How to create a klaviyo newsletter

Introduction to Klaviyo Newsletters

Email marketing remains a cornerstone of digital strategy, and Klaviyo stands out as a powerful platform for building personalized and effective campaigns. A well-crafted newsletter can nurture leads, drive sales, and foster lasting customer relationships. This article provides a comprehensive guide to creating engaging newsletters using Klaviyo, covering everything from setup to optimization.

Setting Up Your Klaviyo Account and Lists

Before diving into newsletter creation, you need a Klaviyo account and a well-organized list of subscribers. If you don’t have an account, sign up for one on the Klaviyo website. They often offer a free trial, allowing you to explore the platform’s features.

Once you have an account, the next step is to create and segment your lists. A well-segmented list ensures that your newsletters reach the right audience with the right message.

Creating Lists in Klaviyo

Follow these steps to create a list:

Navigate to the “Lists & Segments” section in your Klaviyo dashboard.
Click on the “Create List / Segment” button.
Choose “List” from the options.
Give your list a descriptive name (e.g., “New Subscribers,” “VIP Customers”).
Optionally, add tags to further categorize your list.
Click “Create List.”

Segmenting Your Lists

Segments allow you to target specific groups of subscribers based on their behavior, demographics, or other criteria. This helps you send more relevant and personalized newsletters.

Here’s how to create a segment:

Navigate to the “Lists & Segments” section in your Klaviyo dashboard.
Click on the “Create List / Segment” button.
Choose “Segment” from the options.
Give your segment a descriptive name (e.g., “Customers Who Purchased in the Last 30 Days,” “Subscribers Interested in Product Category A”).
Define the segment conditions. This is where you specify the criteria for subscribers to be included in the segment. Klaviyo offers a variety of conditions based on profile properties (e.g., location, gender), event data (e.g., placed order, viewed product), and list membership.
Click “Create Segment.”

Designing Your Klaviyo Newsletter Template

Klaviyo provides a drag-and-drop editor that makes it easy to design visually appealing newsletters, even without extensive coding knowledge. You can start with a pre-built template or create your own from scratch.

Choosing a Template

Klaviyo offers a library of pre-designed templates for various purposes, such as welcome emails, product announcements, and promotional campaigns. To choose a template:

Navigate to the “Email Templates” section in your Klaviyo dashboard.
Click on the “Create Template” button.
Browse the template library and select a template that suits your needs. You can filter templates by industry, purpose, or style.
Click “Use Template” to start customizing it.

Building Your Newsletter From Scratch

If you prefer to create your own template, follow these steps:

Navigate to the “Email Templates” section in your Klaviyo dashboard.
Click on the “Create Template” button.
Select “Basic” and choose a blank template.

Customizing Your Newsletter Template

Regardless of whether you start with a pre-built template or create your own, you’ll need to customize it to match your brand and convey your message effectively. The Klaviyo editor allows you to add and modify various elements, including:

Text blocks: Add headings, paragraphs, and other text content.
Images: Insert images to enhance your newsletter’s visual appeal.
Buttons: Create call-to-action buttons to encourage clicks and conversions.
Dividers: Use dividers to separate different sections of your newsletter.
Social links: Include links to your social media profiles.
Product blocks: Showcase your products with images, descriptions, and prices.

When customizing your template, keep the following best practices in mind:

Use a consistent brand identity: Ensure that your newsletter’s colors, fonts, and overall style match your brand guidelines.
Optimize for mobile: Most people read emails on their mobile devices, so make sure your newsletter is responsive and looks good on smaller screens. Klaviyo provides mobile preview options to help you with this.
Keep it concise: Avoid overwhelming subscribers with too much text. Use clear and concise language, and break up large blocks of text with images and headings.
Use high-quality images: Choose images that are visually appealing and relevant to your message. Optimize images for the web to reduce file size and improve loading speed.

