Anyway Magazine
Email Templates
Design an email template for Anyway Magazine where they can share updates, news articles, affiliate links, and additional content.
Anyway is a gender-inclusive magazine for tweens. Each issue is filled with stories and activities related to health, well-being, and culture for kids age 9-15.
Table of Contents
I. Discover.
Intake & Client Brief
Research
II. Define.
User Goals
Business Goals
Technical Constraints
III. Design.
Design templates for CMS
About the Client
Anyway Magazine launched its first issue in 2022. It was created by two lifelong best friends who felt a lack of resources with helpful, inclusive, and fun information for their tween children. They needed two email marketing templates to engage with their audience: one short form for quick updates and one long form for affiliate links, stories, and more.
I. Discover:
What was I aiming to understand?
I wanted to know what types of content they would be sharing in their emails to design adaptable templates that serve the business's needs, while providing delight for their users.
Client Intake Findings
Q: What purpose will this serve?
A: It’s primarly a place to present product recommendations with affiliate links and an organic way to incorporate Anyway Magazine content/voice. It will also provide updates on new issue releases, links from around the web, and guest articles.
Q: What are your goals for this feature?
A: Keep the audience engaged and drive traffic to the website. It should generate affiliate link income, maintain branding guidelines and be adaptable to shifting content needs.
Q: Who is your intended user for the feature?
A: Adults and guardians with questions or concerns about their preteens/teens. They will subscribe to the emails for product recommendations and to answer questions regarding their preteens and teens. It should also translate affiliate content to suit a teen audience.
Competitor Research Findings
For Anyway Magazine’s competitors, I studied content sites and newsletters that primarily host product recommendations and affiliate links. Wirecutter and The Strategist are the two most popular amongst the demographic already subscribed to Anyway Magazine. I also looked at Cup of Joe, a website targeting parents and guardians. Users looking specifically for parenting-related content are likely to turn to a source with more of a “mommy blog” authority.
Another competitor, After School, has a personal tone in their newsletters. This resonates with the voice Anyway Mag is cultivating—a friendly peer offering researched recommendations rather than a didactic or moralizing authority.
Anyway Mag isn’t starting with a large amount of content, so one of our biggest challenges is to think of components and content types in a way that allows the blog to grow but feels neither redundant nor overbearing to users while content is sparse.
II. Define:
How should we solve the problem?
Anyway Magazine needs two options when it comes to email templates: one for quick updates and another to host additional content, including non-editorial stories and affiliate links.
Product Roadmap:
What features do users need to ensure the product functions? What can I add to make the product more enjoyable?
The priority features were validated by stakeholder research, market research, and user research findings. The technical constraints were building on Klayvio and the desire to make this as low/no-code as possible for ease of use.
Priority features:
Hero: Home, Services, Quiz, About, Contact Button.
Section Header: Sub-headline for email subject line to introduce the content in the email.
Non-editorial stories: copywriting specifically for the email, be it updates, guest contributor stories, links from around the web etc.
Purchase CTA: direct users to purchase past issues, provide discount promo codes
Sign-off: to add a personal touch that is consistent with the brand’s voice and style.
Socials: linking users to other places they can connect with Anyway Mag.
Footer: Nav links, incorporated address, unsubscribe link
Klayvio constraints:
Templates: preset templates with little flexibility. Should be easy for stakeholders to make changes without having to hire out again.
Limited customer support: users report issues getting help with questions or set-backs. Designing/building in moveable blocks is crucial for ease-of-use.
Updates: with each update, features can be introduced or removed. Reliance on specialized editing tool options should limited-to-none.
III. Design:
What should it look like and how should users interact with it?
Klayvio template and pattern research, sketches, and high-fidelity mocks helped me determine how templates will look. Brand elements were provided by the client, so the designs should adhere to those guidelines.
Template 1
Used primarily for quick updates on upcoming issues, sales on previous issues, calls for stories, and opportunities for personal touches, such as “notes from the editor”. It can also include affiliate links and recommendations, but that is not the main purpose of the template.
Template 2
Used for longer-form email updates. Will include affiliate links, articles from around the web, product reviews, and guest contributor stories.
