Lowell Makes Newsletter Revamp

If you follow our newsletter, you’ve probably read about all the exciting things happening at Lowell Makes, our vibrant makerspace here in Lowell. A couple of months ago, I was named Marketing Committee Chair. It's been both challenging and exhilarating to manage marketing for this diverse, all-volunteer organization. Recognizing the importance of email marketing, one of my first tasks was to revive their monthly newsletter.

Unfortunately, the newsletter hadn’t been a priority for some time and hadn’t been sent out in nearly a year. I understand how difficult it can be to produce a compelling, well-structured, visually appealing newsletter each month. Even at A+R, we went through a period without one. However, with a solid structure in place, the process becomes easier.

To refresh my approach, I revisited a blog post I wrote a few years back on creating effective newsletters, updated it with some new insights for 2024, and used it as my roadmap for tackling the Lowell Makes newsletter.

The Strategy

The first step was to define a clear strategy. What did we hope to achieve with this newsletter? To find clarity, I asked myself these questions:

1. Who is the audience? The mailing list includes all Lowell Makes members, but it’s also filled with many non-members—over 2,400 subscribers in total. I realized that, while the newsletter should focus on events and happenings at Lowell Makes, it also needed to resonate with this wider community.
2. How do we want to be perceived? I wanted readers to feel the sense of community, creativity, and energy that makes Lowell Makes a unique place to learn, work, and grow together.
3. What actions do we want the audience to take? Primarily, I hoped subscribers would feel like they were part of this community and get involved in the many opportunities offered, including classes, events, and volunteering.
4. How frequently should we send the newsletter? With the organization’s size and its many classes and events, monthly felt like the right interval.

Naming the Newsletter

This was straightforward: the newsletter already had a name, Makers Mail. It’s catchy, alliterative, and clearly descriptive. While previous issues occasionally swapped out the name with “Lowell Makes Newsletter,” we committed to reinforcing Makers Mail with consistent branding.

Content Structure

After reviewing previous newsletters, I noticed a mix of announcements, class listings, and event promotions. However, there was little structure month-to-month, and the layout was inconsistent. A standard format makes it easier to produce each issue and helps readers know what to expect. Here’s the structure we developed for Makers Mail:

• Header – Each issue opens with a featured image of a maker's project, overlaid with the Lowell Makes logo and Makers Mail branding. A caption highlights the image and credits the maker.
• Intro – A brief intro paragraph sets the stage for the content in the issue, spotlighting key information with anchor links that help readers navigate quickly.
• Announcements – A mix of updates, such as new committee appointments, upcoming events, or community opportunities.
• Shop & Committee News – Lowell Makes includes 14 different "shops" (e.g., Wood Shop, Ceramics Shop, Cosplay Shop) and various committees (e.g., Membership, Education). This section gives these groups space to share updates.
• Upcoming Classes – An important section highlighting the extensive educational offerings at Lowell Makes, with a list of classes open for registration.
• Meetups – We list ongoing meetups, like the media group, hacker night, or locksport, to help drive participation.
• Recent Highlights – A space for sharing recent events or accomplishments, such as the recent Halloween party.
• Volunteer Opportunities – As a volunteer organization, this section allows groups to call for new volunteers.
• Community News – The final section highlights events around Lowell that we believe will interest our audience.
• About Lowell Makes - a boilerplate describing what Lowell Makes is all about as a persistent element at the end of each newsletter.

Designing for "Snackability"

A good newsletter isn’t a wall of text. For Makers Mail, I keep the copy concise and pair each section with an engaging image and headline. If more details are needed, we link to them on the website.

Responsive/Mobile Design

With over 80% of email opened on mobile devices (SuperOffice, 2023), mobile optimization is crucial. We use Mailchimp, which offers responsive templates and mobile previews. In designing our template, I focused on logical transitions from desktop to mobile views, ensuring elements like images and text remain consistent across devices.

Optimizing for Email Clients

Having created HTML emails manually before the days of templates, I know that rendering differences exist across email clients. For Makers Mail, we’ve kept the design simple—square buttons, no background images, and no GIFs for now. This simplicity reduces the chances of formatting issues across platforms.

Image Optimization

All images are optimized before uploading to Mailchimp, ensuring they’re high enough resolution for retina displays yet small enough (under 800 KB) for quick download. I also add appropriate alt text for accessibility.

Testing

I conduct multiple rounds of testing before sending out each newsletter. First, I send it to myself to check links and proofread. Then, I send a preview to Lowell Makes leadership for review. Finally, I do a last internal test before sending it to the full list.

Text Version

Fortunately, Mailchimp provides a well-organized text version of each newsletter. Following design best practices—such as using proper header tags and horizontal rules—helps create an easily readable text email.

Conclusion

After only a couple of months, it’s too early to measure long-term success, but our open and click-through rates are already higher than previous issues and above industry averages. I look forward to growing Makers Mail’s readership over time and will continue tweaking and testing to refine our approach.

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