Writing Compelling Newsletter Content

The content of your newsletter is crucial for engaging subscribers and achieving your desired outcomes. Here are some tips for writing compelling newsletter content:

Provide value: Offer your subscribers something valuable, such as exclusive discounts, helpful tips, or insightful information.
Personalize your message: Use personalization tags to address subscribers by name and tailor content to their interests.
Write a catchy subject line: Your subject line is the first thing subscribers see, so make it intriguing and relevant to the content of your newsletter.
Use a clear call to action: Tell subscribers what you want them to do, whether it’s to visit your website, make a purchase, or sign up for an event.
Proofread carefully: Before sending your newsletter, proofread it carefully for any typos, grammatical errors, or broken links.

Examples of newsletter content include:

Welcome emails for new subscribers.
Product announcements and new arrivals.
Promotional offers and discounts.
Company news and updates.
Blog post summaries and articles.
Event invitations and announcements.

Setting Up Your Klaviyo Campaign

Once you have designed your newsletter template and created your content, you’re ready to set up your Klaviyo campaign. A campaign is a single email that you send to a specific list or segment.

Creating a New Campaign

Navigate to the “Campaigns” section in your Klaviyo dashboard.
Click on the “Create Campaign” button.
Choose “Email” as the campaign type.

Configuring Your Campaign Settings

In the campaign settings, you’ll need to specify the following:

Campaign name: Give your campaign a descriptive name for internal tracking.
List or segment: Select the list or segment you want to send the newsletter to.
Sender name and email address: Choose the name and email address that will appear in the “From” field of your newsletter. Use a recognizable name, ideally your company name.
Subject line: Write a compelling subject line that will encourage subscribers to open your newsletter.
Preview text: This is the snippet of text that appears below the subject line in the inbox. Use it to provide a brief summary of the newsletter’s content.

Selecting Your Template and Content

In the next step, you’ll select the newsletter template you created earlier and add your content.

Click on the “Drag & Drop” editor.
Choose “My Templates” and select the template you want to use.
Review and edit your content as needed.

Scheduling Your Campaign

Finally, you need to schedule your campaign to be sent at the optimal time. Klaviyo allows you to send campaigns immediately or schedule them for a later date and time.

Click on the “Schedule or Send” button.
Choose “Send Now” to send the campaign immediately.
Choose “Schedule” to schedule the campaign for a later date and time. Klaviyo provides data-driven recommendations for optimal send times based on your subscribers’ engagement patterns.
Click “Schedule Campaign.”

Testing and Optimizing Your Klaviyo Newsletters

Before sending your newsletter to your entire list, it’s crucial to test it to ensure that everything looks and functions correctly. After sending, you need to analyze the results and optimize your future campaigns based on what you learn.

Testing Your Newsletter

Klaviyo allows you to send test emails to yourself or other team members. Use this feature to check the following:

Subject line and preview text: Make sure they are displayed correctly in different email clients.
Content and formatting: Ensure that your content is displayed correctly and that all images and links are working.
Mobile responsiveness: Check how your newsletter looks on different mobile devices.

Analyzing Your Results

After sending your newsletter, Klaviyo provides detailed analytics on its performance. Key metrics to track include:

Open rate: The percentage of subscribers who opened your newsletter.
Click rate: The percentage of subscribers who clicked on a link in your newsletter.
Conversion rate: The percentage of subscribers who completed a desired action, such as making a purchase.
Bounce rate: The percentage of emails that could not be delivered.
Unsubscribe rate: The percentage of subscribers who unsubscribed from your list.

Optimizing Your Newsletters

Based on the analytics data, you can identify areas for improvement and optimize your future newsletters. Some common optimization strategies include:

A/B testing: Experiment with different subject lines, content, or calls to action to see what performs best.
Segmenting your list: Send more targeted newsletters to specific groups of subscribers based on their interests and behavior.
Improving your sender reputation: Ensure that your emails are not being marked as spam by following best practices for email deliverability.
Optimizing your send time: Experiment with different send times to find the optimal time to reach your subscribers.

Conclusion

Creating effective Klaviyo newsletters involves a combination of strategic planning, creative design, and data-driven optimization. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can build engaging newsletters that nurture your audience, drive sales, and achieve your marketing goals. Remember to continuously test, analyze, and optimize your campaigns to maximize their impact and stay ahead of the curve in the ever-evolving world of email marketing.