“We make bathroom stall dividers…so.”

It’s not terribly uncommon to encounter this resigned attitude that one’s newsletter has to be boring because their business isn’t flashy. “Recipients just need the specs and the reminder in their inbox,” they think.

Before you duplicate the same campaign from last month, let’s see what fun you could create in your newsletter and the results it produces. I guarantee you’ll make a better impression for your brand and get replies, more clicks, and more revenue (eventually).

The key to injecting fun into your newsletter is consistency. The rare April Fools email or one-off attempts at whimsy don’t have sticking power and may actually erode your reputation. Instead, pick a lever to have fun with and stick with it for a while.

A well-loved newsletter doesn’t reek of ego (and the insecurity that accompanies ego). Just don’t take it too seriously. Aim to send something light, helpful, and maybe even create a slight exhale through the nose in silent laughter.

Your recipients will appreciate it.

The one mistake to avoid in this endeavor, though, is cleverness. Don’t aim to be clever. That description above about laughing through the nose? Probably trying too hard, if you ask me. So, watch out for that.

The easiest step is to add a fun content snack at the end of your email (think: funny gif, interesting statistic, silly customer service question, etc). That allows you to stick to the normal voice and tone but incorporate some M&Ms into your otherwise kinda boring content.