How To Create a Newsletter: Free Templates & Guide

Creating an email newsletter is one of the most cost-effective ways to stay top-of-mind with your customers, and thanks to free tools and templates, getting started is easier than ever.

Say you sell seasonal press-on nails. A simple email showcasing your latest designs can lead to spontaneous purchases, with readers filling their carts before they even realize it.

That’s the power of a well-timed newsletter. It turns casual browsers into loyal customers.

Here, learn how to start an email newsletter from scratch, how to write your first email, how to measure performance over time, and which free tools can help you launch quickly.

What is an email newsletter?

An email newsletter is a recurring message you send to your subscribers to keep them engaged with your brand. It can include product updates, tips, promotions, stories, or curated content, whatever keeps your audience interested and coming back.

A good newsletter typically includes: 

• A strong subject line
• Clear and engaging body content
• A call to action (CTA)

It should be easy for readers to take the next step, whether that’s shopping a new collection or reading a blog post.

Unlike one-off promotional emails or transactional messages (like order confirmations), newsletters are built for long-term connection. They’re a way to stay top of mind with your customers without always selling.

Benefits of starting an email newsletter

Email newsletters are one of the most effective ways to connect with your audience, build loyalty, and drive sales. In fact, B2C marketers say email delivers the highest return on investment (ROI) of any marketing channel.

The numbers back it up. According to Litmus’ State of Email 2025 report, for every $1 marketing leaders spend on email marketing, 35% receive between $10 and $36 in return, while 30% receive between $36 and $50.

Here are a few key benefits that make email newsletters a smart investment for your business.

Personalized, direct connection

A June 2024 global survey of 10,041 consumers for the Emarsys Customer Loyalty Index 2024 found that 69% of consumers worldwide prefer email as their primary channel for brand communication, ahead of SMS/MMS (53%). While social media marketing, content, and paid marketing can feel broad, emails can be customized for individual subscribers. 

When you send emails straight to someone’s inbox, you forge a direct connection—important considering many buyers want to forge a personal connection with brands before they buy. 

Sending emails to customers that provide value—either monetary value through discounts or informational value through compelling stories or information—bridges trust that can eventually lead to purchases. 

Ability to recapture interest

If a customer lands on your digital storefront but decides not to buy, there’s a good chance they’ll never return. 

However, if you capture their email before they leave your website, you can continue communicating with them through newsletters delivered to their inbox. 

Email newsletter marketing is a way to keep the conversation going after a prospective customer has left your site, building consideration for a future purchase.

More control

Compared to social media channels, where your posts can get buried in an endless stream of content, email is an owned channel where you can speak directly to your customers with messages that don’t have to adhere to strict character limits. 

Once you have an email list of people who have opted in to receive your updates, you own that list. Email gives you a direct line of communication with prospective customers and a high degree of control over the frequency and complexity of the messages they receive. 

How to create a newsletter in 11 steps

1. Define the goal of your newsletter
2. Determine your email newsletter strategy
3. Pick your newsletter platform
4. Customize a design template
5. Commit to a schedule
6. Collect emails
7. Customize your automated email flow
8. Comply with privacy regulations and email best practices
9. Deliver your first newsletter
10. Assess your analytics
11. Handle unsubscribes and feedback

1. Define the goal of your newsletter

Before choosing your email platform and diving into writing your first mailout, consider the goal of your email newsletter.

You can use email newsletters to build relationships with customers, educate subscribers, drive sales, generate referrals, and gather customer feedback. Select then prioritize a few goals and think about how you can use your newsletter content to reach them. 

Understand what type of newsletter content will serve the business goals you want to accomplish, and plan your email marketing strategy accordingly.

2. Determine your email newsletter strategy

Once you’ve identified the high-level goals for your email newsletter, answer more detailed questions that will inform your strategy:

• Target audience. Are you trying to reach prospective buyers or previous customers? Who is your ideal customer? For example, an ideal customer persona might be “tech-savvy millennial parents with young children residing in North America, with a household income of $100,000 or more.”
• Email capture methods. How will you add subscribers to your email list? Implement multiple capture points to build your email list effectively. Consider adding subscription forms on your website’s homepage, blog pop-ups, and social media bio links. You can also prompt customers to join your newsletter during the checkout process, capitalizing on their engagement post-purchase.
• Send cadence. How often will you send out your newsletter? Striking the right cadence to send newsletters is one part art and one part science. Stick to sending on the same days of the week, and avoid setting an overly ambitious cadence that you can’t maintain long-term.

Newsletter content ideas

The best newsletters balance value and promotion. Think of your newsletter as a way to build trust, not just sell.

