Simple email content ideas for local businesses

Plain text email is a hugely underrated revenue driver and most brands still aren’t using it to its full potential. If you acquiring a sizeable fresh cohort in November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday, perhaps?), December is the perfect time to re-engage, build trust, and drive repeat revenue with founder-led plain text content. Here are 5 proven email content frameworks that consistently perform and work especially well in a founder’s voice: Answer your most common customer or prospect questions. You’ll find gold in your Facebook ad comments, DMs, or support tickets. Go deep and give them clarity. Tackle objections head-on. Take the things that make people hesitate and flip them into strengths. Transparency builds trust. Talk about your differentiators. Frame the market as noisy, impersonal, and generic—while positioning your brand as the one that actually cares. A heartfelt founder update. Share what’s happening behind the scenes and what inspired you to start the business. (This only works 1x per quarter, so don’t overuse it.) Share a compelling stat or viral trend relevant to your product category. Something like: “This TikTok changed how I think about [problem your product solves].” Why is plain text so effective? It’s a pattern interrupt—higher CTRs More likely to land in the main inbox Encourages replies, which help with deliverability Replies = actual conversations with customers = insights Great copy feels like a direct line to the brain, no frills, just substance If you're not using plain text emails as part of your December strategy, you're leaving money (and retention) on the table. Make it founder-led. Make it real. And hit send.

9 Email Formats That Could Make You More Money Today: (from a $200M+ Email Marketer) 1. Story Email: A storytelling email that shows how your product can solve a relatable problem. How to Implement This: Start with a story that reflects your audience’s pain points. Show how your product solves the problem. End with a clear CTA that encourages action. Pro Tip: Make your story specific and visual to help the reader relate. 2. Customer Reviews Email: Use real customer feedback to build trust and drive conversions. How to Implement This: Feature 2-3 genuine customer reviews, with photos or videos if possible. Focus on the most impactful benefits. End with a CTA that encourages action. Pro Tip: Use reviews that address common objections from potential customers. 3. Plain Text Email: A simple, personal email with no fancy design. How to Implement This: Write like you're talking directly to a friend. Keep the format minimal—just text. Focus on building trust and being authentic. Pro Tip: Ask a question to get engagement from the reader. 4. Made-Up Holiday Email: Use quirky holidays to catch attention and drive sales. How to Implement This: Find a holiday on NationalToday .com that relates to your product. Connect your promotion to the holiday in a fun way. Add urgency with a time-sensitive offer. Pro Tip: Keep the holiday connection natural, don’t force it. 5. Anniversary Email: Celebrate your brand’s milestones and thank your audience with a special offer. How to Implement This: Share your brand’s story and important moments. Offer a limited-time discount as a thank you to your audience. Pro Tip: Make your audience feel part of your brand’s journey. 6. Offer Email: A simple email promoting a special offer. How to Implement This: Present a clear offer (e.g., BOGO, discount, or free shipping). Use a direct CTA that encourages immediate action. Keep the messaging focused on the offer’s benefits. Pro Tip: Make the offer feel exclusive to email subscribers. 7. Consistent-Format Email: A recurring email that provides value in a predictable format. How to Implement This: Choose a format (e.g., “Top 5 Tips” or “Product Highlights”). Keep it consistent (weekly, bi-weekly) to build trust. Always deliver valuable, actionable content. Pro Tip: Consistency helps build a loyal audience. 8. Guest Post Email: A strategy to grow your list by featuring content from others. How to Implement This: Reach out to a creator or brand in your niche and ask to write a guest post. Include a CTA inviting readers to join your list for more valuable content. Pro Tip: Make sure the post is relevant and provides value to the new audience. 9. Hype Email: Build excitement before a major launch or special offer. How to Implement This: Send 2-3 emails before the launch, each highlighting different benefits. Focus on urgency and how this offer will benefit your audience. Pro Tip: Create scarcity to encourage immediate action.

We increased this DTC brand’s email revenue from $14,248/mo to $95,603/mo. And that happened in just 60 days. The secret? Content-driven email campaigns that actually sell. Here are 7 examples you can steal for your brand: 1. The In-email Quiz This email is easily more fun and more engaging than most emails in your inbox right now. It helps people find the product that fits their personality or situation the best. And instead of sending them to a quiz on your website, it’s an engaging 'mind map' inside the email. 2. Problem Meets Solution This email is the essence of marketing. The reader has a problem they wanna solve, and you have the solution. I’ve seen this type of email outperform ‘discount emails’ many times before. Try it out. 3. Tips & Tricks Campaigns like these create loyal customers. Why? You’re putting direct effort into making their lives better without them even asking you to. Help them solve a real pain point with simple how-to’s. 4. Product Reviews Spotlight As simple as it sounds. Show 3-5 products and attach a great review to each of them. People feel confident buying what others are already loving. Bonus: Prioritize reviews that mention a problem being solved. 5. Us vs. Them Show why your product is the better choice compared to a well-known competitor or a traditional choice. People dread making the wrong decision, so use that to your advantage. Of course just make sure you don't say anything false here. 6. Product Education Help people understand what’s in your product and why it works. And if there’s one thing people love in 2024, it’s knowing what they put in or on their bodies. This increases trust and credibility instantly. 7. Frequently Asked Questions First of all, don’t make this email boring. Make it laser-focused on the questions your email subscribers actually have. Help people overcome common objections and nurture them toward a purchase. And that covers it! If you want to see examples for each of these emails - send me a message and I'll send you my resource.

