What it is for

A newsletter issue is one email in a regular series, sent on a schedule to people who asked for it. The hard part is not writing one good issue. It is writing a good one every week or month without it turning into a list of company updates. This template is the skeleton for a single issue, built around one main idea.

The shape is simple. A specific subject line and a preheader that adds to it. One line to open. The main idea in a few short paragraphs. Two or three short sections that each stand alone. One link. One question that invites a reply. A plain sign-off from a named person. Use the same shape every issue so readers learn where to look.

When to use it

You send, or want to send, a regular newsletter to customers, prospects, or an industry audience.
Your current issues are a round-up of company news and readers have stopped replying.
Several people write the newsletter and you need a shared structure so every issue reads the same way.
You want to repurpose a LinkedIn post or an article into an issue without just pasting it in.

The template

Square brackets mark what you fill in. Timings are starting points.

Subject line

[The main idea, stated plainly, in under about eight words. E.g. Why [thing] breaks after [milestone], or The [topic] mistake we keep seeing.]

Say what the email is about. Do not tease it. A reader should be able to decide to open it, or not, from the subject alone.

Write the subject line last, after the main idea is clear.

Preheader

[One sentence that adds to the subject rather than repeating it. E.g. Plus a [tool or template] and one question for you.]

The preheader is the grey text next to the subject in most inboxes. If you leave it blank, the inbox shows the first line of the email instead, which is often "View in browser".

Opener

Hi [first name], [one line that gets straight to the point. E.g. This week: one idea about [topic], a [template], and a question I would like your answer to.]

No "hope this finds you well". No weather. One line, then the main idea.

Main idea

Send: Two to four short paragraphs

[The one thing this issue is about. Start with the claim: e.g. Most [role] measure [thing] too early, and it leads to [consequence].]

[Why it happens, in one paragraph, with a concrete example from your own work or something you observed. Label illustrative examples as such.]

[What to do instead, in one paragraph. Specific and doable this week.]

[Optional: one sentence on the limits, e.g. This matters less if [situation].]

One idea per issue. If you have two, save the second for next time.

Section 1

Send: Three to five sentences

[A short heading, e.g. Something we built or Worth reading.]

[Three to five sentences about one thing: a template you made, an article from someone else with your take on it, or a small change you tried and what happened.]

Each section should make sense if the reader skips everything else.

Section 2

Send: Three to five sentences

[A short heading, e.g. From a reader or One question we got this week.]

[A question a reader or customer asked, with their permission or anonymised, and your short answer.]

Reader questions are the easiest section to write and the one people most often reply to.

Section 3 (optional)

Send: Three to five sentences

[A short heading, e.g. Coming up or One small update.]

[An event, a release, or a company update, kept to a few sentences and placed last. If there is nothing worth saying this issue, leave this section out.]

Company news goes here, at the end, and only when it is useful to the reader.

One link

[The one thing you most want the reader to click this issue: an article, a template, a tool, or an event page. E.g. Read the full guide: [link].]

One link, clearly labelled. If there are several links in the sections above, this is still the one you would pick if you could only keep one.

Question or reply prompt

[One specific question the reader can answer in a sentence. E.g. What is the one [topic] metric your team argues about most? Reply and tell me. I will share the most common answers next issue.]

Make the question easy to answer and say what you will do with the replies.

Replies tell you what to write next and tell inbox providers this is wanted mail.

Sign-off

[Your name], [role] at [company]

[One line on cadence: e.g. Next issue on [date]. Or: You get this every other [day] because you signed up at [place].]

[Unsubscribe link, physical address, and anything else your email provider requires.]

How to adapt it

For a weekly issue, keep the main idea to two paragraphs and use only one section. For a monthly issue, use all three sections and a longer main idea.
If the newsletter is from a team rather than a person, still sign it with one named person. Rotate the author if you need to.
If you are repurposing a LinkedIn post, use it as the main idea and add what you could not say in the post: the example, the limits, and the next step.
If a product update is the most useful thing this issue, make it the main idea and explain the problem it solves. Do not hide it in Section 3.
If readers rarely reply, change the question before you change anything else. Make it narrower and easier to answer.

The thinking behind this template: How do you run a B2B newsletter that people keep reading?.

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This is one of Sawa's illustrative frameworks, not a copy of client work. It claims no result. Last updated 2026-10-08.