How To Write A Newsletter

Because of the high volume of newsletters, it's not an easy task to stand out. An excellent way to distinguish yourself is by establishing a signature voice. You can achieve this through phrasing, punctuation, slang, wit, or humor. And while you want to keep your actual articles highly informative, there is always room to create your voice in the editorial or the table of contents summaries!

The hallmark trait of a valid email newsletter is information. Newsletters should be packed with valuable information but also formatted in a way that is not overwhelming to readers.  Offer readers a table of contents, with the option to view content in more detail. Links are excellent for newsletters; interested readers can click through for more info, while others can skim by. The newsletter shouldn’t be a task to consume. Keep the layout and the content concise and straightforward, and get to the point fast.

The importance of strong headlines is strongly underappreciated. The subject line can make all the difference in whether readers will read your article or ignore it. Good headlines are clear about the content. They can be engaging, sometimes even intriguing but should never be misleading.  A great intro and outro should follow headlines. Like the legendary communications guru, Dale Carnegie said: Tell your audience what you are going to tell them, then tell them, and later tell them what you told them.

It is easily said, “Write a newsletter. Make sure your content is relevant and interesting.” Right. But how do you do that? Sometimes you need a bit of inspiration for your newsletter content. So here is a list of favorite company newsletter content ideas. 1. Customer stories Whether your newsletter audience is internal or external, nothing demonstrates the value of what you’re doing as well as the testimonial of an actual customer or user. Add some fresh pictures and some quotes, and this is highly shareable content to help promote your online newsletter! 2. Behind the scenes content Both customers and colleagues alike are often curious about how things are made or how an organization works. Plus it allows you to put a human face on any of your activities. 3. In the spotlight You can put a face on who you are as a brand by doing interviews with your employees. Interviews allow you to show not only what they do in your organization but also who they are as a person. 4. Unexpected or refreshing usage of your product or service Was your product used in an unexpected way? People love surprising stories, and a picture will provide you again with a tremendous shareable asset. 5. Your take on industry news Probably your industry already has some reputed sources who provide coverage on what is happening. So the need to re-hash this is small. However, your view and reaction to what is happening are so much more relevant and exciting for your audiences. 6. Results and thank you from the CEO This item speaks for itself. It is always heartwarming to receive praise and get recognition. 7. Top 10 resources Make a list of super-valuable resources that are important and relevant to your audience. Top 10 lists are always fun and can be helpful. 8. Frequently Asked Questions / Letters to the editor Frequently asked questions and especially letters to the editor are techniques used traditionally be newspapers. Letters to the editor and answers to questions can be published, and are often not only exciting but are also enticing readers to start engaging as well. 9. Let the experts talk Most likely, you have some real topic experts - well, bring them together and let them explain a difficult topic or a recent trend or innovation.  10. Welcome to the company Welcome newly hired people and introduce them to the rest of your staff with a short profile and interview. 11. Event reporting If you were at an event, be sure to report on your presence there and some trends you picked up. 12. Seasonal Perhaps the easiest way to do so is by incorporating current events, seasonal changes, and holidays in your newsletter content. It’s good practice to merge the calendar year of activities with your editorial calendar to guide content creation.

Are you looking for better newsletter titles? You are probably eager to avoid the typical “October newsletter” kind of name for your newsletter. There are more creative newsletter names out there that might just fit your purpose. Some of these are synonyms; some are a bit more descriptive or creative. And, maybe some of these newsletter name ideas could be valid candidates for sections titles. Here is our catchy newsletter names list:

One of the typical characteristics of a newsletter is its periodicity. There is no golden rule for optimal periodicity. The optimal periodicity mostly depends on your audience, your topics, and, most often, what is the historical or traditionally expected frequency. While you might be tempted to increase the frequency of your newsletter, very often, your audience will have a current expectation regarding your periodicity. And you will more than likely also have a limit imposed by your capacity to produce and create quality content online. Most often, you will have weekly newsletters (e.g., for financial newsletters) or monthly newsletters, and quarterly (commonly used for employee newsletters). An essential rule about periodicity is to communicate upfront the frequency and to stick to it.  Send out your newsletter at the same time every day (or same day every week or month) and keep a consistent format. This habit sets an expectation, and subscribers may begin to look forward to it.  TV broadcasters and newspapers widely use this technique. A good example is the New York Times' daily briefing. It arrives every morning at 6 AM with a ‘Good Morning’ headline. This reliability creates an experience; a daily routine, a morning cup of coffee with "the paper."