How to Increase Newsletter Engagement: Practical Tips That Drive Clicks

Newsletters are one of the most powerful tools organizations have, but only if people actually engage with them.

With inboxes flooded by spam, promotions, and half-read updates, how you structure your newsletter matters just as much as what you say. Over time, those choices directly impact credibility, trust, and whether your audience keeps opening what you send.

Here are some of the best practices to drive stronger engagement and better results:

1. Write in Active Tense and Make Engagement Easy

Tense matters! Clear, active language goes a long way, but engagement doesn’t stop at good copy.

Hyperlink everything that makes sense:

• Embed links in text

• Embed links in photos and graphics

• Give people multiple opportunities to click

The goal is simple: don’t make readers work to engage. Every section should offer a natural next step.

2. Every Section Needs a Call to Action

Content alone isn’t enough. You want people to do something.

If you have a section on a topic but you don’t link it back to:

• a resource,

• a report,

• a program,

• or your website,

…you’re missing an engagement opportunity.

Be clear. Be direct. And yes, it’s okay to be repetitive.

Don’t forget, the button can also serve as an opportunity to include a call to action!

Implementing all of these CTA practices may feel like overkill, but it serves as clarity.

3. Reinforce Key Details (Even If They’re Already There)

For events and announcements, offer end sections with a bolded recap like:

Who:
What:
Where:
When:

Even if those details are already in the copy, pulling them out at the end helps with retention. Readers skim. This format helps key information stick.

And then, still include:

• “Sign up below”

• A clear CTA

• A strong button (e.g., Sign Up Here)

4. Deliver Value or You’ll Lose Your Audience

Newsletters should:

• Inform

• Keep people connected to your work

• Drive them to your website, social channels, and resources

If your newsletter feels like it’s only talking at your audience instead of offering useful, relevant information, engagement will drop over time.

People open newsletters they trust, and trust is built through consistently good content.

5. Track Benchmarks and Watch the Trends

Benchmarks matter. Nonprofit, legal, finance, advocacy, each sector has different norms for:

• Open rates

• Click-through rates

• Other KPIs

Use benchmarks to set realistic goals, and monitor them regularly.

For example, if your open rate stays strong but click-through rates fall, that’s a signal:
Your audience may be opening, but the content isn’t resonating or driving action.

Watching your benchmarks helps you shape campaigns that truly resonate with your audience.

6. Use A/B Testing (But Keep It Simple)

When engagement drops and you’re not sure why, A/B testing is your friend.

The key rule: test one variable at a time.

• Different copy in a section

• Moving a section higher or lower

• Changing a CTA

• Adjusting subject lines

Too many changes at once, and you won’t know what worked.

7. Always Do a Final Review

Before hitting send, have someone else review your newsletter if possible:

• Links

• Names and titles

• Dates

• Spelling and grammar

If you don’t have another set of eyes, review it on a different device. That fresh perspective helps catch mistakes that blend in when you’ve been staring at the same screen.

8. Find the Right Sending Rhythm

Most organizations land on weekly or monthly newsletters, but this is another area worth testing.

• Too frequent → people tune out

• Too infrequent → people forget you

Consistency + quality wins. If readers expect value and relevance, they’ll open.

Timing also matters, but it’s highly dependent on your audience and industry. Unfortunately, there’s no universal “best” send time. Testing can help determine the date and time that results in the most engagement for your target audience.

9. Subject Lines and Segmentation Matter

Sometimes a consistent subject line builds recognition. Other times, a fresh subject line sparks curiosity.

Ask yourself every time:

What would make my audience stop scrolling and click?

If you have the capacity, segmented campaigns can be incredibly effective. Tailoring content for different audiences almost always improves engagement.

Final Thought

Before you draft a single word, keep your audience in mind, and keep them there throughout the process.

Make actions obvious. Make engagement easy.
People shouldn’t have to search for what you want them to do.

When newsletters are done well, they don’t just inform. They build trust, drive action, and strengthen long-term relationships.