Email Newsletters

Owned by Gilbert, Samuel Z - (szgilbert)
Last updated: Aug 28, 2024 by bdowner@arizona.edu

Newsletters can be a great way to reach your audience as you connect directly with them and have less competition as your information goes straight to their inbox. However, newsletters take a lot of planning and hard work to keep subscribers coming back.

Planning your newsletter

Outline your goals and set a plan so you know what success looks like and how it fits within your overall communication plan.

  1. Establish a plan for your newsletter.
    1. Set newsletter goals: List out specific purposes for why you are starting your newsletter and how your newsletter will benefit your audience.
    2. Define your audience: Identify their interests, preferences, and what kind of content they’re most likely to read. Look at other newsletters for inspiration.
    3. Create a content calendar: Organize topics, themes, content ideas and publications dates for your newsletter.
      1. Think about upcoming events, common questions, important seasonal themes of your program and more.
      2. Read the article Newsletter Calendars for the basics of creating a content calendar.
  2. Brainstorm other places to share your newsletter content like on social media, your website, articles for a newspaper, etc.
  3. Establish workflows for different newsletters tasks.
    1. What’s the process for collecting content for each issue?
    2. Who needs to review the newsletter before it goes out? It’s recommended that a the person submitting content ensures that links, photos and text are correct.
    3. Set deadlines for content submission, review and publication of each issue.
    4. How will you share the content outside your newsletter? Where will you put content on the Cooperative Extension website?

Watch the webinar on how to create newsletter your audiences will love.

Requesting access to Trellis Marketing Cloud

Want to start an email newsletter? Extension has free access to Trellis Marketing Cloud, which comes with support from campus and the Extension Marketing Team. To get access:

  1. Submit a ticket using Support Tracker.
    1. Choose "Marketing and Outreach" Support under Request.
    2. Provide names and emails of everyone you want to have access to manage your newsletter.
  2. Someone from the Extension Marketing Team will meet with you to talk about your goals for a newsletter, why now is the right time to start one, your target audience and how a newsletter fits into your communication plan.
  3. You’ll receive emails with links to Edge Learning modules you need to complete before being added to Trellis Marketing Cloud. These include:
    1. Trellis Terms of Service – Course ID 0000014582
    2. Information Security Training – Course ID 332
    3. FERPA Training for Staff – Course ID 0000003270 (You might be assigned several FERPA training courses. You only need to complete the one listed).
  4. Email Ben Downer bdowner@arizona.edu after you’ve completed your Edge Learning modules. It typically takes the campus UITS team 2 weeks to give you access after you've completed all Edge Learning modules.
  5. After getting your welcome email from the UITS-Trellis Team, email Ben Downer bdowner@arizona.edu to schedule your one-hour email building training.

Building a subscriber list

If you have an existing newsletter, you'll need to migrate your contacts to Trellis Marketing Cloud

  1. Put names and emails into the Newsletter Subscriber Template. First name, last name and email are required for every contact on your list. Leave NetID blank. Do not delete any column headings.
  2. Submit a ticket using Support Tracker with your Excel file and name of your newsletter.
    1. Once your list is uploaded, you’ll receive a QR code and a shortened link you can give people who want to subscribe to your newsletter.

If you do not have an existing newsletter, you'll need to collect contacts using an online form.

  1. Submit a ticket using Support Tracker, providing the name you would like for your newsletter.
  2. You'll receive a QR code and shortened link you can give people who want to subscribe to your newslette

Help resources for Trellis Marketing Cloud

You should receive a welcome email from the UITS-Trellis Team that lists helpful resources and links.

  • Trellis Marketing Cloud login page.
  • Marketing Cloud topical videos - Follow along with these shorter (10min or less) tutorials on Contact Import, navigating Data Extensions, customizing modules in Content Builder, etc.
  • Recurring Training Sessions - Navigate to the Trellis calendar and register for a Marketing Cloud Content Builder Training or Best Practices Workshop (check out the descriptions to determine what is relevant) that works for your availability. These are open to all Marketing Cloud users, and are not necessarily specific to you.
  • Teams Channel - monitored by the Trellis team, this is a great place to ask questions and see what other users are working on in Trellis.
  • WhatFix Browser Extension- Download the new in-app guidance system for Trellis/Marketing Cloud. Our documentation and step-by-step guides will be integrated into your webpage with a moveable “self help” tab.

The UITS Team has also created an extensive library of training materials available on the UITS-Trellis SharePoint. Suggested resources to start with include (updated 12/11/2023):