After sending out two reader surveys, Charlottesville Tomorrow's engagement editor found that newsletter readability was an issue for its audience. Based on survey feedback, the newsletter was redesigned, with favorable changes in metrics. This slideshow was assembled by the Charlottesville Tomorrow team and shows a side-by-side comparison of those differences and their results.

1. EXHIBIT A:
Newsletter
before
reader survey

2. The feedback from our readers on the newsletter broke out
into two main categories.
AESTHETIC
• Include maps, diagrams, and pictures as much as
possible.
• Modernize the look & feel.
• New template
• Less cluttered
• Less dense
• More images
• Too busy. Cleaner look would be more inviting to read.
CONTENT
• Let us get to know the people who contribute more.
• Shorter, more concise.
• The emails are walls of text I don’t understand.

3. EXHIBIT B:
Newsletter
after
reader survey
• Intro paragraph
summarizes
content and
provides a
personal touch
• More use of
images
• Staff photo shares
who we are with
our readers
• Reader comment
is prominently
featured
• Cleaned up the
template, modern
ized the look &
feel
• Shortened the
article summaries

4. Since the
Redesign:
• Our open rate
has increased
25%; the
average is 28%
• Our click-
through rate has
increased 32%;
the average is
10%