A standalone newsletter can best be compared to a job interview. Applicants only get one chance , 20 to 60 minutes , to convince the personnel managers of their merits. If they achieve this goal, they are invited to a second interview. If the second round goes in their favour, the contract follows. However, another course of events is just as possible: the candidate does not show his or her best side. This is immediately followed by a rejection. The success or failure of standalone newsletter campaigns is similar. Advertisers have their first and last chance to convince the customer of their offer. What we see in practice in Zurich and Zug: Swiss SMEs consistently underestimate how much preparation a well-executed standalone campaign actually requires. ONELINE explains what companies should pay attention to in newsletter marketing, focusing in particular on content and layout.
Helpful tips for a successful standalone newsletter
Special promotions function similarly to a reward, because they activate the gratitude and reward region of the human brain. External newsletters that refer to a special promotion achieve the same effect. However, advertisers should be careful not to use inflationary discounts under any circumstances. In the meantime, they cause a feeling of aversion among readers. Limited offers, on the other hand, are more likely to motivate email recipients to click. Time-limited promotions, events, seminars or products work wonders.
Events and online seminars enjoy great popularity. They represent a panel of experts sharing knowledge with a limited number of participants. External newsletters announcing an event or an online seminar entice recipients to click on “read more”. After all, these are special offers , even if the number of online events is increasing daily. Nevertheless, newsletters with the invitation “save-the-date” encourage users to take a closer look at the online seminar presented. In the sales letter, companies present the event along with the agenda. In addition to a fixed number of participants, the time-limited early bird condition also serves as a motivation to participate. Another possibility is to send out a trade fair report. There is nothing wrong with a trade fair report in the form of a standalone newsletter.
A product announcement also serves as interesting content. Companies that offer a new product or an innovative service should publish it in a standalone newsletter. This increases their reach. Ideally, these promotional emails should introduce new features, offer an upgrade or a test account. The enticing icing on the cake, however, is a newcomer discount. In addition to innovation announcements, theme specials are also ideal content for standalone campaigns. Christmas offers serve as a classic example. In practice, the introduction of new employees has also proven its worth. Theme weeks for selected fields of competence encourage people to read more. ONELINE emphasises how important the content of a standalone campaign is, but the agency also points out the importance of newsletter design.
Three insider tips for the successful implementation of a standalone campaign
External newsletters unfold the desired effect, provided they also leave nothing to be desired visually. How do advertisers achieve this goal with people who are contacting them for the first time? By focusing on emotions. People are emotional beings. Endless facts and long texts overwhelm the reader just by looking at them. Moreover, time is a scarce commodity. Readers simply do not have time to skim long texts. That is why blog owners quote the reading time in minutes. Accordingly, companies that reduce their advertising message to the essentials win. In addition, they substantiate their statements with empathy and emotionality. How does this work? For example, by addressing the reader personally. “Dear reader” is therefore a mortal sin as a form of address. Thanks to automated tools in newsletter marketing, however, personalised addressing is no longer a problem. Our experience shows that campaigns using first-name personalisation regularly achieve 15 to 25 percent higher open rates than generic mass mailings.
The underestimated effect of storytelling
Storytelling enjoys great popularity as a term in online marketing. What is the reason for this? Perhaps the fact that stories are a wonderful childhood memory. Short stories remind readers of their happy childhood. That is why stories captivate readers. Stories arouse emotions, mostly positive ones. Stories make people think. Stories stand out from a mass-produced sales letter. Stories are more memorable than a long text. Stories are almost always well received. The challenge for marketing managers is simply to provide their selected target group with the right story. Besides storytelling, dialogues also function as perfect external newsletters. Because they wake up the reader, appeal to him and motivate him to think along. In the technology age, more and more people are longing for real conversations that make them think. Newsletter campaigns that ask questions of readers fulfil this need.
Capture readers’ attention
Not only emotions or empathy are important tools of a standalone newsletter, but also attention. Companies come into contact with potential customers for the first time thanks to this newsletter. Consequently, the attention of the readers plays an important role. Attention-grabbing call-to-actions are suitable for this purpose. And because mere words are no longer enough, newsletter designers design the buttons with the help of graphics. In addition, a call-to-action leaves no questions unanswered. “Buy now”, “Secure offer” or “Subscribe to newsletter” are among the well-known, effective call-to-actions. They attract the readers’ attention and motivate them to take further action.
