Does your newsletter match your style?
Standing out doesn’t have to end with your blog.
Your branding and design can and should extend way beyond that; for instance, through all your social media accounts.
To give you an example, take a look at mine:
- Traffic Generation Cafe on Facebook
- Traffic Generation Cafe on Twitter
- Traffic Generation Cafe on Google+ (this one doesn’t allow as many customizations just yet, but we do with what we’ve got.)
And now I finally got to customizing my email newsletter templates as well.
DIY Email Newsletter Template
This is what my emails to my subscribers’ list (join it if you haven’t already) look like now:
Just in case you are curious which post I am talking about in this particular email, check it out here:
How to create custom Aweber email template
Yes, this template was created in Aweber, which is my email autoresponder of choice (read my Aweber review to see why).
If you haven’t started your list yet, I can’t stress enough that you should do it NOW.
If you do have a list and are using a different autoresponder, I bet you can still use my directions to create your own custom template.
In the video below, I’ll explain how to:
- customize a template to match your blog design;
- add the social media sharing buttons;
- why you need to add the “Please enable your images” message at the top;
- and more.
And yes, I am testing this new tool I found “Tweet Per View”; hope you don’t mind the RT for the video! lol
By the way, thanks to Bob Clarke for nudging me to make this video!
Email Newsletter Template Marketing Takeaway
As I said in the video, I am not a techie, but creating this template wasn’t that difficult even for me.
Note: Ian Belanger of IM Graphic Designs, who did such a great job redesigning Traffic Generation Cafe, offered to design an email template for you - just in case you are too busy, or feel like you can’t do it, or feel like you won’t find time to do it.
Price? Very reasonable; under $40 for most templates.
Let Ian know you are coming from Traffic Generation Cafe!
Now, to those who haven’t started their list yet, you are not off the hook.
Start Your Own Email Marketing List for Only $1.00
If you haven’t started building your list yet, let me tell you - you are missing out big time.
My list is number one reason I make the money I make with this blog and have such a strong readership.
Aweber is the best email autoresponder I have even used, and I am not the only one.
Many A-list bloggers I know also use it for their businesses.
Creating a custom email template is just one tiny example of what you can do to improve your email marketing with Aweber.
Aweber offers a $1 trial month for all new customers. You’ll have access to all features a paid account is entitled to: unlimited lists, email campaigns, automatic follow-ups, broadcasts, and many, many more.
If after 30 days you don’t like them, just let them know and Aweber will give you your $1 back. Guaranteed. 
Image source: http://funnyartpictures.com/
This post brought to you by Ana Hoffman
I am the founder of Traffic Generation Cafe and if you liked the post you just read, then you'll love my email updates. Just click on "Get Instant Access" below to join me:
Ana has written 260 great posts for Traffic Generation Cafe.
{ 69 comments… read them below or add one }
This really is a great idea! I have all those accounts and they are just a mish mash of different pictures, themes etc. I haven’t even done anything with my googl+ yet. Unifying them is a fantastic way of creating and marketing your own brand.
Nahid invites you to read: New Year, New Plans
Whoa! Awesome video, Ana.
I’ll do this prior to sending my next email. I should get working on it soon as I drop this comment so that I’ll save it for future email broadcasts.
Thanks a bunch. Feels good to be educated!
Chukwuka Okwukwe Chukwuka invites you to read: A Story Of Perseverance: “Chukwuka, Cut Down That Tree” Grandma Said
You are very welcome, Chukwuka; glad you are putting it to action!
Thank You Ana,
This was very helpful. I also liked the tips about using Wise Stamp and add this.com, both useful to my own blog posts. I’m also going to check out tweet per view! Happy New Year!
Robert Stritzinger invites you to read: Leaders Know Where They Are Going
Happy New Year to you as well, Robert, and thanks for coming by!
Hi Ana,
I appreciate your video, it is a great tutorial and I want to implement it for my list. But your tweet for view (which I think is another great idea) won’t let me watch it more than once…simply won’t tweet after the first time. Any suggestions? I sure didn’t get it all the first time.
Lou
Lou Barba invites you to read: The Wheels on the Bus
Good point, Lou - I’ve never used it before, so I have no idea how the tool works.
You can watch the video on YouTube: http://youtu.be/Nr_8jS_-Oqc
hi Ana, great to see you finally embracing video,lol!
Great heads up about the new google adwords by the way, wasn’t aware of that one. Not quite sure why someone searching for Aweber would want to sign up for a ‘random strangers’ email list without knowing them first or did I get completely the wrong end of the stick?
Also, would be interested to know your stats as you go along for your new customised email templates
Mandy Swift invites you to read: New Year - New Marketing Strategy??
