Video Newsletter: The What, the How and the Why (With Templates to Use)

Oliver Bridge

There is no doubt that newsletters are a powerful way to engage your audience. However, everyone sends out newsletters today and if you want to stand out from the rest, you need to do something different.

One of the best ways to engage any audience is with video. So how about you add a video to your next newsletter? A video can make your emails even more powerful as it provides a more personalized and engaging approach to your messaging.

In this article, we’ll explore how you can use videos in newsletters. We’ll also offer some tips, best practices, and we’ll even include a few templates for you to try out.

Let’s get started.

The benefits of video newsletters

Before we show you how to create a video newsletter, we first need to see why you should invest your time in creating them.

Video can help improve your brand’s voice and build trust with your customers

With video, it is easier to tell memorable stories to your audience and help build more trust between your brand and your audience, making your brand more desirable in the process. Video newsletters make it easy to show your personality to your audience in their email inbox, a very private space. 

Emails with video can result in a higher click-through rate

Reports have shown that adding a video to your email can boost your click rates up to 300%. Even if you add just a link to a video in the form of a simple URL, those emails are more likely to perform better. Also, emails with the phrase “video” or a call-to-action “watch a video” in their subject lines are more likely to be opened. 

Video encourage customers to visit your website

An engaging and personalized video can help drive more traffic to your websites as those people that watch the videos in your newsletter are more likely to spend the time exploring the content on your website, which helps you boost your SEO rank and lead to more sales.

How to create an engaging video newsletter

Keeping your customers and prospects engaged with a newsletter is important, especially when you know that your newsletter is just one of the many newsletters that will receive that week. With a video newsletter, your message can stand out in their inbox and engage the audience. With video, you can inform, educate, and entertain your audience no matter the business you're in.

For example, if you are running a small to mid-size company, you can record a video with the CEO greeting the newsletter subscribers and sharing a few words with them. Larger companies can get various department heads to record videos that offer industry insights.

By using video instead of text in a newsletter, you can save your audience’s time but also deliver an engaging and creative message. The video in your newsletter should be informative, authentic, fresh, and creative. Make sure that the video is authentic by having someone from your team speak directly into the camera, as it humanizes the whole experience. With an authentic and sincere video, your audience will more easily connect with your brand.

Also, when creating engaging videos for your newsletter, make sure that you only focus on one topic per video. If possible, try to build a memorable story around the topic of the video. Be informative but engaging and ensure that the text in the newsletter that is accompanying the video actually does that, instead of the video serving as the add-on to the text.

Three types of video newsletters you can create + video newsletter templates

Company update video newsletter

This is a great video newsletter to send to a customer regardless of how long they have been a subscriber. The goal of this type of video newsletter is to inform them about everything new happening in the company. 

You can send them as frequently as you want, but once a month should be enough when you're just starting out. You can also opt-out of a specific schedule and send them out only when you have something interesting to share. This can be the latest job postings, new awards, interviews, or other interesting information you feel your audience will appreciate.  A simple thank-you email can also work.

No matter what kind of info you’re sharing in your company update video newsletter, make sure that you open with the most important and the most valuable info, as that will both engage the audience and ensure that they stay for the rest of the video and the email. Any other info you want to include in this type of video newsletter can be in text form, located just below the video and any information related to it.

(Source: TeamGantt YouTube)

When it comes to the placement of the video in the newsletter, make sure that you place it right after the intro. And if you talk about your newest accolades in the video, make sure that you are not bragging as it may come off as arrogant to your audience.

Company update video newsletter template

Subject line: What’s new at COMPANY NAME

(INTRO) Hey [SUBSCRIBER'S NAME],

I hope you’re doing well. Over the past month, we’ve been working hard on updating our [PRODUCT/SERVICE] and adding new features.

Watch this video to see the latest news from our team.

(OUTRO) Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter! The goal of our company newsletter is to inform you about everything that's happening at COMPANY NAME. We'll keep you posted every month with the latest news on COMPANY NAME, our industry, trends, and anything interesting happening around us. 

