A newsletter for your beauty salon: what to write, how often and what the law forbids

Instagram shows your post to only part of your audience — as many as the algorithm decides. An email reaches every person who agreed to receive it. It's the one marketing channel that belongs to you, not to a platform.

But a newsletter only works if people want it. Here's how to get there.

1. Consent comes first

Marketing emails (promotions, news, invitations to book) may only be sent to people who have clearly agreed to receive them. GDPR and electronic communications law require this.

How to collect consent properly:

• a separate checkbox on the booking form: "I'd like to receive salon news by email";
• not pre-ticked — the client ticks it themselves;
• clear about what they'll get — news, offers, tips;
• easy to opt out — a link at the bottom of every email.

Clients whose email addresses you have from a notebook or spreadsheet, but who haven't given consent, can't receive newsletters. You may only email them about their appointments.

2. What to write

A good newsletter answers "why does this matter to me?". Topics that work:

• seasonal tips — "Caring for your hair during the heating season", "Nails after summer";
• a new service or technique — with a photo and price;
• free slots — "We have free evenings next week";
• holiday opening hours — when you're working over the holidays;
• gift vouchers — in early November;
• team news — a new specialist, training, awards.

One email, one main topic. Three pieces of news in one email means none of them gets read.

3. Email structure

1. Subject line — short, specific, no capitals or exclamation marks: "Autumn hair care and free slots in October".
2. First sentence — why it's worth reading.
3. Body — 3–5 short paragraphs or a list.
4. One photo — your work, not a stock postcard.
5. One call to action — a "Book now" button or link.
6. Footer — salon name, address and an unsubscribe link.

Write the way you talk to clients, not like an ad. "Hi! Autumn is when hair dries out the most. Here are three things that help…"

4. How often

• 1–2 times a month — ideal for most salons.
• No more than once a week — otherwise unsubscribes grow faster than bookings.
• Consistently — every two weeks beats five emails in December and none in January.

5. How to stay out of spam

• No CAPITAL LETTERS or rows of exclamation marks in the subject line.
• Few links — one or two.
• No attachments — photos in the body, not attached.
• Only to people who agreed — "this is spam" complaints do the most damage to your sender reputation.
• Clean your list — bounced (non-existent) addresses hurt all your other emails.

6. How to measure

After each email, check:

• how many people unsubscribed — if it's more than a few percent, your emails are too frequent or not interesting enough;
• how many bookings came in over the next few days — that's the real result.

How it works in edapi

• The consent checkbox is on the booking form; consent applies only to your salon, and the client card shows the consent history.
• You choose the audience: all clients, clients from the last 3 or 12 months, clients of a specific service, or those who haven't visited for a while.
• The preview shows the real email in your salon's style, you can send a test to yourself, and spam warnings appear before sending.
• You can schedule sending for later; one newsletter per 7 days.
• The footer automatically includes the salon name, address and an unsubscribe link. Imported clients don't receive newsletters until they agree themselves.

If you want to reach clients who haven't been in for a while, consider personal messages to your most important clients as well — we discussed how in our article on attracting clients.

What to do tomorrow

1. Check that your booking form has a separate, un-ticked consent checkbox.
2. List 6 topics for the next three months.
3. Write your first email: one topic, one photo, one call to action.
4. Send a test to yourself and read it on your phone.