Well, those opt-in forms show up at the top of a search page and they are related to your search.
So for instance, when you do any search with “Aweber” in it, Aweber usually displays their ads with opt-in forms in them. So it’s logical to assume that if someone is searching for Aweber is interested in what the company has to offer and might sign up for their newsletters.
My stats as far as opens and click-throughs haven’t changed since I implemented the template; however, my social media shares went up because of AddThis.
Wow, interesting, thanks
Mandy Swift invites you to read: New Year - New Marketing Strategy??
Thanks for heads up, Ana, but am afraid i dont have a list yet. Will have to start building ASAP. Am also going to steal your ‘TWEET FOR THE VIDEO’ idea for my celebrity gossip blog. Thaks once again.
MaryJane invites you to read: Tuface Performes At The Asam Award In Malaysia
Tweet Per View worked great, MaryJane; I got a lot of RTs out of it.
You do need to start a list and I think if you do it right, it’ll work great in your niche!
I personally am always impressed by a really pretty e-mail sent to ME, so I know that I need to send a really pretty one as well.
I like seeing the blog header on the top of the e-mail. For instance your header, and the picture in it, has become totally synchronized in my head with your blog. If I didn’t see it in your e-mail I think I would be a bit confused because it represents your blog to me.
Great ‘how to’ video, and by the way your e-mail template is rockin.
Bellaisa invites you to read: 7 Marriage Tips To Keep Your Relationship Spark Alive
That was the point of adding my header to the email template, Bellaisa - branding is extremely important!
Ana,
Aweber or Mailchimp?
I’ve been using Mailchimp for a while now and haven’t really had any problems other than their sign-up forms.
I do see so many of you “Blog Stars” using aweber.
Thanks,
Ryan H.
Ryan Hanley invites you to read: Write for Everyone and You Write to NO ONE!
Ryan,
I just made the switch myself, and am glad I did. Take the plunge and try it out.
Everything just seems easier with Aweber.
Jeff invites you to read: Warm Market Tapped Out? Look to the Internet
I agree, Jeff - from what I know about MC.
Definitely Aweber, Ryan.
I’ve never used MailChimp myself, but know several bloggers who did and had problems.
Take a look at the comment section on my Aweber review: https://trafficgenerationcafe.online/best-aweber-autoresponder-review/
George left a comment about his troubles with MC.
Also, MailChimp does not allow affiliate marketers to use their service (read their TOS).
So if you are or wanting to sell anything to your list, you can be shut down at any moment.
I did not know that they could kick you out for trying to sell products to your subscribers… That really scary actually. Thanks for the heads up Ana!
Ryan Hanley invites you to read: Write for Everyone and You Write to NO ONE!
Very few people read TOS (who has the time, right?), so they only know when it hits them.
Hi Ana,
I would agree with your suggestion regarding aweber bcoz its the best option which we can use for email newsletter
Mohideen invites you to read: The Loud Customer – How to Handle Your Company’s Reputation Management
As far as I am concerned, it really is.
Great and valuable information, Ana! I’ve just started using a different autoresponder, but I’m sure there are some tutorials for setting up a custom template as well. I have to agree with some of the others, that a professional email template looks so much better and typically prompts action. Thank you for all your help and guidance. Make it a glorious day!
Deb
Actually, you may or may not find any guides with your autoresponder, Deb - I couldn’t find any with Aweber and had to come up with my own way of doing it. lol
I am sure you’ll figure it out though.
Getting customized Email newsletter template is one thing which is exciting me to try your suggestions. Planning out to contact Ian Belanger of IM Graphic Design to sort out some of the creative ideas for my email newsletter template. Thanks for your post! Hoping to get the same service as you received!
Well, thank you, Jordan, and welcome!
Email marketing is a great way for promotion the blog and increasing conversion. I’m now still not using this way but may I use it in the future and obviously i should bookmark your post now to use it later.
Trung Nguyen invites you to read: 15 Best Ebooks Every Blogger Should Read
This is the one part of online business that I wouldn’t delay too much, Trung.
Hi Anna, I’m grateful that you share these tips so freely. Having a blog is a great thing and there are so much we need to know that sometimes we are overwhelmed by an overload of information. Even at start up blogging can be intimidating for most and the information you provide has been top notch.
Thanks a million!
Stephane
Stephane Lacroix invites you to read: How To Manifest your Dreams (Flash Back 2010-11)
I think we are all overwhelmed no matter what stage our online business is in, Stephane.
It comes down to setting priorities and paying attention to things that directly affect our bottom line and ignore those that don’t.
Excellent video presentation and I love getting your graphic emails. That leads me to ask whether you have split-tested html v plain text emails to see which gets better results. I know some marketers advocate using plain text to avoid hitting spam filters.