Here are some proven newsletter ideas that keep subscribers engaged:

• Product launches and restocks. Keep your audience in the loop with new arrivals, limited editions, or back-in-stock favorites.
• Educational tips. Share how-tos, care instructions, or styling advice that helps customers get more out of your products.
• User-generated content. Feature photos, reviews, or quotes from happy customers to build community and social proof.
• Seasonal trends and inspiration. Help subscribers stay ahead of the curve with curated looks or ideas tied to holidays or seasonal events.
• Behind the scenes. Give a glimpse into your process, your story, or what makes your brand unique.

For example, if you sell dinnerware, your newsletter could spotlight how to host a stress-free dinner party, tips to prevent cutlery scratches, or a roundup of your most giftable sets.

Choose content that supports your business goals—whether that’s driving traffic, increasing conversions, or building long-term loyalty.

3. Pick your newsletter platform

There are several email marketing services with various features, advantages, and pricing plans. While you might not need every available feature to start, it’s worth considering a platform with all the features you’ll require as you scale.

Here are a few features to consider while selecting an email newsletter platform that fits your present needs and can scale for the future:

• Built-in templates and customizable themes. Customize the layout, colors, fonts, and images of your send-outs with drag-and-drop editor functionality. 
• Email personalization. Add a personal touch to emails with the ability to include subscriber details in the content of emails with merge tags (e.g., first name). 
• Email segmentation. Divide your email subscribers into different lists to deliver more relevant content based on customer segments. 
• Email automation. Automatically send subscribers pre-written emails after they’ve taken a particular action (e.g., an abandoned cart email) or have been on your list for a specified amount of time (e.g., a welcome email).
• Email scheduling. Write emails in advance and schedule them for later. 
• Email testing. Send yourself test emails before delivering a newsletter to your entire list. 
• A/B testing capabilities.A/B testing involves sending one version of a newsletter to half of your list and another version to the other half to see which performs better. 
• Campaign measurement and analytics. View metrics like the open rate, click-through rate, and number of unsubscribes for each newsletter you send.

Shopify Email is email marketing software made for commerce. Create branded emails in seconds with templates that pull your logo, store colors, and live product data into emails automatically. Choose a template from the automation library, target a specific customer segment, and send off your newsletter.

Shopify Magic, a new gen-AI tool, can suggest subject lines, polish your copy, and recommend optimal send times based on your performance data. After you hit Send, review clicks, opens, and sales right in your analytics to see which emails perform best. 

4. Customize a design template

Most newsletter platforms offer customizable templates and themes so you can adapt the specific color scheme, layout, and font to match your brand’s colors and fonts. For example, Shopify provides numerous templates for every purpose, from product showcases to holiday promotions.

Design tips to make your emails look polished and perform well:

• Optimal width: Keep your email body between 600 and 640 pixels wide so it displays properly across devices.
• Image-to-text ratio: Use a 60/40 text-to-image ratio to reduce the risk of landing in spam folders while keeping the email visually engaging.
• Mobile optimization: Use a single-column layout, larger fonts (at least 14 to 16 pixels), and tap-friendly buttons (44 pixels by 44 pixels minimum) for a seamless mobile experience, especially since more than 50% of emails are opened on mobile.
• Alt text and load speed: Add descriptive alt text to all images and compress them to improve load times and accessibility.

Our Place makes stylish cookware, including its famous and photogenic Always Pan that comes in unique colors ranging from spice to sage. Its email newsletter uses a modern and color-rich theme reminiscent of its website, so it instantly stands out in a sea of emails.

Choose a layout and design theme that resonates with your current brand identity. Most email marketing platforms allow you to upload your brand kit so you have your company colors and fonts handy in the email builder. 

5. Commit to a schedule

Consider how often you can realistically send out newsletters consistently. To start, it can be helpful to commit to sending weekly or biweekly newsletters on whatever day of the week is most convenient. 

Artisaire, a Canadian company that sells handcrafted wax seals and stamps, sends out a weekly newsletter filled with inspiration and exclusive offers, plus updates about the brand.

6. Collect emails

Capture newsletter subscribers where people already interact with your business—such as your website and social media accounts—by embedding signup forms and sharing links to sign up. 

Adding an email signup form on Shopify and other websites is generally simple and doesn’t require any specialized coding skills. 

