10 Church Email Newsletter Mistakes (and How to Fix Them)

With the NFL season just kicking off, let's shine a spotlight on the true MVP of church communication: email marketing. 

Social media and short-form videos may be the newer, shinier additions to your marketing squad, but email is far from irrelevant. In fact, email marketing is a more important communication strategy than ever before. 

Email Marketing Still Leads the Pack

Why? Pretty much everyone – from tech-savvy youth to more seasoned members of your congregation – has an email address. What’s more, up to 99% of people claim to check their emails every single day, and many of those peek at their inbox first thing in the morning (even before they’ve had their morning caffeine fix!)

The challenge, of course, is that most people’s inboxes are flooded with all kinds of spam and promotions. In response, major email platforms such as Gmail and Outlook have enforced algorithms that may push your church newsletter to spam folders if you aren’t strategic. 

Even now, your email newsletter may be sitting in someone’s spam folder, developing digital dust, while you wonder why you had such a small turnout at your church fellowship dinner! And - even if your email is spotted and opened - the structure and overall readability of your email may prevent your congregation from absorbing the information you’re trying to communicate.

Make Your Church Emails Count

Ultimately, crafting an effective church newsletter is about more than just hitting the “send” button. Whether your church’s email list is 50 or 5,000, the goal is the same: share news in a way that grabs attention so you can serve your congregation through effective communication. You want your congregation to open your email and think, "I gotta read this!”

So, how do you upgrade your church newsletter so it actually gets read? Let’s go over 10 of the most common email marketing mistakes for churches and the fixes you can implement today to make your church emails count. 

10 Church Email Newsletter Mistakes to Avoid

1. Skipping the Double Opt-In

Mistake: Automatically adding individuals to all your church email lists as soon as they sign up.

Best Practice: Adopt a double-opt-in approach where new subscribers receive a confirmation email to verify their interest in receiving your church newsletter. This method has two major advantages:

1. Increased Engagement: Just as taking a sample at Costco makes you more likely to purchase, having subscribers take an extra step to confirm their subscription makes them more likely to engage with your emails.
2. Improved Deliverability: Platforms like Gmail and Outlook prioritize emails that get opened and engaged with. If subscribers confirm their interest through double-opt-in, they're more likely to open subsequent emails. This not only enhances your email deliverability but also ensures your content doesn't end up in the spam folder. An uninterested audience, on the other hand, can hurt your email reputation.

2. Overlooking List Segmentation

Mistake: Sending the same generic email to every subscriber without considering their unique interests or engagement levels.

Best Practice: Begin segmenting your email list based on a variety of criteria, from how long someone has been attending your church, to their age group, or even their involvement in particular church activities. For example, if you're organizing a women’s conference, send an email directly to the women in your congregation. This ensures that your emails are relevant to your audience, increasing the likelihood of them being opened and preventing them from landing in the spam folder.

3. Using An Overly Formal Tone

Mistake: Relying heavily on a professional and impersonal tone, making emails feel distant or corporate.

Best Practice: Statistics indicate that people overwhelmingly prefer personalized email communication over formal email communication. When crafting church newsletter emails, think of it as a conversation with members of your congregation. Use a tone that's warm, welcoming, and relatable! This will help your digital communication feel more personal and community-driven, and it will also help your emails perform better overall. 

4. Getting Too Fancy

Mistake: Overloading emails with fancy graphics and complex designs that overshadow the message.

Best Practice: Embrace a minimalist and clear design that looks more like a traditional email than a promotional email. This will help you stay out of spam filters and will also increase the readability of your email. While graphics can enhance an email, they should never overshadow the core message. When you do employ visuals, make sure the images are not so large that they won’t properly load in inboxes. 

5. Forgetting the Call-to-Action (CTA)

Mistake: Sending emails without guiding the recipient on what to do next.

Best Practice: Each email should have a purpose and, consequently, a clear and compelling call-to-action (CTA). The CTA should be distinct and guide the reader toward the next step, whether it's attending a service, signing up for an event, or exploring a recent sermon. To increase its effectiveness, make your CTA visually stand out and use concise, actionable language that conveys urgency or value. I recommend avoiding multiple CTAs in one email. 

For example, while it may be tempting to link to every church event registration on your weekly newsletter, try to focus on a singular link in an email that directs readers to a comprehensive event page on your website. Doing this reduces decision fatigue, preventing readers from feeling overwhelmed and increasing the likelihood of them taking the desired action.

6. Inconsistent Email Scheduling

Mistake: Sending emails on a sporadic or unpredictable schedule.

Best Practice: Consistency is key when it comes to email marketing! By sending out emails at regular intervals, whether it's weekly or monthly, you create a sense of anticipation among your subscribers. Consistent communication also reinforces the presence and activities of the church in their minds. Using scheduling tools available in most email platforms can help automate this process and ensure that no email is missed.

7. Neglecting Mobile Optimization

Mistake: Designing email newsletters that aren't optimized for mobile devices.

Best Practice: In today's digital age, mobile optimization isn't just a luxury; it's a necessity. Many (if not all) members of your congregation will be accessing emails via smartphones or tablets. Designing with mobile in mind ensures legibility and engagement. Use responsive design templates and always test your emails across different devices to ensure a seamless reading experience.

8. Forgetting to Scrub Your List

Mistake: Keeping every subscriber on your list indefinitely, even those who no longer engage.

Best Practice: A clean email list is crucial for maintaining high engagement rates. While it may feel strange to remove people from your email list, it is an important part of staying out of spam folders and stewarding your email list. If someone hasn’t opened your church’s emails in a year, they are unlikely to do so in the future. Perhaps their email address changed, or you’re winding up in their spam folders. Either way, they aren’t going to see your emails!

Every six months or so, review your subscriber list to identify members who haven't engaged in a while. Instead of removing them immediately, consider sending a re-engagement email. If there's still no response, then it may be time to remove or segment them separately. This ensures that your main list remains engaged and interested in your content.

9. Writing Boring Subject Lines

Mistake: Using generic or bland subject lines such as “Grace Newsletter” that don’t entice recipients to open the email.

Best Practice: Your subject line is the first impression subscribers get of your email's content. Investing time into crafting a compelling subject line can significantly improve open rates. Make them reflective of the content but also add an element of curiosity or urgency. Emojis can be incredibly effective ways to make your emails stand out in a crowded inbox, for example. Try A/B testing different subject lines to get insights into what resonates most with your audience.

10. Not Including Necessary Footer Content

Mistake: Sending out emails without the necessary footer content, potentially violating email regulations.

Best Practice: Email compliance isn't just about following regulations; it's about building trust with your audience. Always ensure your emails contain essential footer elements like an unsubscribe link and your church's physical address. This builds trust but ensures compliance with laws like the CAN-SPAM Act.

Conclusion

There you have it: ten mistakes you can fix today to make your church emails count. Remember that effective church email newsletters are about more than just conveying information; they're about building and nurturing relationships. By understanding the "why" behind these common mistakes and implementing the suggested fixes, your church can deepen its connection with the congregation and foster community!

For more tips on upgrading your church marketing strategy, check out Breeze Management’s comprehensive guide.