Picture this: Your most loyal customers, biggest fans, and hottest prospects are all hanging out in one place, eager to hear what you have to say.
No algorithm changes to worry about. No fighting for attention in a crowded social media feed.
Just direct access to the people who actually want to hear from you.
Sounds like a marketing dream, right?
Well, that’s exactly what your email list is! It’s your own, personal marketing sanctuary where you get to call all the shots. In other words, it’s a valuable digital marketing asset.
Think of it as having a standing coffee date with your ideal customers or clients. They’ve literally raised their hands and said, “Yes, I want to hear more from you!” How powerful is that?!
But if you’re anything like the people I work with on a daily basis, understanding the importance of an email list and actually nurturing that list are two different ideas.
Whether you’re struggling to craft the perfect welcome email, ramp up your seasonal email marketing content, or land on the ideal formula for a sales sequence, the struggle is real!!!
Today, I want to hone in on one of the most important (and yet one of the most challenging) types of email content to write: Ongoing email newsletters.
Why Consistent Email Newsletters Matter (More Than You Think!)
Here’s the thing about email newsletters: They’re like tending a garden. Unlike my own gardening skills (spoiler alert: they don’t exist) you can’t just plant the seeds (aka get subscribers) and walk away. You need to nurture those relationships consistently!
And I get it; showing up in someone’s inbox week after week, month after month can feel daunting. What if you run out of things to say? What if your content falls flat? What if people unsubscribe?
But here’s what I’ve learned after years of helping businesses grow their businesses through email marketing: The biggest mistake isn’t sending an imperfect newsletter; it’s not sending one at ALL.
When you go radio silent, you’re essentially telling your subscribers, “Thanks for trusting me with your email address, but I’ve got nothing to give to you!” Ouch, right?
Unlike social media platforms where you’re at the mercy of changing algorithms and paid reach, your email list is truly yours. It’s valuable digital real estate that you own and control.
Think about it: When was the last time Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn asked you to pay to reach the followers you already have? (Probably yesterday!) But with email? Assuming you have your domain verified and your list is healthy, your message will land directly in your subscriber’s inbox – no pay-to-play required!
Regular email newsletters keep you top-of-mind with your audience. PERIOD!
They transform casual subscribers into loyal fans who think of you first when they need the products, services, or solutions you offer. Every time you hit “send” on a newsletter is an opportunity to deepen that connection, share your expertise, and nurture the relationship that could lead to your next big client or customer!
Plus, unlike social media posts that disappear into the void after 24 hours (or even less!), email newsletters create a lasting impression. Your subscribers can save, forward, and revisit them whenever they need your insights.
Using AI to Generate Email Newsletter Ideas
OK, OK. You’re convinced that you need a consistent email newsletter, right? And you’re probably just here for the AI prompts to save you some time, anyway.
Let’s start with the basics. If you have a clean slate and you just want to ideate themes for your newsletter — in other words, what does your audience want to hear about from you? – you can use AI to help generate those ideas!
Below is a prompt you can input into a platform like Magai* to help you out!
*I love using Magai because it gives me access to multiple AI platforms like ChatGPT and Claude (my current favorites) and many more, without having to pay for multiple subscriptions. Plus, I can save my prompts and brand information for custom conversation building over time. My affiliate link is right here so you can check it out for yourself. I may receive a small commission if you decide to purchase Magai, too. Thanks!
AI Prompt for Generating Newsletter Ideas
You are acting as a marketing expert in the [INDUSTRY YOU ARE IN] industry. Today, we are working on improving our email newsletter that we send on a [FREQUENCY] basis.
I am the owner of [BUSINESS NAME], and we help [TARGET AUDIENCE] by providing [CORE SERVICE(S)/PRODUCT(S)]. Our unique differentiators include [LIST DIFFERENTIATORS]. We are experts in [DESCRIBE EXPERTISE].
My target audience is people who [DESCRIBE TARGET AUDIENCE.] These are people who typically struggle with [INSERT 2-3 MAIN PAIN POINTS].
Our brand voice is [DESCRIBE TONE/PERSONALITY].
Using this information, please analyze my target audience and create a detailed list of email newsletter content themes that would genuinely resonate with them.
