If email newsletters feel harder than promos, you're not alone. Most teams never struggle to send a sale, but struggle with everything in between. The blank weeks. The weeks where nothing's launching. The weeks where you know you should email, but you're not sure what to say.
Here's what usually happens: you only email when there's a discount, which accidentally trains subscribers to ignore you until there's a sale. Then newsletters start to feel pointless or low-performing.
This guide fixes that. Not with theory, not with perfection, but with a realistic 30-day plan you can actually ship. The goal is to send consistently, stay relevant between promos, and build engagement without training your list to wait for discounts.
If you’ve identified with any of what I’ve said above this is dedicated to you. Also, if you’ve struggled with the above before, but have since learned and have tips to share – this is also for you because this community isn’t one-way and I would love to hear what cadence you're running, what content mix you're testing, and one recent win.
Now let’s get into it.
Why do newsletters feel hard? (and why they matter anyway?)
Newsletters feel hard because they don't have a built-in excuse. Promos have urgency baked in. Flows are automated and forgiving. Newsletters require you to decide, every single time, why you're showing up.
The most common mistake? Treating newsletters like watered-down promos. Same product grid, same CTA, just without a discount. That usually underperforms and reinforces the idea that newsletters "don't work."
But newsletters aren't meant to replace promos. They do a completely different job.
Promos are about conversion now. Flows are about timing and automation. Newsletters are about staying relevant when no one's buying yet.
If you skip newsletters, your brand only exists during sales. If you do them well, your brand exists in your subscriber's head even when they're not in market. That's the difference.
What this guide gives you isn't a perfect newsletter strategy. It's a 30-day reset – a way to show up consistently, build momentum, and prove to yourself that newsletters can work without feeling salesy.
What an email newsletter should actually do
The biggest mindset shift is this: a newsletter isn't a revenue-only send. It's a relationship builder that supports future revenue.
Here's a simple way to think about it. Separate your sends into three buckets:
- Flows run in the background and catch people at the right moment
- Promo campaigns push urgency and drive short-term results
- Newsletters fill the space in between
A good newsletter does three things over time:
First, it keeps you relevant between purchases. Most subscribers aren't ready to buy every week. Newsletters remind them why they signed up in the first place.
Second, it trains subscribers to open your emails for value, not just discounts. When every email is a sale, opens drop fast. When emails are useful or interesting, opens become a habit.
Third, it creates momentum for future promos. When you finally do send a sale, it lands better because you haven't been silent for weeks.
In your first 30 days, here's what you don't need to worry about: perfect design, fancy modules, or daily sends. You just need clarity and consistency.
Pick your cadence without setting yourself up to quit
Weekly emails are often presented as the gold standard. In reality, weekly is only right if you can sustain it.
Choose your cadence based on how much content you actually have—not how ambitious you feel on day one.
If you have a smaller list, a limited catalog, or a longer purchase cycle, biweekly often works better. It gives you breathing room and keeps quality high.
If your list is growing, your catalog has depth, or your customers buy more frequently, weekly can work well. The key is that you're not scrambling every time you send.
Some teams land in the middle: a light weekly newsletter with the option to add a bonus send when there's real news like a restock, a community moment, or a seasonal shift.
If you're unsure, start slower than you think. You can always increase cadence. Abandoning a cadence is much harder than expanding one.
Pause here and think about what cadence you’re running right now, and why you chose it?
The non-promo content menu you can rotate forever
The fastest way to burn out is trying to reinvent the newsletter every send. The goal is rotation, not originality.
Think of your newsletter like a menu. You're not creating a new restaurant every week—you're rotating through familiar categories that your audience learns to enjoy.
Here are the content types that work:
Educational newsletters work well when you want to build authority. Explain how to use your product, how to get better results, or how to avoid common mistakes. The CTA can be as simple as "read more" or "see how it works."
UGC or customer spotlights are powerful because they remove pressure from you. Let customers tell the story. These emails are great for social proof and trust building.
Founder or team notes humanize the brand. These are especially effective for smaller teams and hospitality brands. One clear point, one story, one takeaway is enough.
Top sellers emails don't need a sale attached. Frame them as "what people love most right now" instead of "buy this."
Restock emails can be a story instead of a push. Why it sold out, what changed, or what customers asked for.
How-it-works or behind-the-scenes emails answer questions people are already thinking but not asking. These often perform better than you expect.
Seasonal or timely newsletters give you relevance without urgency. Think moments, not holidays.
Community stories or social proof emails show subscribers they're part of something bigger than a transaction.
Your 30-day newsletter plan
This is the part you can actually run with.
Week 1: Think of your newsletter as a value reset. This isn't a formal welcome email, but it serves a similar purpose. Remind subscribers why they're on your list and what kind of value you plan to share. Subject lines here work best when they set expectations or spark curiosity. Don't overthink design—one clear message is enough.
Week 2: Your educational or how-it-works send. Pick one thing and go deep enough to be useful, not exhaustive. The CTA should feel natural, not forced.
Week 3: Social proof or community. Highlight customers, reviews, or stories. This is a great confidence builder for teams nervous about newsletters.
Week 4: Product-forward without being promo-driven. Focus on best sellers, use cases, or context. You're not pushing urgency—you're building familiarity.
If you only send two emails this month, send Week 1 and Week 3. That combination resets expectations and builds trust fast.
How to actually build the send in Klaviyo
For your first few newsletters, it's okay to start with an engaged segment. This reduces risk and gives you cleaner signals.
UTMs matter even for newsletters. They help you understand how these emails support the bigger picture over time.
When choosing links, resist the urge to link everything. One primary destination is usually enough. Homepages work well early on, but collections or educational pages can perform better once you know what resonates.
Before scheduling, always do a basic QA pass:
- Check mobile
- Click every link
- Read the from name and preview text together
- Make sure it feels like something you'd open
Batching helps. Build multiple newsletters at once if you can. It lowers friction and makes consistency easier.
What to measure after each send (beyond opens)
Opens alone don't tell the full story, especially with privacy changes.
Click rate shows whether people found the content interesting enough to act.
Placed order rate and revenue per recipient help you see long-term value, even if the newsletter wasn't a promo.
Unsubscribe rate is your early warning system. Small movement is normal. Spikes mean misalignment.
When you're just starting, "good enough" looks quieter than you expect. The goal is trendlines, not instant wins.
Use results to decide what to send next month. Double down on themes that earn clicks and attention.
What to send next month once the habit sticks
After 30 days, patterns start to emerge. You'll see which themes feel easiest to write and which ones get the best response. A marketing calendar can help you track these patterns systematically.
This is when you can layer promos back in without undoing trust. The newsletter becomes the foundation, not the interruption.
Over time, this becomes a simple monthly rhythm instead of a constant decision.
Question for everyone: What’s one lesson about newsletters you wish you knew earlier? Or what’s one thing you are still trying to improve?
I already included lots of links throughout, but here are some additional resources if you’re interested:
