Write a store newsletter with Claude

What you'll make

A weekly email newsletter for your online store — with a product highlight, a short story or behind-the-scenes angle, and one clear call-to-action. Written to feel like a message from a person, not a promotional blast.

What you need

• A Claude account
• An email marketing tool set up (Klaviyo, Mailchimp, or even just Gmail for a small list)
• One product or update to feature this week
• Something personal or behind-the-scenes to share (a process, a decision, a customer question you got this week)
• 20 minutes

Steps

1. Tell Claude about your store and this week's content:

I run an online store called [store name] selling [product type]. I'm writing this week's newsletter. Here's what I want to feature:

Product highlight: [product name] — [why you're featuring it this week: new arrival, seasonal fit, best seller, restocked]
Story angle: [something personal — e.g. "I spent last weekend sourcing new materials", "A customer asked me about [topic] and it made me think...", "Here's why I decided to make this product in the first place"]
Call-to-action: [what you want them to do — "shop the new collection", "reply with your favourite", "take a look at the gift guide"]

Write the newsletter with this structure:
1. Subject line (under 50 characters, conversational — not "Weekly Update from [Store]")
2. Preview text (under 90 characters — the bit that shows after the subject in the inbox)
3. Opening line (personal, references the story angle — like writing to a friend)
4. Product highlight (2–3 sentences about the product, why it's worth looking at this week)
5. Call-to-action (one clear action, one link)
6. Sign-off (your name, like a personal email)

Keep the whole thing under 200 words. No "Dear Valued Customer" or "We're excited to announce".

2. If you have a customer question or piece of feedback to feature, add it:

A customer recently asked me: "[paste the real question or feedback]". Add a short section after the product highlight where I answer this question in 2–3 sentences. Frame it as "A customer asked me about [topic] last week — here's what I told them." This makes the newsletter feel like a conversation, not a broadcast.

3. Ask Claude for two alternative subject lines:

Give me 2 alternative subject lines in different styles:
- Style A: curiosity (makes them want to open to find out more)
- Style B: direct (tells them exactly what's inside)

Keep both under 50 characters. Avoid spam-trigger words (free, urgent, limited time, act now).

4. Review the newsletter. Read it out loud — if any sentence sounds like a corporate press release, rewrite it. The goal is to sound like a person who happens to run a store, writing to someone they know.

5. Send it through your email tool. Aim to send on the same day each week so subscribers know when to expect it.

Check your result

• The subject line sounds like it's from a person, not a brand
• The opening line references something personal or behind-the-scenes (not "We have exciting news!")
• The product highlight explains why this product is worth looking at this week (not just "here's a product")
• There's exactly one call-to-action (not three competing ones)
• The whole email is under 200 words — readable in under 30 seconds

If the newsletter feels too promotional, add more of the story angle and cut product details. People subscribed to hear from you, not to get another sales email. The product should feel like a natural mention, not the point of the email. The point is the relationship.