Tips for Better Newsletters

A newsletter is a consistent, effective, visual means of keeping your name/message in front of your current and potential clients. It can help your business project a professional, service-oriented image. However, your newsletter should be more informational, than sales oriented (think soft sell). Here are some things to consider when creating a newsletter.

Know your readers. You should be able to describe your readership in one sentence. Knowing your readers helps focus and give purpose to your newsletter.

The Five-Minute Reader Rule. A newsletter should be a quick read. Most readers want to scan for information and will expect to read a newsletter in about five minutes.

Give readers opportunity to respond. One of the core mechanisms of any promotional material is a call for action by your reader. That doesn't mean that "call me" is an "opportunity to respond". Try to encourage readers to give feedback and participate. Again you want to use soft sell - you want to provide information with a benefit.

Mailing your newsletter. Bulk mailing is a great opportunity to save money, but the post office has its restrictions. There are regulations for size, folding, sealing, and thickness. Contact your local postal service for specifications.

Commit to a schedule for your newsletter - weekly, monthly, quarterly. Consistency and value are important to people. This also goes for design and layout. A consistent format for your newsletter brings recognition.

Copyright issues. If you use information from other sources remember to give credit when credit is due (remember those footnotes from those high school research papers). Also remember that you more than likely will need permission from the author to reprint any material. It is also just common courtesy to request for permission to reprint an article by someone else.