1. Consistent Color Branding on Registration and Archive Pages

Don’t use the default look! Make sure your logo colors match the colors on your registration and archive pages, including buttons and backgrounds.

This makes your brand stand out and look professional.

"Don't just leave your pages to default... Come over here and figure out what your theme is or whatever else... change it up guys. Totally change it up to where, uh, everything is matching, right?"

"You wanna make sure that you are consistent with your colors, all right?"

 

2. Use a Horizontal, Rectangle Logo

Your logo should be wide, not tall. A rectangular, landscape logo fits better and looks more polished at the top of your page.

 

"This logo here, you want it to be horizontal. You don't want it to be vertical, right? You want it to be long... You want it to be more lengthy, not so tall, right? That's why we've done that."

 

3. Add Links at the Bottom of Every Page

Always put links at the bottom of your registration, newsletter, and archive pages—like “Subscribe” or “Special Links.” This helps readers find what they need and makes your pages look finished.

 

"I'm gonna say that 90% of people are not putting in their links at the bottom of their pages... Not just this page. But also if you go to the, uh, current issue, it should say current issue, not current issues. And if we go to the bottom here, it's the same thing."

 

4. Avoid Too Many Emojis in Subject Lines or Headers and the Body

Don’t fill your subject lines or headers with emojis. It looks unprofessional and makes your newsletter seem AI-generated.

 

"Nothing screams chat GPT and AI like emojis... Do you see them putting emojis in the subject line in the headers? You don't, I don't recommend you doing that."

 

5. Keep Subheadlines and Preheaders Short

Long subheadlines make your newsletter look crowded. Stick to two lines if you can.

 

"Sub headlines a little long. I would say I would do two here, right?... I'm seeing a lot of people that have like seven or eight lines here on your header. It's too much."

 

6. Turn On Author Name and Social Icons

Show who wrote your newsletter and add your social media links. This builds trust and helps people connect with you.

 

"Does everybody know how to turn on your icons over here?... If you have these social profiles, they'll appear here... This name right here, this is another big thing, this name... If you come to publications and you edit your publication, there is an author name filled... Just go ahead and put your author name here, and that's what we'll pull in."

 

7. Use Background Colors and Buttons Sparingly

Add background colors or buttons to highlight important things, but don’t overdo it. Too much color can make your newsletter hard to read.

 

8. Be Careful with Spacing

Make sure there’s enough space between sections and lines. Crowded text is hard to read.

 

"Be careful with spacing. I would say the biggest complaint that I've seen looking at everybody's newsletters is spacing... Remember, you have real human beings reading this, right?"

 

9. Pick Two Main Colors from Your Logo for Links

Use one color for your links and another for underlines. This keeps your branding strong and your links easy to spot.

 

10. Add More Links to Boost Clicks

Don’t be shy about adding links. More links mean more chances for people to click and engage.

 

11. Use More Visuals, Less Text

 

Don’t make your newsletter too text-heavy. Add images and visual blocks to keep things interesting.

 

12. Use Bold and Icons Carefully

Only use bold text or icons for the most important things, so your newsletter doesn’t look messy.

 

"Be careful with bold. We wanna emphasize Wednesday for bold and the rest, we don't wanna be bold at all, right?... Be careful with the icons. Be careful with spacing."

 

13. Archive and Registration Pages Can Pull in Archives

Soon, you’ll be able to show your newsletter archives right on your registration and archive pages. This lets new visitors see your past issues before signing up.

 

"You're gonna flip a switch and what you're gonna be able to do is you're gonna be able to bring your, your archives into your registration page too, right? "

 

Chad’s advice: Make your newsletter and pages look clean, colorful, and easy to read. Small changes make a big difference!