Jonathon invites you to read: Eat Your Favorite Foods and Still Lose Weight Fast
Actually, I do both, Jonathon.
If you are using Aweber, then you know that you can add the same email in both HTML and plain text formats, which I always do.
Doing that always brings my potential spam numbers down.
I guess I hadn’t really taken into consideration how important a solid theme through email and site would be. Thanks for sharing, Ana.
Pete Goumas invites you to read: BookCloseOuts Coupon Discount & Review
I personally think that branding is everything, Pete.
The more they see your face/logos, the more perceived authority you gain in your readers’ eyes.
Great tutorial Ana, not that I can use much of it though as I use MailChimp, but then I’m sure I could tweak my MailChimp template to reflect my blog. Something to think about for sure. Thanks.
Sire invites you to read: The Difference Between A Good Blog And A Bad Blog
Copying and pasting is the same no matter what autoresponder you use, Sire. lol
Thanks for coming by!
Thanks so much for this video Ana! I have been wanting to set up a custom template for my mailing list but wasn’t sure how to go about doing it. I also really appreciated the tips for using the AddThis in a newsletter as well as Wisestamp to get a custom signature on there. Also glad to see how easy it is to copy the template from one broadcast to the next (I’ve used that on follow-ups but hadn’t noticed it on broadcasts!). I’m going to work on my template before I send out another mailing
Thanks again.
You are so welcome, Kristen.
AddThis is an awesome addon since Aweber doesn’t have any built-in social sharing capabilities just yet.
Happy new year Ana! Thanks for the video. Having a unique look on your email adds life to your desire to do more in your job. This video is a great guide on how to make your email more attractive. Thanks for having this.
Dell invites you to read: Happy New Year To All Of You And Hope You Like The Aquarium Fish Photos Here …
You are very welcome, Dell.
Another awesome contribution of value to the blogging community. Did not know about addthis dot com, did not know about Gmail Wisestamp, did not know about the HTML switch in the newsletter editor (and still have to check if MailChimp has one). I may have to break down and get Aweber, even though I only have 7 subscribers.
Astro Gremlin invites you to read: What Happened to My Traffic? CommentLuv Enabled Rocket Motor
7 subscribers? You’ve got to work on that, Astro!
Glad you learned something; now you need the list to apply it to. lol
Hi Ana, as you know I watched the video already and I will be perfectly happy to share it! Great stuff.
I have to admit that I haven’t added any graphics to my Aweber mailings yet, but I’m just getting started on the whole concept of email marketing and I’ll be taking things to the next level soon enough.
I was disappointed to find out that we can’t embed videos directly into the Aweber emails. I’m so used to watching videos directly in gmail when I get notified of new uploads from YouTube channels I subscribe to (like yours) that I guess I’m spoiled by Google. Thanks for the advice and Aweber training tips - much appreciated.
Ileane invites you to read: Increase Engagement and Build Relationships with Blog Interviews
Thanks so much, Ileane!
I am sure Aweber will implement this feature at some point; they are probably just holding back a bit to be able to step up when the need be. lol
Awesome tutorial Ana! Having a nice looking template looks so much more professional.
I actually changed mine to an HTML template when I saw yours.
Thanks for the inspiration.
Just curious. How long have you been building subscribers?
Months? Years?
Mark
I started building a list as soon as I started this blog.
However, I keep cleaning it from people that never open my emails, so the number stays low, but they are very active.
This sounds like a fair warning to non-openers. Don’t open her emails and you get…
The Ana Banna Hamma!
*Note to self..never let an Ana email go unopened.
Jim Hudson invites you to read: Ana Hoffman -Traffic Generation Cafe
Everyone - heed the warning!
Hello Ana,
I was trying to watch your video tutorial in the email but I come to your blog and when I click the video it does not work.
Where can I access video, I’d like to learn how to make an email template to match my blog. I use aweber also.
Thanks for the 411 on what Google is doing with adwords, oh boy, here we go again, LOL!
willie invites you to read: Gold At Your Fingertips
I am surprised you couldn’t access the video, Willie; it seems to be working just fine.
Come back and take a look at it; let me know if you are still having trouble.
Hi Again Ana,
I’m so sorry, I did not notice the retweet. Duh!!!! I actually thought it was part of the video image.
My Badd!
Thanks.
internet newbie income invites you to read: Gold At Your Fingertips
Not at all; thanks for coming back.
I did this for my blog broadcasts a while ago and now you’ve just reminded me to update it due to the fact I changed MSB’s color scheme since then.
