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• Chunk your content
• Take the time to write sub-heads
• Use bulleted lists
• Alternate long & short blocks of copy
• Be restrained with color...

These are some of the e-newsletter design tips Roger C. Parker revealed in a one and a half-hour audio conference: Secrets of Effective HTML Newsletters: Design + Readability = Profitability

He critiqued a dozen HTML newsletters (you get screenshots & clickable URLs for each one in the PDF handout). And explained what works, what doesn't and why.

Effective design of your HTML e-newsletter or ezine can increase your open rates and provoke a higher response, whether it's reader feedback or more direct sales.

Learn the key do's and don'ts of e-newsletter design from this hands-on, highly practical session. Using the PDF handout, you'll have a scorecard in hand and can follow along as Roger critiques each newsletter.

Roger C. Parker is the author of the best-selling Looking Good in Print: A Guide to Basic Design and Desktop Publishing as well as 31 other books which have been New York Times and Amazon.com bestsellers.

As author, designer, and marketing coach, Roger's clients include Apple Computer, Ford Motor Company, Hewlett-Packard, Microsoft, Shearman & Sterling, and Yamaha. He is currently best known for the One-Page Newsletter concept he promotes at www.onepagenewsletters.com, www.newentrepreneur.com and www.gmarketing-design.com.

New! Roger's new blog and Resource Center

As Roger puts it: "HTML newsletters are surprisingly complex and must satisfy a number of often-conflicting criteria. These include:

The need for speed. HTML newsletters must quickly load on a broad range of e-mail programs and a range of connection speeds.

An appropriate image. Colors, type, and layout must project a distinct, appropriate, and recognizable image, without distracting from the message.

Readability. Publishers must always struggle to get their message read. Readers are always in a hurry and there's never enough time. Anything that distracts from easy, intuitive reading is an invitation for the newsletter reader to go elsewhere.

Printing and saving. HTML newsletters must be readability both onscreen and after printing. They must accurately save and reload. They must be readable whether printed on a wide variety of black and white or color printers.

Engagement and retention. Headlines must immediately attract the reader's attention and engage their self-interest. Newsletter content must be chunked to maintain the reader's interest."

Newsletters will be rated on the following key criteria:

1. Recognition

Are the nameplate, colors, general layout, personality and style of your HTML newsletter recognizable - and appropriate to your brand - from issue to issue?

2. Engagement

How quickly and effectively are you engaging your readers? Headlines, subheads and teasers are key to grabbing attention.

3. Organization

How accessible is the information in your newsletter? Key elements of clear organization are navigation, hierarchy and category titles. What's your clutter factor?

4. Readability

Are you striving for maximum readability? Such devices as type size and line length, paragraph length, and foreground vs. background contrast will determine your success.

5. Value

As Roger puts it in his mini report, The 6 Essentials of HTML Newsletter Success, (download a copy instantly when you register for the teleseminar), "Continued reader satisfaction is based on the value your newsletter offers." What is the quality and quantity of your content? The balance between promotion and information?

6. Functionality

These are no longer viewed as "extras" by newsletter readers. They include: printer-friendly versions, forward to a friend, links and resources for further reading, contact information and subscriber status (change email, unsubscribe, etc.).


Resources & Links

Explore Roger's sites:

OnePageNewsletters.com

NewEntrepreneur.com

GuerrillaMarketingDesign.com


More about his books:

Looking Good in Print

One Minute Designer (Roger's favorite of his books)

Other titles