Here’s how to go about it: 

• Embed your signup form on your website. Create a pop-up that triggers when someone lands on your page and add a permanent form in your header or footer. Craft compelling copy that lets subscribers know what they can expect from your newsletter and consider incentivizing people to sign up with exclusive content, discounts, or contest entries. 
• Embed your signup form during checkout. Once a website visitor has checked out and purchased an item, prompt them to sign up for your email newsletter with the information they’ve provided. This can help you send customers educational information about using the product or help incentivize further purchases, recommendations, and referrals down the line. 
• Share signup links on social media. Add a link to subscribe to your newsletter in your company’s Instagram bio or include it in the About section of your company’s Facebook page. Alternatively, if you’re using a link-in-bio app like Linkpop, add your newsletter subscription link to the list of links. 

7. Customize your automated email flow

While your timely newsletters will change week to week or month to month, a handful of emails, like your welcome email and unsubscribe email, remain the same and go out automatically when subscribers take a specific action. 

For example, a welcome email thanks new subscribers for signing up, sets the stage for what readers can expect, and shares any relevant links. 

De La Calle, a modern Mexican soda brand, welcomes new subscribers with a bold, flavor-packed email that introduces its twist on traditional tepache. The message highlights a 10% discount and invites readers to explore flavors or find a store near them.

Ensure that each touch point with readers feels authentic and connected to your brand. Aside from welcome emails, you might ask new subscribers for their birthdays and send an automated birthday discount to each subscriber on the date they provided. 

Other automated emails to set up include:

• Abandoned cart email series
• New customer email series 
• Repeat customer email series
• Ecommerce email receipts 
• Re-engagement email series
• Product inventory updates
• Survey or feedback emails

📚Learn: 10 Newsletter Examples + How to Make One Just as Great

8. Comply with privacy regulations and email best practices

Email addresses are the digital equivalent of phone numbers, and as such, there are laws in place to protect individuals’ privacy. 

Email regulations vary by country; reference the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe, CAN-SPAM in the US, and CASL in Canada when building an email list.

In short, some email best practices to follow are:

• Subscribers must opt in. Sending email communication to people who have not opted in is not GDPR compliant and widely considered spam. Even customers who provide their email for a purchase must explicitly opt in to receive newsletter communication unrelated to their order. 
• Do not purchase email lists. Growing your newsletter audience by purchasing email addresses is not considered “opt in” and is not compliant with GDPR. 
• Emails must contain an unsubscribe link. Subscribers must be able to opt out of receiving email communication from you. 
• Include your business contact information. Attach the contact information of your business in the footer of each email to comply with anti-spam legislation. 

Failing to comply with GDPR and other privacy and anti-spam legislation can result in fees and penalties for your business. 

Additionally, reports of spam can result in your emails being marked as junk or having your account disabled on certain email newsletter platforms. 

9. Deliver your first newsletter

When you’re ready to send your first email, follow these steps: 

1. Set your sender name and email address. Send your first newsletter from your company name (a great choice for newsletters that are largely informational or promotional) or from an individual’s name (great if you’re sharing the behind-the-scenes of your business or aiming to forge a more personal connection with your audience). Alternatively, a no-reply email address (e.g., noreply@litejournal.co) will prevent readers from replying to you directly. 
2. Select your recipients. If you’ve segmented your list and broken it down into more targeted cohorts, select the correct list for your specific sendout.
3. Craft your subject line and preheader text. Keep your headlines and preheader text short, snappy, and revealing of the value a subscriber will get from reading. Test how your headline looks on mobile, where words get cut off when they’re too lengthy.
4. Test your email. Most email newsletter platforms let you send a test email to yourself before you send it out to your wider email list. This is a helpful feature for catching any lingering spelling errors or spotting formatting problems. Make sure to check how formatting appears on both desktop and mobile.

Draft your content

With your business goals and audience in mind, here are a few tips for drafting your first newsletter:

• Start with a strong opener. Just like any other piece of writing, capture the attention of your reader immediately to keep them scrolling to the end of your email.
• Keep your sentences clear and concise. Use simple language and pay attention to sentences that are too long or complex.
• Drive traffic to your website with a call to action (CTA). Prompt subscribers to read more or buy on your website with a CTA button within your newsletter.
• Use skimmable, professional formatting. Break up long chunks of text using headers and eye-catching graphics.
• Add personalization where possible. Use merge tags within your newsletter platform to address subscribers by their first name and add personal touches of your own with a memorable signoff. 

If possible, get someone to edit and proofread your newsletter before pressing Send to get the message just right.

10. Assess your analytics

Twenty-four hours after successfully sending your email, it’s time to check the analytics. 

The majority of email newsletter platforms measure the performance of your send-outs, providing important email marketing metrics like open rate, click-through rate, unsubscribes, and more. 