Please consider:
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Their daily challenges and frustrations related to my business expertise
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Common questions they ask before buying our solutions
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Industry trends that impact them
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Their pain points related to our industry
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Aspirations and goals they’re working toward related to this industry
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Decisions they need to make regularly, related to this industry
Format your response as a list, with each idea on its own line. Start with 10 ideas, and I will give you feedback on whether you’re going in the right direction before you generate more ideas.
How to Use AI to Brainstorm Educational Newsletter Topics
How did that go? Did you get a great list of themes and ideas? The goal with that prompt was to get your wheels turning with ideas.
I’m sure some of the AI ideas were insightful, and some were way off base! Don’t forget to give constructive feedback, share what you like and don’t like, and have an ongoing conversation with your generative AI tool of choice.
Where do you go from here? Well, you could:
- Take these topics and run with them! Plug them into your content calendar. Then, start writing newsletter content from scratch. Or, you could hand off these ideas to your internal team or external freelance writer, and your email newsletters are off to the races.
- Keep working with AI! I have more prompts below to help you move these concepts forward with the help of modern tools.
One of my favorite types of email content to write (and receive!) is educational email newsletters.
Many of these, such as my newsletter, introduce a new blog article or podcast as their main topic, along with some other goodies or helpful content. Others just have some helpful, standalone content in every single blast. Danielle the Dietician’s weekly email is a great example — you can sign up for her content here.
Are you wondering how to come up with good educational topics, over and over again? AI to the rescue! Here’s a prompt to help:
AI Prompt for Generating Educational Newsletter Content
*Important: Make sure you’ve already used the first prompt, above, or something similar to prep your AI tool with your business information, audience background, etc.
Building on our previous discussion about [BUSINESS NAME] and our target audience, I need help generating educational content ideas for my newsletter that showcase our expertise while providing genuine value.
Create a list of educational topics that would help my audience better understand [CORE SUBJECT MATTER/INDUSTRY]. Each topic should:
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Address a specific challenge or knowledge gap
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Build trust in our expertise
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Lead naturally to our solutions without being sales-y
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Be digestible in newsletter format
For each topic, please provide:
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The main educational concept/lesson
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3 key points to cover
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A practical tip or action step readers can implement immediately
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A natural connection to our services/products
I do NOT want you to write the content at this time. I am looking for brief outlines. Your format for each educational topic idea should be:
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TOPIC 1
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Main Concept
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Key Points (3)
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Quick Win
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How this topic connects to our solution(s)
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Please start with five educational topic frameworks, and I’ll provide feedback before you generate more.
How to Use AI to Draft Email Newsletter Content
Now it’s getting exciting! Again, some of those ideas and initial outlines were probably silly or off-base, but I’m guessing you have some really exciting topics that are starting to take shape in your mind.
Use this as the basis as your newsletter intros (teach something, then go ahead and share the rest of your content) or as the only content of your newsletter. It’s up to you!
Where do you go from here? Again, you have choices!
- Take ‘em and run with ‘em! Use these frameworks to write your own educational newsletter, or have your team create content using the outlines.
- Keep reading for more AI prompts to help you out.
Do you need help coming up with a first, solid draft of your chosen educational topic? Try this tried-and-true AI prompt!
AI Prompt for Drafting Educational Newsletter Content
*Important: To get the most out of this prompt, you’ll need to have already provided AI with your business information, audience background, etc. Also, you will get much better results if you provide AI with prior newsletter examples so it can generate a similar style, length, and tone.
You are acting as an expert copywriter for the [INDUSTRY YOU ARE IN] industry. You are writing the first draft of an email newsletter, using this basic outline:
[PASTE SELECTED OUTLINE HERE]
Guidelines for the draft:
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Align with our brand voice.
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Keep our audience’s pain points in mind.
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The goal is to be helpful and engaging, but not patronizing.
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Open with a compelling hook that relates to our audience’s daily experiences
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Keep paragraphs to 2-3 sentences maximum
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Include occasional questions to maintain engagement
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Add emphasis through strategic use of bold or italics for key points
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Close with a call to action that relates this content to our specific [SERVICE/PRODUCT]. Here’s more information about it: [PROVIDE INFO].
