How To Write A Successful Newsletter
The two most important questions
1. What is its purpose?
2. Who is it for?
The answers should be clear and will be a solid guide for the copywriter.
Successful newsletters have certain things in common
- The content is varied and includes interviews, top ten lists, human interest stories and/or votes & polls
- The newsletter has a publishing frequency. Set a schedule and distribute your newsletter without fail. Readers will learn to expect it.
- Create a style and personality for the newsletter. Dry verbiage may contain a lot of good information but will not get read.
- Insist on top quality content that is useful and entertaining
- Establish your publication as a trusted source of information. Your integrity and honesty in your conversation with the reader will foster loyalty and subsequent subscriber growth.
Some specifics
- Tell your readers that you don’t sell their information to anyone – ever!
- Include a link to unsubscribe
- When mentioning links to other sites or articles check if they work before distributing the publication and write out the entire URL starting with http://…
- Include people. We are social beings; so recounting actual stories are interesting.
- Ask a guest to contribute content (but make absolutely sure s/he is a credible source)
- Invite readers to ask questions, share stories and generally participate
- Include an FAQ section, even if it’s only one question
- Adding an off-topic, more light-hearted article creates interest
- Do include news about your business, statistics, etc. but beware of writing an advertorial.
Seriously consider subscribing to a distribution site such as iContact or ConstantContact (or MailChimp, which is free for the basic version). These companies offer a variety of templates, so you don’t need to hire a designer. They also make managing your database easy, so you can send different content depending on the recipient target group or industry.