Don’t let your email newsletter get tossed into the virtual trash can before it’s opened, or lead your customers to the wrong place when they’re ready to purchase. Be sure you aren’t making these three common mistakes.

1) A non-descriptive or vague “From” line

Don’t put “newsletter” in the “from” line. No one will know which newsletter it is! How likely are you to open a newsletter if you don’t know who it’s from?

Instead, use the title of your newsletter or your business name so people know right away who the newsletter is from.

2) A generic subject line

“May Newsletter” isn’t a very interesting subject line. Make sure your subject line grabs attention and provides a glimpse of what’s inside so readers will open it to read more. Try using the title of an article in the newsletter, a tip from the article, or an intriguing question. Watch your open rates as you experiment with different subject lines to see what your readers are most interested in.

3) Bad links

There are been several times I’ve received a newsletter, been ready to sign up for something or make a purchase, and the link went to “Page Not Found” land. Not good! An extra “s” or period in the wrong spot, and no one can get to where you’re trying to send them. Take advantage of the “test email” option in most newsletter services to send yourself a preview copy, then triple check all of your links before you send out your newsletter.

Work at home mom extraordinaire Michelle Shaeffer publishes The Muses Brainstorm, a weekly ezine with tips to help you balance, manage, and market your home based business. If you’re ready for inspirational guidance and bright ideas sign up free at http://www.thesmallbusinessmuse.com