Newsletter editorial plan: turn topics into reliable campaigns

Compile topics from actual questions

Start with customer service, product searches and sales conversations: Which features are often confused? Which variants are difficult to compare? Which usage instructions are frequently requested? Start by collecting the questions in the customers’ own words. For example, ‘conveying fabric expertise’ becomes ‘Which bed linen fabric suits my sleeping style?’.

Supplement these questions with your product range planning. A newly available product can be a good opportunity if it solves a clearly identifiable problem. The fact that an item is new to the shop does not, in itself, answer the question of its relevance. For each topic, consider what specific information, images or examples you can contribute.

Organise the ideas according to the customer’s situation: initial orientation, selection, use or repeat purchase. A monthly plan does not need to cover every situation. Select the topics for which the recipients, content and landing page are a good fit. The Segmentation guide helps to clearly define these target groups.

Three existing design examples with different tasks

The following image examples are taken from our Email Design Gallery. We are examining the visible structure. The exported data does not confirm either the dispatch or the impact of a campaign.

1. Explain the choice: the BMS fabric glossary

The BMS example presents Mako satin, percale or batiste and damask in separate sections. The email links characteristics to a selection question and then leads to categories. The thematic approach is: making a decision easier to understand before products are offered.

View the BMS Glossary

2. Help prepare a product decision: Normrahmen

The Normrahmen example in the design guide combines a split-core current transformer with benefits and a model comparison. The sequence can inform your own planning: explain the application, show the differences and offer a route to advice. This topic needs reliable product information and a landing page that continues the comparison.

3. Exploring the product range: schraubenhandel24

The existing schraubenhandel24 image example guides readers through the product range via screws, nuts, washers and other product groups. This approach helps with initial orientation. For a subsequent email, a single fastening task can be highlighted, rather than showing the entire range again.

Briefing template for a single newsletter idea

Then formulate a short sentence: ‘For these recipients, we answer this question so that they can take this next step in a meaningful way.’ If three very different questions need to fit into this, the topic is usually too broad. A clear brief also makes it easier to decide which product tile to omit.

Check the landing page during the briefing stage. A newsletter containing detailed sizing advice requires an accessible guide or relevant product details. If the page does not yet exist, this is a dependency of the content plan. Do not design the email until it is clear where the main message leads.

Example: a four-week plan with no obligation to offer discounts

This plan illustrates the sequence of tasks. It is not a blanket recommendation to send to the same group every week. The frequency depends on existing campaigns, flows, anticipated content and recipients’ responses.

Record the responsible person and approval deadline on each row. Allow room for a range change or a current customer topic. Klaviyo can display the campaign schedule in a calendar; a draft there is not sent simply because its date arrives. This is explained in the Guide to the campaign calendar.

What can be planned months in advance?

An annual plan can record customer questions, the purpose of each message and the examples needed in advance. Classify topics by how much they may need to change. Care instructions with approved product information need different preparation from a discount promotion where stock is still unknown. The calendar provides preparation time; the final version must be appropriate when it is actually sent.

Agree what happens if each planned message lacks approval: postpone it, replace it with evergreen content that has already been checked, or skip it. Do not send an unchanged promotion simply because its scheduled date has arrived. Already scheduled campaigns also need someone responsible for changes or cancellation.

Klaviyo distinguishes between a calendar entry and an actual sending schedule. Also check when recipients are determined: an audience captured during planning handles subsequent changes differently from one determined shortly before sending. The documentation on sending schedules and recipient selection explains this setting. The Segmentation guide provides a concrete test procedure for this.

From the initial idea to the approved test email

Incorporate the briefing into the subject line, preview text, body text and main link. Each level should communicate the same benefit. Then check a test email that has actually been received: it must be readable on mobile devices, complete, with correct product details and working links. Information on promotional terms and conditions must be clear, even in a narrow view.

The order of the content depends on the question. A model comparison requires different components to a campaign featuring just a few new products. The Newsletter design guide explains layout and sending checks in more detail. Coordinate the campaign with Welcome Flow and other active flows.

Separate content review, presentation and sending configuration. The person responsible for product information checks products, prices and terms. The designer checks readability and reading order. The sending check covers recipients, exclusions, senders, links and measurement parameters. One person may perform these tasks, but every check still needs to happen.

Create the final test email following the latest changes. Open it on a smartphone and a desktop and check the main button, product links, contact details and unsubscribe link. Check for missing profile values and any excessively long product descriptions. If a change after approval affects the price, a link or the target audience, the relevant test must be repeated. An earlier test email does not validate the new version.

Improve the content plan after dispatch

Document which target group received which content. Treat clicks on the intended destinations, as well as orders, unsubscriptions and enquiries, using the same measurement criteria. A lower total revenue may go hand in hand with a better result per recipient when targeting a smaller, more suitable group. Our email marketing metrics guide shows the distinction.

Add new questions from replies and customer service to your idea collection. Revise recurring content when products change. This creates a library of topics that can develop over time. For regular production, our Newsletter management Topic planning, copywriting, design and technical preparation.

Write the subject line, preheader and landing page together

The subject line states the reason for the email, the preview text provides helpful information, and the body of the email addresses both. Avoid repetitive sentences and content designed purely to arouse curiosity without providing a subsequent response. A subject line regarding size advice should not lead to a general sale. Check the preview texts that are actually visible in received messages, as space and display vary depending on the email programme.

Write the main message before starting the design. Then select an image, headline and button appropriate to the task. A brief editorial message can be more helpful in providing clear guidance than many product cards of similar weight. The landing page is part of the design: are selection guides, offers and terms and conditions easy to find there? A good click is only useful if the next step works.

A worksheet for the next four issues

Make use of the CSV template for your newsletter topic plan in your spreadsheet. The four examples are placeholders for your own topics; please fill in actual dates, products, recipient groups and responsible persons.

Example of a newsletter from our work

View more full-length newsletter images →