organizations, so reach out to some of your favorites and offer goods and services for raffles and silent auctions. You’ll raise awareness about your business and be a good neighbor.
  19. Host a swap party: Create a Facebook invite and ask all your fans to bring in one good-as-new item for a clothing or home goods swap and shopping party. Donate any unclaimed items to charity.
  20. Get some, give some: Promote your store’s preholiday shopping by offering a deal for buying in multiples, like get a free $15 gift card for every $100 you spend on gift cards.

Email Newsletter Marketing We Love

15 Email Newsletter Examples We Love Getting in Our Inboxes

Written by Lindsay Kolowich | @

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When people first start doing email marketing, they often assume they need an email newsletter.

“It’ll have everything our customers care about, all in one place,” they rationalize. “Our list will be different — people will actually look forward to getting our newsletter,” they argue. “Since we’re only sending it once a month, it’ll be a breeze to put together,” they say.

And while all of those things may become true for a few lucky individuals, lots of email newsletters flop. They become an uninteresting mush of content people automatically ignore, archive, delete, or straight up unsubscribe from. And this isn’t great for you, your metrics, or your company’s success. 

Download our free guide to creating email newsletters people actually read here. 

So if you’re thinking about creating an email newsletter, read this blog post and think really hard about whether that’s the right move for you in terms of your marketing strategy.

If you’ve decided that you want to start an email newsletter, or you want to revamp one that’s not performing well, keep on reading. We’ve compiled some of our absolute favorite email newsletters to inspire you to make the best email newsletter for your company possible.

Each newsletter on this list is fabulous for different reasons. Some have exceptional design, some have exceptional copy, some have exceptional calls-to-action … but all are exceptional at solving for their subscribers’ needs. Check ’em out.

15 Email Newsletter Samples to Inspire Your Own E-Newsletter Design Ideas

1) NextDraft

NextDraft is a daily email written by a man named Dave Pell, which is a curation of the best web content of the day. As Pell describes it, “Each morning I visit about fifty news sites and from that swirling nightmare of information quicksand, I pluck the top ten most fascinating items of the day, which I deliver with a fast, pithy wit that will make your computer device vibrate with delight.”

You can tell he’s a great writer. His copywriting is one of my favorite things about the newsletter. It starts with the subject line, which is usually a play on words or a clever one-liner on the top news of the day. It then extends to the body of the email itself, which is always descriptive, accurate, and clever. Finally, the minimalist design is fantastic.

Not only is content delivery is clear, organized, and digestible, but also the inclusion of social share buttons underneath each story is brilliant. Rather than assuming that the reader is going to make it to a social sharing option at the bottom of the newsletter, Pell provides them with multiple opportunities throughout. Social engagement can play a big role in growing your newsletter, as every share on social opens up a valuable opportunity to attract more subscribers.

For those who’d rather read news like this in a mobile app, the NextDraft app is free in Apple’s app store.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

2) Austin Kleon

Not to play favorites, but this newsletter from Austin Kleon is one I really look forward to. First, I love the simplicity. It’s not flashy, nor is it overly promotional. That’s the hallmark of a successful email newsletter: The most effective newsletters aim to educate, not sell.

I also love the overall informal tone he takes, as it makes it feel as though you’re hearing from a friend. If you’re looking to lower the barrier between your company and your audience, consider using language that is friendly and inviting, not buttoned-up and jargony.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

3) InVision

InVision’s newsletter is a weekly digest of their best blog content, a roundup of their favorite design links from the week, and a new opportunity to win a free t-shirt.

Not only is their newsletter a great mix of content, but I also love the nice balance between images and text, making it easy to read and mobile-friendly. They make great use of animated GIFs in their emails (which you can see when viewing the whole email here). I also love the clever copy on their call-to-action buttons:

  • “Cat GIFs on Every Page”
  • “Set Your Sights”
  • “Why So Serious?”

In addition to classic CTA buttons, they engage their audience at the bottom of every newsletter with a “You tell us!” text CTA.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

4) Community.is

Community.is is a handcrafted newsletter created for people who “put people at the center of their work.” This unique concept attracts a variety of readers from executives at ad agencies, to community managers at startups, to marketers and creatives of all shapes and sizes.

In an effort to cater to their melting pot of subscribers, Community.is adopted a three-tier format: Short, Mid, and Long. While an executive may only have time to skim the short stuff, a marketer might be looking for a more in-depth read to spark some inspiration for their next campaign. Organizing a newsletter in this way helps ensure that you’re serving the distinct needs of your audience without it being too confusing.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

5) Vox Sentences

Vox Sentences is a nightly email meant to quickly get its readers up to speed on the best stories from the day. The content ranges from the day’s top news to fun stories from all over the web. They do a great job balancing their own content with external sources, and the stories they choose are always really high quality.

You can read Vox’s entire newsletter from start to finish and get a great sense of the stories they’re covering — but you can also click through to any of the linked stories to get a more in-depth approach.

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6) Fizzle

Fizzle’s newsletter is aimed at entrepreneurs who want weekly tips on building a business sent directly to their inbox. Although they have a business blog and a podcast, what makes Fizzle’s newsletter unique is that the email content is independent from those other content assets. In other words, it’s written entirely for their subscribers.

The copywriting style makes the newsletter unique and appealing, too: It’s casual, honest, and written like the author is writing to a friend. The writing gives off the vibe of real, down-to-earth business advice — without the fluffy stuff. At the same time, it’s written with clear headers and sub-headers to break it up, and the important stuff is bolded, making for easy skimming.