I just logged into a client's Klaviyo account (a Norwegian health brand selling wellness gadgets). What I saw shocked me: Their top-performing email each month was consistent: a long-form, plain text problem-solution email titled "Simple daily habits for pain relief." – Some context – This email doesn't push products. It simply offers 1-4 practical tips for their target audience of older adults. It’s pretty obvious why this works. You're not asking anything from the customer. You're simply providing value and helping them improve their lives. That builds trust. We've seen this work particularly well in health-related niches, but the concept can be applied broadly. A skincare brand could do "5 tips to transform your complexion." A fitness company could share "3 at-home exercises to relieve back pain." The possibilities are endless. In fact, we've seen success with a variation on this for clients who have blogs. The email teases valuable blog content, enticing readers to click through to the full post on the website. Again, it's all about delivering real value. When you consistently show up as a trusted resource, not just another company hawking products, customers naturally gravitate toward you. And the sales often follow (but that's not the primary goal of these emails). It's about playing the long game. Building relationships. Becoming a valued part of your audience's life. So if you're not already experimenting with this type of value-first, long-form email content, it's worth testing. The results might surprise you. #email #ecommerce #emailmarketing

You don't have a content team yet. But you still need to send a weekly newsletter. 𝟱 𝗻𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝘆 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀: 𝟭/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝟯 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁" 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 Three short observations from your week. Each one is 2-3 sentences. No elaborate explanations. No fancy transitions. Example: "I'm thinking about how response time sets client expectations..." "I'm thinking about why our best leads come from referrals..." "I'm thinking about the difference between being busy and being productive..." → Takes 15 minutes to write. Feels personal and authentic. 𝟮/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗢𝗻𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗸" 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 Pick one thing you learned. Explain it in 4-5 paragraphs. That's it. No need for multiple points. No need for comprehensive coverage. One insight, well explained. → Easier to write than trying to cram five lessons into one email. 𝟯/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸 + 𝘄𝗵𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀" 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 Share something you read this week. Add 3-4 paragraphs on why it's relevant to your audience. Your take is the value, not the link itself. You're not creating content from scratch. You're adding perspective to existing content. → The curation plus commentary is enough. 𝟰/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗔𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻" 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 Take a question someone asked you this week. Answer it thoroughly in the newsletter. One question, one complete answer. You're already answering these questions. Just write down what you'd say on a call. → Your expertise is already there. Just document it. 𝟱/ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 "𝗣𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗜'𝗺 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴" 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁 Identify a trend you're seeing. Across clients, across the industry, across conversations. Explain what you're noticing and what it means. Three examples of the pattern. Your interpretation of why it matters. Done. → Pattern recognition is easier than original research. Your insights from one week are more valuable than a generic guide. Your answer to one real question beats a listicle of tips. Your observations matter more than perfection. A simple newsletter sent every week beats a perfect newsletter you never send. Your competitor isn't winning because their content is better. They're winning because they show up consistently. Which format could you start using next week? ♻️ Repost if simple formats beat no newsletter. ➕ Follow me, Louis Shulman, for more tactics to stay top of mind and beat the competition. 📧 Join our weekly marketing newsletter: https://lnkd.in/gYGzEeTb

Most people overthink their newsletters. But you don’t need to send long educational emails every week. Here's an easy alternative: All it takes is 3 simple steps. Step 1: Create (or repurpose) a resource your audience would find valuable Examples: • A guide • A template  • A checklist • An internal SOP The big unlock here is realizing that you are already creating (or have already created) a ton of resources that you can leverage for this. Step 2: Make it publicly accessible I’m a big fan of using Notion to share resources because: • It makes it very easy to share documents • It supports a wide variety of content (videos, text, templates, etc.) • A lot of people are already familiar with it But there are a million different ways to go about it. As long as people can easily access and duplicate the asset, that’s all you need. Step 3: Share it with your email list Lastly, write a simple email sharing the asset with your newsletter subscribers. And when I say simple, I really do mean simple. You can literally use Alex Hormozi’s 3-step email framework: 1. Hey I made this for you 2. Here’s what it is & how it can help you 3. Here’s how to get it (link) And that’s it! We actually use this approach a lot with our newsletter clients - and I’m planning on using it more often for my own newsletter. So hope you can give it a try soon as well!