Testimonial video newsletter

A great way to improve your sales is by adding testimonials from your customers to your video newsletter. You can add a video from one of your satisfied customers that have decided to share their experience with using your products or services. When sharing these types of video newsletters, make sure that your newsletter audience is segmented and that only your prospects receive them, as your existing customers might find this unnecessary. 

(Source: Apple YouTube)

When you’re using videos as part of your email strategy, their placement in the email is important. Even if you do include them in a subscriber-wide newsletter, make sure that they’re at the bottom of the email. By placing the video at the bottom of the newsletter instead of the middle or the top, you can craft a story instead of just a plain newsletter. Because video testimonials are one of the more powerful forms of marketing, ending your newsletter with it will drive action and inspire your prospects.

Testimonial video newsletter template

Subject line: Success stories from our customers

(INTRO) Hey [SUBSCRIBER'S NAME], 

People often ask how PRODUCT/SERVICE helps them achieve their goals. While we can list all the benefits we offer, hearing from our customers themselves makes all the difference in the world. Thankfully, many of our customers have happily volunteered to share their experience with [COMPANY NAME].  

[VIDEO TESTIMONIAL(S)]

[WRITTEN TESTIMONIALS OR QUOTES]

(OUTRO) We hope that you have enjoyed this [success story/these success stories] and that you've learned how COMPANY NAME can help you achieve your goals.

Onboarding video newsletter

When you start a free trial for software, you're often greeted with a welcome email. The email is usually the start of a series of onboarding emails that often explains the product or service. While this is a great way to start onboarding your customers, they can be unalluring. 

Instead of the same old onboarding email, how about you create an onboarding video? These videos help communicate how your products and services work without leaving too much space for interpretation. Making them personalized helps your customers feel right at home, as the reason why these videos work is that it is much easier to keep people engaged and entertained than with a wall of text.

The onboarding products newsletter can have a few different forms. For example, it can give an overall explanation of how your product or service works, and it can also help introduce new features or services. 

Onboarding video template

Welcome to [COMPANY NAME]!

(INTRO) Hey SUBSCRIBER'S NAME,

Welcome to [COMPANY NAME]! You've just created your account on [PRODUCT NAME]! This is the first step towards [YOUR USP]. Congrats! 

To help you get started, we've put together a video that'll make it easy for you to onboard your team to [PRODUCT/SERVICE NAME].

If you have any questions now, simply reply to this team.

(OUTRO) We're happy to see you! 

Our best, 

[COMPANY NAME] 

Now that you know how to make newsletters and why you should create them, here are the answers to some of the most popular questions.

Can a newsletter have a video?

Yes! You can add a video to your newsletter in a few ways. Click here to see how Bonjoro can help you add a video to your newsletter.

How do I start a video newsletter?

It’s simple. All you need to do is figure out what kind of video newsletter you want, record a video, and send it to your audience.

How do you add a YouTube video to a newsletter?

The best way to add a YouTube video to a newsletter is to attach the YouTube link to the most appropriate place in the newsletter.

How do you do an eye-catching newsletter?

There are a few ways to make an eye-catching newsletter, but the best way is to create genuine videos or articles that will help keep the readers engaged. Focus on building trusting and meaningful relationships with your readers and ensure that they demonstrate the value they provide to you.

How to increase engagement with a video newsletter

The answer to this question is similar to the one before it. Focusing on personalizing the newsletter is the best way to increase its engagement. Instead of creating persuasive videos that will only turn off the readers, make sure that you talk to them in a friendly tone. Being approachable and friendly to your audience can do wonders.

Wrapping up

So there you have it — the what, the why, and the how of video newsletters. Video is a great form, probably the most engaging one right now. If video is done right, it can do wonders for your business, no matter your industry. When you combine the power of video with a newsletter, the results can be amazing.

When creating your video newsletters, make sure you’re genuine, approachable, and friendly. No one likes a boring video and if you want to make that sale or build a genuine relationship with your customers, make sure you take your time to create a video newsletter that will wow your subscribers.

Try Bonjoro for Free

If you are looking for help with your video newsletter, make sure you check out Bonjoro. Our platform can help you create and send video newsletters easily. Start your free trial of Bonjoro here

Category
Video tips
About the author
Oliver Bridge
Growth Grizzly
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