Good tutorial…your voice came out very crisp and clear and I still can’t figure out the accent
Caleb invites you to read: How To Set Up An eMail Marketing Sales Funnel (FREE Gift Attached)
I am Russian through and through, Caleb.
It’s amazing how many things we need to keep up with, isn’t it? The second we create something new, something else needs to be updated…
Ana, you must have been reading my mind again. So many of the emails I get from marketers are flat copy/past text. I am absolutely drawn to the more professional ones and thought I was going to have to invest some $$$ to get one more thing done.
Thanks for showing me how easy it is with some tools to do the hard bits.
Susan
Susan Hand invites you to read: Facebook Video | Your Home Shopping Network
You are so welcome, Susan!
So many email “experts” say that plain email always win, but I disagree.
Also, Ian Belanger who just redesigned my blog, offered to do a custom email template for my readers for under $40 - great price, if you don’t want to do it yourself!
http://imgraphicdesigns.com/
Hi Ana - As usual, you seem to be pinpointing the areas our marketing needs help in. We have been struggling with the format of our newsletter, and we just happen to use Aweber. You are again a life saver. Thank you!
Michael invites you to read: Increase Web Site Traffic With a Call to Action
You are so very welcome, Michael!
By the way, just got back from your blog. If you don’t mind me saying, for list building blog, I couldn’t find many posts on list building. lol
Ana, So do you know why comment luv is not picking up my twitter feed? I use aWeber too, Don’t they start charging more when you get over 500 subs? Do you know how much? Love the “tweet to see video” key. I have to confess I had to cheat and go straight to you tube. But I will get the tweet out anyway, LOL.
JosephDShiller invites you to read: DISCOVERING HIDDEN NICHE ONLINE SHOPPING PRODUCTS AND PROFIT BY LEVERAGING ARTISTIC TALENT
LOL, Joseph; I forgive your this time….
Aweber starts charging more when you get over 2,500 subscribers.
CommentLuv had a glitch that is all fixed now. I still see a CL link from you though.
Hey Ana,
Great video! I wanted to add something for your readers. Make sure you check your email template with all email inbox’s. I say this because I created an email template for a client and the template didn’t show up correctly in her yahoo inbox. Many other inbox’s like Thunderbird and Outlook will strip out some HTML tags, so they should always have a text version of their emails as well
Also, I want to let your readers know that if they would rather have a template made for them. That is something we do at IM Graphic Designs and the price is very reasonable, under $40 for most templates.
Thanks for sharing Ana and have a great day!
Ian Belanger invites you to read: IM Graphic Designs ReDesigns The Traffic Generation Cafe Blog
Great idea, Ian.
How do you check what your email looks like in different email clients though?
Some of my subscribers told me that my code is leaking; I need to see if I can figure out to fix it…
Also, added your great offer to the post!
Hey Ana,
Some autoresponders have an “email inbox preview”, for ex. (GetResponse and MailChimp). I’m not sure if Aweber does or not, because I don’t use Aweber.
If your AR doesn’t, then you can open an email account with each email provider and then send a test email to each of your addresses. That is what I would do.
As far as your email templates go, I can take a look at the code if you like.
Also, thanks for adding my offer to the post, much appreciated!
Thanks Ana!
Ian Belanger invites you to read: IM Graphic Designs ReDesigns The Traffic Generation Cafe Blog
I’ll take a look to see if Aweber has that feature, Ian.
And thanks for the offer to help, but I actually did figure this one out on my own - hooray for me! lol
Hey Ian,
My question to you would be the following… Are you saying that your customs templates are better than going through all the headache of doing it ourselves on Aweber?
When I say better, I mean is there a much better chance that every one with any kind of email account would receive the email intact? I would love to know, if you please
Sylviane Nuccio invites you to read: Four Actions To Get Your Writing Going In 2012
Ana:
Glad Bob pushed you to make this video as well!!! I’ll tell ya, being on your list, you have one of the most impressive templates. Some of the emails I get on a daily basis are just awful. Formatting that is, but as usual…..you stand heads above the crowds my friend.
Lisa
Lisa invites you to read: Income Stream: Make Money Offering Classifed Space
Ana,
THANK YOU so much for this! I have been thinking that I need to get cracking integrating a proper newsletter now that I have enough readership to make it worthwhile, and I have a logo that I love - it’s an image of a crystal ball taken by a good friend by coincidence - crystal ball going with being a psychic intuitive
Anyway, this is the perfect information to set me started, the tech part not being my highest competance! You are the best, so glad I found you.
Julie | A Clear Sign invites you to read: The Puzzle Of Synchronicity And Setting Personal Boundaries
Glad I could help, Julie!
This won’t take you long to implement and the results could be great, so I’d encourage you not to wait to do it.
Thanks so much, Lisa!