No matter what type of newsletter you are producing, meaningful and effective newsletter content is essential if you want it to be read. This applies whether it’s for a non-profit concern such as a club, association, church or school, or a commercial newsletter such as for a retailer or other business.
Check yours out now to see if it adheres to the following five principles that every newsletter should follow to ensure that it has meaningful quality content.
The most important rules relating to newsletter content are that it should be:
- Topical (contain news, e.g. coming events, new products, announcements etc)
- Readable (contain short, properly written, focused articles)
- Useful (have an advice column, hints & tips, analyze issues etc)
- Balanced (contain a mixture of serious and light-hearted content)
- Compelling (cover areas known to be of interest to its readership)
1. Topical Issues
The first item goes without saying; the news in newsletter is just as important as the news in newspaper—and it’s not news unless it’s topical. If you are responsible for providing the copy for your newsletter, keep notes to ensure that you cover everything that’s happened since the last edition and everything that’s planned following the next. It is vital that the lead item(s) pay due regard to this rule.
2. Make It Readable
In the case of the second principle, always remember your target audience. A conversational style is usually best, rather than the more formal approach such as I use in this article. I know of course, that the vast majority, if not all, of my readers are relatively literate so my writing style reflects this. As my readership evolves to include people who use English as a second language, I may need to look again at this question of readability.
3. Provide Useful Information
The third item is important because, amongst other things, it can be effective in building relationships and even soliciting feedback. Advice for new people, a jargon dictionary where older members are asked to contribute, the historical background to some tradition or other, where to go to get this, how to apply for that; these are all ideas that you might want to think about.
4. Make It Balanced
Balance, the fourth item in the list, is an elusive quality that is easy to get wrong. The need differs from one newsletter to another. There are boundaries of taste and inappropriate contrasts to consider. For example, a funeral director’s newsletter is hardly likely to be improved by a ‘grim reaper’ cartoon—no matter how funny. On the other hand, some readers can be turned into loyal and enthusiastic followers by the inclusion of something as simple as a regular crossword.
5. Reader Appeal
Last, but by no means least, how do you make your newsletter content compelling?
By including newsletter content that is irresistible to the reader; in other words, the things that they are most interested in. You must know your reader. The more you know about the reader the more relevant you can make the content and the more compelling the newsletter.
Don’t forget also how compelling it is for people to read about themselves! Even better is seeing a picture of themselves or one that includes them or their group. What about a regular feature such as ‘Volunteer (Worker, Committee Member, Customer etc) of the Month’ or randomly selecting someone in your club for a ‘Focus on a Member’ spot?
If you stick to the five principles of meaningful content, and your newsletter content ideas match, it will have true reader appeal. When it has that it is relatively easy to unleash its potential and make it work for you.