Here are a few metrics worth tracking over time and paying attention to:

• Open rate. The percentage of subscribers who open your email newsletter.
• Click-through rate (CTR). The percentage of subscribers who click on a link in your email newsletter after opening it.
• Unsubscribes. The percentage of subscribers who opt out of receiving additional emails from your brand. 

What constitutes “good” open and click-through rates varies by industry. For instance, the ecommerce sector’s average open rate is 29.81%. 

Track how much traffic your newsletter drove to your website, as well as any sales your email generated. 

Use your early results to keep experimenting with different content types and layouts.

11. Handle unsubscribes and feedback

A smooth unsubscribe process respects your subscribers’ choices while gathering insights to improve your email marketing efforts. If you make it hard to unsubscribe, subscribers will get frustrated, and you may get spam complaints.

Here are some tips for handling unsubscribes:

• Make unsubscribing easy and accessible. The unsubscribe link should be clear and easy to see in every email, usually in the footer. It should only take a click or two for readers to unsubscribe.
• Analyze reasons for unsubscribes. Offer a quick survey to understand the reasons behind an unsubscribe. Common reasons might be that they received too many emails, the content is not relevant or valuable, they’ve changed their interests or circumstances, or they’re experiencing email fatigue.
• Use feedback to improve content and delivery. Every unsubscribe is an opportunity to learn and improve. By accepting feedback, you can create a more engaging newsletter that attracts and retains subscribers. 

Myles Apparel, a Shopify fitness and lifestyle brand, uses humor and personality in this re-engagement email to win back inactive subscribers. The playful message nudges readers to stay in the loop on product drops and deals.

Email newsletter examples

Need a little inspiration? These real-world email marketing examples from Shopify merchants show how to combine strong visuals, clear messaging, and brand personality to drive engagement and sales. From welcome offers to educational content and abandoned cart nudges, here’s how top brands make email marketing work for them.

1. GIR 

GIR, a Shopify merchant specializing in thoughtfully designed kitchen tools, uses its welcome email to introduce the brand’s mission through a compelling founder story, and offers a 17% discount to drive that all-important first order.

The email opens with a bold, friendly headline: “Where It All Started.” From there, it shares how founder Samantha Rose created GIR in response to a drawer full of disappointing spatulas. This origin story builds emotional connection while reinforcing the brand’s focus on quality, design, and joy in the kitchen.

What makes it effective:

• Founder story builds credibility and makes the brand relatable
• Clear incentive (17% off) encourages first purchase without feeling pushy
• Branded product imagery reinforces value and design ethos
• Multiple CTAs (“Shop Now,” “About GIR”) guide readers based on intent

By combining storytelling with a practical offer, GIR’s welcome email delivers personality, trust, and a clear path to conversion.

2. Verb Bars

Verb Bars uses email to educate subscribers about health and ingredients in a way that builds trust and interest.

In this campaign, Verb leads with a bold message: “The Science of Feeling Good.” The email uses digestible facts, like “40% of Americans struggle with poor gut health,” to create relevance and urgency. 

Then, it connects the dots between the problem and the product, explaining how Verb Bars support digestion and reduce inflammation using ingredients like green tea caffeine, almond butter, and cocoa.

What makes it effective:

• Clear problem-solution structure that teaches while selling
• Ingredient callouts with health benefits next to product imagery
• Bright visuals and bold headers that make key info easy to scan

3. Revival 

Revival delivers a standout example of a well-designed abandoned cart email that feels personal, supportive, and perfectly on-brand.

The message leads with a friendly nudge, “Still thinking about it?” paired with a photo of the exact product the customer viewed (in this case, the Gambit rug). This visual reminder helps rekindle interest and reduce decision fatigue.

What makes it work:

• Direct product callout: The abandoned item is front and center, making it easy to re-engage.
• Warm, conversational tone: Lines like “You picked a standout” create a sense of validation, not pressure.
• Supportive CTA: The email goes beyond the sale with an offer for free design support, helping hesitant buyers feel confident about their purchase.

Paid and free newsletter templates and platforms

Whether you’re just starting out or looking to scale, there’s a newsletter platform to match your business needs. Many tools offer free tiers, while paid plans unlock automation, advanced analytics, and more design flexibility.

Here’s a quick comparison of popular platforms:

Build your very own email newsletter with Shopify

From organic social media to paid advertising, there are a multitude of ways to speak with prospective customers and stay in touch with previous buyers. 

However, having an email newsletter lets you deliver a message directly to a subscriber’s inbox, opening up a continuous channel of communication to share useful information, build awareness of your products and services, and forge a connection that can lead to buying. 

By collecting the email of a website visitor or a social media follower, you can begin a conversation that turns a passive browser into a loyal customer.