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7) TheSkimm

If you want to stay up on what’s happening in the world and have some delightful writing delivered to your inbox first thing in the morning, look no further than TheSkimm. It’s a daily roundup of what’s happened in the news in short, punch paragraphs.

The best part? You don’t have to click out of the email to read the news if you don’t want to — although they do link to their sources if you want to read further. And when it comes to more complex news topics (think: Brexit or the Cannes Film Festival), they’ll cover the most recent updates but link to their Skimm Guides, located on their website. These guides provide context for larger topics, and are written in the same style as the emails.

For your own email marketing, TheSkimm is the place to go if you’re looking for writing inspiration or for emails without much visual content.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

8) Medium

Medium is a blog-publishing platform that has been continuously building momentum since its launch in 2012. Publishing on the site has really picked up in the past few years, and nowadays, there are a ton of people publishing posts on the site every day.

Of course, that means there’s a lot of content for the average person to filter through. To help bring great content to the surface, Medium uses email newsletters. And after I open this newsletter every day, I end up going to visit several Medium posts without fail. (Mission accomplished for Medium, right?)

Here’s why: The newsletter feels pretty minimal. Because of the way that Medium uses colors and section dividers, they’re able to give you a ton of content in one email without it feeling overwhelming. Plus, they offer both a daily and a weekly version of the digest, allowing users to opt in for the email frequency they feel most comfortable with.

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9) BrainPickings

BrainPickings is one of the most interesting newsletters out there. In fact, the folks who write it call it an “interestingness digest.” Every Sunday morning, subscribers get the past week’s most unmissable articles about creativity, psychology, art, science, design, and philosophy — topics that are really appealing to a wide audience. At its core, it explores what it means to live a good life.

This is one of the longest newsletters I’ve ever read, but what makes it still work well is how high quality and well packaged the content is.

(Bonus: Check out the delightful microcopy in the top right-hand corner.)

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

10) Litmus

You’d hope that an email marketing testing company would have great emails … and Litmus definitely does. While the content of the emails is certainly interesting, I’m especially digging the design. The blocks of color help break up the newsletter into sections that are easy to differentiate.

I also like that the text calls-to-action at the end of each post’s description don’t just say something generic, like “Read this post.” Instead, they are matched with specific actions related to the post’s content, like “Get the checklist” and “Discover why you should test.”

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

11) General Assembly

There are a lot of creative things you can do with images in your emails, from designing your own custom graphics to creating animated GIFs. General Assembly, an organization that helps expand professionals’ skill sets, likes to employ tactics like these in their newsletter.

From their attractive and minimal layout to their concise copy and helpful information, this is a great example of a newsletter that gives subscribers quick information in an easily scannable format.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

12) This.

This. (yes, the full stop is part of the brand name) is another great newsletter for finding — and sharing — the best and most entertaining content on the web. What makes their newsletter unique is that it isn’t just content curated by one person or one team; it’s content curated by a community of people on the internet.

Members are allowed to share one, single link every day — presumably the best content they find the entire day. The result? “We’ve built something we hope will connect you to the best the web has to offer — all its weirdness and beauty and diversity and ambition,” reads the website.

The newsletter consists of the editor’s picks from all the amazing content their community members have shared. Subscribers also have the option of signing up for a custom newsletter, which includes the editor’s picks and a custom feed from curators they can pick and choose. That’s some pretty cool personalization.

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13) SaaS Weekly

This is the ultimate SaaS newsletter, from a guy that kind of knows a thing or two about SaaS. (Hiten Shah is the co-founder of  and ).

While his approach is simple, this roundup is packed with value and organized in a way that makes it easy to discover content around your specific interests. Shah does this by breaking the list of curated posts into different sections — Business, Product, Marketing Growth, Tip of the Week, etc. — which makes it easily scannable.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

14) The Ringer

Remember Grantland, the sports and pop culture blog owned by ESPN that was started by sports journalist Bill Simmons? In October 2015, ESPN announced it would be ending the publication of Grantland. Shortly thereafter, Simmons formed Bill Simmon Media Group and recruited a whole bunch of former Grantland staffers to launch a brand new newsletter in March 2016 called The Ringer.

Although The Ringer is written and run by many former Grantland employees it’s a different project than Grantland was. Where Grantland focused on sports and pop culture, The Ringer branches out into other areas like tech and politics. Jon Favreau, a former speechwriter for President Barack Obama, is among the contributors. I like how focused they are on experimentation: “We want to have fun, take chances, analyze, theorize, obsess, and try not to take ourselves too seriously,” said Editor-in-Chief Sean Fennessey.

Another differentiator? The Ringer’s website was developed in partnership with publishing platform Medium — which means the newsletter reflects that clean, minimal design.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

15) Hacker Newsletter

Many marketers don’t frequent Hacker News, but they should still check out this hand-picked curation of the social network’s top stories of the day.

Why? The newsletter is clean and minimal, but still sends a ton of really great content its subscribers’ way. The way it distills potentially overwhelming information is by bucketing content into sections. The newsletter also looks very similar to the site, so for those who love the site and how it’s laid out, the newsletter feels like a comforting, familiar way to consume content.

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[Click here to see the entire email.]

Even though newsletters are one of the most common types of emails to send, they are actually some of the hardest to do right. We hope these examples gave you some quality inspiration so you can create newsletters your subscribers love to get in their inboxes.

Which email newsletters do you love? Share your favorite ones with us in the comments so we can keep the inspiration going.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in December 2013 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.