Marketing trends shift, platforms change, and attention spans shrink — but newsletters endure. In healthcare especially, newsletters offer something rare and powerful: a direct line to your audience that feels personal, informative, and credible.
Through years of collaborating with healthcare teams on newsletters of all kinds, we’ve uncovered a few key patterns that drive success. Here are best practices to help you create newsletters that are engaging, accessible, and strategically sound.
#1: Begin With the End in Mind
Successful newsletters are built on clear goals. They go beyond mere content delivery to support larger strategic priorities. Maybe you’re trying to:
- Increase awareness about a new service line
- Drive traffic to your website
- Strengthen internal culture
- Grow your subscriber list
- Encourage patient behavior change
Each of these goals shapes your content, tone, and structure. They also inform the metrics you use to measure success.
For example, if your goal is to increase attendance at community health events, you might:
- Feature a short story from a past attendee
- Use subject lines with time-based urgency (e.g., “This Saturday: Free Heart Screenings”)
- Track click-throughs to event registration pages
Be willing to test and tweak your newsletter to help it meet your goals. Many email marketing platforms allow you to test subject lines, call-to-action copy, or send times to see what resonates best with your audience.
#2: Tell Stories
People remember stories more than statistics. Even in healthcare, where accuracy and authority matter, human stories bring your content to life.
If you’re sending a patient-facing newsletter, spotlight stories that:
- Personalize your staff
- Share patient testimonials (with permission)
- Show behind-the-scenes care
For internal newsletters, highlight staff milestones, awards, or small wins that matter. These stories build morale and connection — and can turn a routine email into something people look forward to.
#3: Design for Accessibility
Accessibility ensures everyone can engage with your content, including those with visual, auditory, or motor impairments. Plus, it’s required by law for most healthcare organizations.
To make your newsletter accessible, make sure to:
- Add alt text for every image. This ensures that screen readers can describe what’s being shown.
- Avoid all-image emails or images embedded with text, as screen readers won’t be able to interpret them. Additionally, some email clients block images by default, so your message could be lost entirely.
- Use high-contrast colors for text and backgrounds to improve legibility.
- Avoid vague link language like “click here,” which can create confusion for screen reader users, who often navigate by jumping from link to link. Instead, try language like “Read more” or “Register for the webinar.”
- Stick with left-aligned text and legible sans-serif fonts at 14pt or larger with ample line spacing.
Also, make sure your email is mobile-friendly. For many users, their phone is their inbox.
#4: Clarify How to Contribute and Connect
If you want people to submit content, sign up to receive the newsletter, or contact you, it’s important to remove as much friction as possible.
- Host a public-facing webpage where contributors can view submission guidelines, deadlines, and past issues.
- Create a simple submission process, like a shared Google Form or central email address.
- Include contact information for the person who manages the newsletter so readers know who to reach out to.
- Allow readers to easily manage their subscriptions with clear options to unsubscribe or update preferences. This isn’t just best practice—it’s a legal requirement under CAN-SPAM laws. Don’t forget to include your organization’s name and address in the footer.
#5: Use Rich, Relevant Content
A wall of text doesn’t invite clicks. Mix things up with engaging formats:
- High-quality photos
- Short videos or GIFs
- Pull quotes or testimonials
- Section headers and short blurbs
- Event calendars or infographics
Each piece of content should drive readers toward a clear action. That could be reading a blog post, watching a video, signing up for an event, or replying to a survey. Remember: Your most important content should be at the top. Don’t make readers scroll to find what matters most.
#6: Sweat the Small Stuff
When building a newsletter, it’s easy to focus on big-picture content — but often, it’s the smallest elements that drive engagement. A few small but mighty tips:
- Craft irresistible subject lines: Aim for five to seven words (about 40 characters). Focus on curiosity, clarity, and urgency.
- Don’t neglect the preview text: This line, which appears next to or under your subject line in inboxes, can pique your readers’ interest and encourage them to open the email.
- Hyperlink images and buttons: Make it easy for readers to click through, and use bold or colored link text that stands out.
- Watch out for Gmail clipping: Gmail clips emails with too much text or too many large images. Keep it concise and test-send to confirm the full email appears.
Also, don’t underestimate the importance of consistency. This helps your readers know what to expect and builds familiarity with your brand.
Aim to send your newsletter on the same day and time (e.g., every other Wednesday at 10 a.m.). Use a consistent layout and design, something that most modern email marketing platforms make easy.
#7: Have a Rock-Solid Review Process
Mistakes happen — but you can prevent most of them with a good review process.
- Maintain a step-by-step guide for editing, testing, and approving each newsletter issue.
- Use a pre-send checklist so nothing gets missed under deadline pressure.
- Always send a fresh test email after edits.
- Review on multiple devices and email clients (Outlook, Gmail, mobile, etc.).
- Have reviewers check more than just typos. Make sure links work, images display correctly, and formatting holds up.
If you catch an error after sending, a prompt correction email with a clear subject line (“Correction: updated time for webinar”) shows professionalism and builds trust.
Your newsletter is more than a communication tool—it’s a strategic asset. With clear goals, strong content, and attention to detail, you can make every send count.