Should I add polls to my newsletter, and what questions work best?

Yes. Every one of my issues ends with the same poll: how did we do? When I have a good idea, I add a second, fun one near the top.

Why put a poll in a newsletter?

Three reasons:

1. Information. You can use it to learn what readers think, if you want to.
2. Inbox engagement. When people click on things, that's very good for you. It helps Gmail and the other email systems see that people are paying attention.
3. Proof for advertisers. Look how many clicks we're getting. People only click on things they're paying attention to.

More in how to prove your audience to advertisers.

Where should polls go?

• At the bottom, every issue: "How did we do?" It's a standing feedback loop.
• At the top, when you have one: something fun and relevant to the town. Something like "What's your favorite bar in the summer with a patio?"

What poll question has worked best for me?

It wasn't even my idea. We're in Texas, three to four hours from the beach, and Texas beaches aren't known as the best. The poll asked an honest question: we want to go to the beach, but a lot of them are kind of crappy, so what are your favorite beach spots in Texas?

Four options and an "other." We got tons of responses, tons of clicks, and tons of people writing in to explain why they love the one they love.

"People love to share the things that matter to them that have competition."

What makes a good poll question?

Look at why the beach one worked:

• Pride. People are proud of where they vacation. "My family's been going there forever."
• Friendly competition. Maybe South Padre is OK, but you should definitely go to this one.
• Positive. There's no bad choice. It's just excitement for their own pick.

The takeaway: write poll questions that pull out of people what they love to share and are excited to give feedback on. Favorite patio, favorite beach, favorite anything people argue about happily.

Why don't more newsletters run polls?

Because good questions are hard. We haven't run as many as I'd like, mainly because I couldn't think of good ideas. A weak question is a fine reason to skip the top poll that week. Keep the "how did we do?" poll at the bottom regardless. For other ways to make an issue fun, see memes and GIFs in newsletters.