The corporate design is part of a standalone newsletter. In this way, readers are immediately able to recognise which company is writing to them. The recognition value is important. Nevertheless, online marketing managers are allowed to deviate a little in terms of design and add a special extra. After all, external newsletters should stand out from regular electronic advertising letters. If you are also looking to grow your audience beyond email, lead generation strategies can work hand in hand with standalone campaigns.
Why legal aspects are important
How did the address owner obtain the addresses? Double opt-in, confirmed or single procedure? Responsible marketing managers clarify this question in advance. Double opt-in is the only acceptable option. With this procedure, it is certain that the email recipient agrees to receive advertising mails. The newsletter is always sent via the address owner. If the address owner offers to send the standalone newsletter in the company’s own name, the alarm bells should immediately start ringing. Because this procedure is illegal. Advertisers are only allowed to determine the subject line and the entire content. Furthermore, readers should have an easy and quick way to unsubscribe from the mailing list. In Switzerland, compliance with the revised Data Protection Act (revDSG), in force since September 2023, is non-negotiable and directly affects how you collect and manage email addresses.
Other helpful questions are: Does the address owner have a whitelist? How often does he send emails to the recipients? Provided companies answer these questions in their favour, they can also assume that their advertising message will reach potential new customers as desired. A bad reputation of the chosen list may also have an unfavourable effect on the advertising company. If a company is working with a selected cooperation partner for the first time, a test run is a good idea. In this way, marketing managers gain valuable experience with a small user group, which they can then roll out to a larger audience.
Why Maslow’s pyramid of needs serves as a valuable aid for a standalone newsletter
Newsletter marketing poses particular challenges for social media managers. They pay attention to numerous details in order to convert the selected email recipients into readers. Besides design and layout, there is a simple trick that helps to turn standalone recipients into customers. What is this so-called secret tip of ONELINE based on? On Maslow’s pyramid of needs. It depicts people’s needs in five levels.
- Physiological needs: Food, drink, sleep
- Safety needs: Security and protection of oneself, health
- Social needs: Interpersonal relationships and a sense of belonging
- Need for esteem: Recognition and status
- Need for self-realisation: Development of the personality
For advertisers, it is worthwhile to include one of these levels in the newsletter. Why should readers read through an electronic advertising letter and possibly take advantage of the offer if it does not fulfil any of their needs? Thus, target group selection is not the only factor, but also the level of Maslow’s pyramid of needs that the message speaks to.
How to address the needs of the recipients
A newsletter that addresses sleep problems and insomnia will be well received by the right target group. However, the subject line should not contain empty promises. Furthermore, readers should have the feeling that they are not alone with their sleep problem. Empathy and emotionality play an important role in meeting basic needs. The same applies to the other physiological needs such as food and drink.
External newsletters that address safety needs are also growing in popularity. This can be the security system for one’s own home, or products and services that address the desire to maintain one’s health. Stage two of the pyramid of needs can also be wonderfully combined with emotions. Online seminars and events score points for their versatility, because they can satisfy the need for a sense of belonging, appreciation and self-fulfilment. Such standalone campaigns are suitable for people who want to create the best possible version of themselves. Companies that include one or more levels of Maslow’s pyramid of needs in their content increase their chances of success. Their readers convert into customers. However, the offer that the standalone newsletter promotes should be unique and stand out from the competition. Otherwise, companies will encounter disinterested and annoyed readers.
This article was written by the ONELINE team. We have been supporting Swiss companies in digital transformation for over 10 years , from SEO and SEA to AI automation and lead generation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes a standalone newsletter different from a regular newsletter?
A standalone newsletter is a one-off mailing sent to an external list, usually rented from a partner. It is not sent to your own subscribers but to a new audience that does not yet know your brand. The goal is acquiring new contacts or customers, not nurturing existing ones.
How do I make sure my standalone newsletter is legally compliant in Switzerland?
The double opt-in procedure is mandatory. Recipients must have actively consented to receiving advertising emails. Since the revised Swiss Data Protection Act (revDSG) came into force, proper documentation of consent is more important than ever. Always send via the address owner and never in your own name without their involvement.
What open rates can I realistically expect from a standalone campaign?
This varies significantly depending on the list quality, subject line and industry. In our experience with Swiss campaigns, a well-prepared standalone newsletter can achieve open rates between 18 and 35 percent. Poor list quality or a generic subject line can easily drop that below 10 percent.
Can standalone newsletters be combined with other digital marketing channels?
Absolutely. Many companies in Zurich and Zug combine standalone campaigns with retargeting via Google Ads or social media to reinforce the message. A coordinated approach across channels consistently outperforms single-channel campaigns. If you want to explore this further, our Google Ads team can help build a matching retargeting setup.
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