Sign up for a free account at an online newsletter service such as MailChimp, Constant Contact, or CampaignMonitor.
Follow the service's directions to upload your logo and design the main template your newsletters will use. These services offer an easy to use WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) editor for creating your design, with the option to import pre-made templates from their galleries for you to build upon.
Add the logo or name of your business to the top area of the template, called the "header". If you decide to use images or graphics in the body of the newsletter, include a note at the very top of the template to enable images if the user has them turned off.
Create a navigation area containing links to pages on your website. This menu can be horizontal or mimic a sidebar -- it's up to you. This can help generate traffic back to your website and increase views.
Add an area for your content. If you want your newsletter to follow a standard format each time you send it, you can type out "placeholder" text and then style the headings the way you want your final content to appear. You can skip this step if you choose to have the newsletter service pull in content from your blog or website.
Create a footer row below the content area. At a minimum, the footer must contain a link to Unsubscribe from the newsletter. This can link to the unsubscribe function of your newsletter service, or simply open a reply email with a subject attribute of "unsubscribe." Other great elements to include in your footer would be social network icons linking to your profiles or a link to update subscription options if the service offers it.
Add yourself as the first subscriber and send yourself a test newsletter to see how it looks. Tweak your design until it looks just the way you want it.
Design the newsletter in the same way you might design a website. The emphasis should be on your brand or logo and promotional elements, while presenting the content in a well-organized and readable fashion. The layout itself can follow any format you desire, but the hierarchy of information should follow a "brand - headline - sideline - footer" structure. The closer the newsletter looks to your website or other materials, the more influence it will create for your brand or message.
Place your business name or logo at the top of the design, followed by your slogan or promotional text. Since we read left to right, place the content you want to grab the most attention in the upper left of your content area. If your newsletter is multiple pages, add a sidebar containing a table of contents.
Include a masthead and mailbox. The masthead lists the contributors of the newsletter content and is typically placed on the inside first page of book-style newsletters, or the second page of two-sided pages. The mailbox, like the email newsletter footer, contains the return address of the sender and other contact information, and may also include how to unsubscribe.
Use large fonts for your headlines to grab attention and structure your articles using sub-headings and lists when possible. This creates a well-organized feel that is easy to skim.