A Non-AI Way to Create Newsletters Readers Love With Minimal Effort

Reality check: what’s it really like when you create newsletters for your business? 

Do you write it? Or, do you have someone else do it? Do you reinvent the wheel by experimenting with different formats or borrowed scripts? Does the thought of staring at a blank page on a Sunday fill you with dread? Is AI more of a problem than a solution?

(The obvious answer is an emphatic yes.) AI spits out inaccurate, ultra-generic copy that fails to differentiate you or build your brand. In fact, businesses are now hiring experienced content writers to fix AI-slush.

I want to talk about a different way to automate the process successfully - no gimmicks, quick fixes, robots, or “one true ring” of writing methods. 

Instead of AI and headaches, you need to automate newsletter writing as much as possible, without sacrificing quality, performance, or your voice. You need to do this while keeping the process simple, low-effort, and efficient. I use a very special email newsletter template to accomplish all of this.

In this blog, I want to share:

• How I automate using a plug-and-play template that tells me what, when, how, and where to write. 
• How the template bakes strategic content and flows in, so I never miss a beat.
• How the template strikes a perfect balance between having a guided, consistent structure and plenty of room to stay current and let your personality shine.
• 4 underlying principles to create a newsletter

How to Write a Newsletter: 4 Principles

Creating newsletters is a key part of nurturing audiences, business promotion, and selling. However, writing them is a low-level task that you should systematize and automate. 

Doing so frees up valuable time and energy, allowing you to focus on high-level activities that drive business growth, such as launches, product development, and high-touch services that clients value and pay premiums for. 

I systematize newsletter writing by using a very carefully crafted, editable template. 

Here are four primary principles that make the template so powerful and effective. 

1. Put It On Repeat and Fill-in-the-Blanks

Strategy 1 focuses on making the writing process low-effort and strategic, while preserving quality and building familiarity for readers.

Any unpredictability muddies your brand identity, distances your audience, and makes it harder for them to know, like, or trust you—much less buy from you. 

Strategy 1 starts with you. It’s about working from a pre-formatted framework, the cues, prompts, and guidance within the template. 

Let’s look at my newsletter template as a “framework” in action. 

My writing routine always starts with opening my editable template in Google Docs. 

Now comes the framework. I follow the prompts, updating content for relevance and timeliness. I keep things memorable by storytelling (when cued). I can improvise with special touches:  adding a little of this, a little of that.

Each newsletter section flows with ease and feels fresh.

The process and structure repeat. But the content itself is fresh and timely. Then I’m done - usually on time or earlier. 

My writing session hasn’t crashed my mood or my plans. 

2. Strike the Perfect Balance Between Value and Promotions 

Strategy 2 focuses on pre-formatting content elements and flow for ideal results.

When you use an email template, you get to plan and pre-format the perfect mix of promotions and value, as well as figure out how to interweave them seamlessly.

Sections, elements, and flow are clear, eliminating tinkering and uncertainty around questions like:

• How many CTAs to use, and in what order
• What kinds of CTAs to use
• How to best provide value while prompting action
• What type of content to use and where
• Link strategy
• Using your writing to convey authenticity and alignment

The first step to creating a good flow is to establish a clear beginning, middle, and end. An example might be:

• Beginning: Set expectations, orient, grab attention.
  
• Middle: Storytelling, helpful content, product spotlights, etc.
  
• End: Wrapping things up, sparking conversations, CTAs.
  

A familiar, predictable rhythm includes sections, elements, and flow. This predictability primes readers for support, inspiration, learning, and purchasing.

Spy on me: Sign up for my newsletter to see how I do it.

3. A Template Isn’t Just Nice to Have, It’s a Stress-Relief Strategy

Strategy 3 is about the positive mental, emotional, and physical impacts that a small thing like a template can have.

Small, seemingly inconsequential things can create big, unexpected results like relieving stress.

Your mind is constantly switching channels: product creation, editing, client work, planning, sales funnels, writing, networking, etc. Creating newsletters from scratch each time adds an extra layer of mental load nobody needs. 

An effective newsletter template can help proactively manage stress and overwhelm. 

Making strategic decisions in advance creates order and predictability - not more chaos. 

Negative thoughts and stress-related emotions like confusion, self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and pressure are more likely to fall to healthy levels.

Less stress means more time and mental bandwidth to redirect energy where it matters, whether that’s growing your business or a stress-relief activity like a much-needed walk or guided meditation.

You have clarity (you already know what to include), confidence (you trust the flow), and more breathing room in general.

4. Leverage Newsletters as Opportunities to Scale “Know-Like-Trust” 

Strategy 4 is about relationship-building at scale.

Sending newsletters remains one of the best ways to nurture your audience, but only if it effectively builds a relationship with your readers.

Your template is a chance to maximize opportunities for connection and support. Everything can work together to develop familiarity (know), appeal (like), and consistency (trust).

There’s also the issue of scale. As business grows, you have more to do and less time to do it. 

However, you can’t afford to slack on cultivating connections. A template is an easy way to ensure you don’t drop the ball.

You can plan and think about when, where, and how you’ll design content that connects. I enjoy doing this through my voice, fun social proof, and storytelling. 

Create Newsletters Your Audience Loves

If you’re busy, want to steal my ideas, or just prefer to chill in your zone of genius, you can swipe my editable and crazy-strategic newsletter template or hire me (the woman with a Master’s degree in Writing and Rhetoric that also teaches writing at the University-level) to write your tone-matching, resonating, and swoon-worthy newsletters for you. As your Online Business Manager, I can take all your writing tasks and make them work together in a seamless system. From newsletters and sales emails to long-form content and digital communications, I’ve got you covered!

The Email Template Bundle includes 11 proven email templates that cover the emails we use the most in our business. Each template integrates the four principles so you can be confident that they work. Customize them to your heart’s desire!

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