Please draft approximately [NUMBER] words of educational content. Here are [NUMBER] examples of past newsletters to guide you with tone and length:
[PASTE 2-3 NEWSLETTER EXAMPLES]
Newsletter Writing After an AI Draft
It should go without saying (but I’m going to say it anyway) that your AI-generated newsletter draft – no matter how solid it may appear – should be humanized, fact-checked, and read over by at least one other person within your organization. NEVER, EVER, EVER copy, paste, and send!
I am a content writer by craft, and I work with several talented writers on my team who have dedicated their careers to crafting on-brand copy for businesses and nonprofits. This is how we support our families, after all. It would be doing all of us a disservice if I simply said: “Here you go! Use these AI prompts to write your emails and never use a human again!”
Because frankly… that’s not what we’re about. That’s not what any of us believe in.
Sure, AI is a helpful tool, and it can really save you a lot of time, but no matter what your content looks like at this point, it’s going to need some cleaning up. Give it some pizzazz. Give it some personality. Make sure it aligns with your values, your vision, and the brand you want to present to the world.
Because if you don’t… Well, then your audience might as well just talk to ChatGPT by themselves, right? Why do they need to subscribe to YOUR email list?
All right, I’m off my soapbox. Promise me you’ll make your content your own? Yes? OK, great! Let’s close out with some more helpful prompts that are going to save you time!
How to Use AI to Draft Email Subject Lines
Confession from a full-time writer: I rarely write my own email subject lines!
I’m just not good at it! I have much, MUCH better luck getting Magai to do it for me. I’ll clean it up a tiny bit before sending, of course, but here’s the prompt I use to get creative, fun, click-worthy email subject lines:
AI Prompt for Generating Email Subject Lines
Below is an email newsletter that I just wrote. Please generate 10 email subject line ideas for this email. All are six words or fewer. Four are funny, three are more serious, and three are whatever you want. You can include up to one emoji in each subject line.
[PASTE NEWSLETTER]
Bonus AI Prompts: Quotes, Jokes, and Tips
I mentioned earlier that not every newsletter is written about one topic. Some of my favorite newsletters teach a topic or two and then sign off — but many others are an eclectic variety of tips, tricks, and even memes!
Here are a few bonus AI prompts that will help you generate lists of elements that you can keep in your back pocket for additional newsletter add-ons:
AI Prompt for Generating Jokes or Puns
I need some lighthearted humor for my newsletter that would resonate with [TARGET AUDIENCE] who work in [INDUSTRY].
Please generate 5 clean, professional jokes, puns, or funny observations about common situations in our industry. I will give you feedback before you generate any additional content.
AI Prompt for Generating Quick Tips and Tricks
You are acting as an expert in the [INDUSTRY YOU ARE IN] industry.
Please generate 5 practical, actionable tips related to [CORE TOPIC/INDUSTRY] that would help [TARGET AUDIENCE] solve everyday challenges. Each tip should be 1-2 sentences, maximum. I will give you feedback before you generate any additional content.
AI Prompt for Generating Inspirational Quotes
*Important: Always, always fact-check these quotes. Simply paste your chosen quote into Google and make sure it is most commonly written and attributed to the person that your AI tool is claiming. If you cannot find it as written, do not use it.
You are acting as a writer in the [INDUSTRY YOU ARE IN] industry.
Please give me five attributed inspirational or motivational quotes that would resonate with [TARGET AUDIENCE] who are working to achieve [MAIN GOAL/CHALLENGE]. Include the author’s name for each quote.
Turn These AI Prompts Into Newsletter Gold!
Tools like Magai are excellent for jumpstarting your email newsletter strategy, but it still takes some human effort to really make the magic happen. Traction starts to take shape when you combine AI efficiency with human creativity and expertise. That’s where my team comes in!
At Emily Writes, we’re masters at blending AI-powered processes with our deep understanding of what makes email marketing actually work. We don’t just feed prompts into ChatGPT and call it a day. Instead, we:
- Craft custom AI prompts tailored to your specific industry
- Write and fine-tune content with our expert writers’ touch
- Ensure every newsletter aligns perfectly with your brand voice
- Build and design your newsletters in your chosen email marketing platform
- Handle the whole process from ideation to hitting “send”
Want to see how we can transform your newsletter from “meh” to “must-read”? Let’s chat! Request our services today, and we’ll show you how to make your email marketing both efficient AND effective!