7 Ways to Improve your Newsletter
1. Don’t Repeat Materials
Your newsletter must be fresh and new. The value of the newsletter to your readers will
absolutely hinge on articles, news, and pictures that haven’t seen before or
that can be found elsewhere. Readership
will increase as your recipients realize that your newsletter is the only place
to get high quality information and exclusive stories and pictures.
2. Beauty is a Must
The first impression of your newsletter, whether it is print
or email will either entice or turn-off your readers in less than 7 seconds
(that number decreases every year!) Here
are 3 ways to make your newsletter visually stimulating:
1. Do
not use large blocks of text. Always use
photos and images to break up text. Use
lines and color blocks to separate sections on a page.
2. Be consistent throughout the newsletter and if you are publishing a
series of newsletters be consistent between every edition. Always use the same header, the same fonts, similar
style layouts, etc.
3. Always
use the same fonts for headers and text.
In print newsletters, the headers should typically be San Serif (Ariel,
Verdana, Lucinda Sans Typewriter) and text in the body of the articles should
be Serif (Times New Roman, Copperplate Gothic Light.) Digital newsletters should be completely
opposite with Serif for headlines and San Serif for body text.
3. Focus!
The amount of cognitive dissonance that everyone is beleaguered
with every day is outrageous. We don’t
need anything else added to our to-do list.
To make sure your newsletter is appreciated enough to be read, you must
make the articles clear, concise, and to the point. Keep your writing light, simple, and short.
4. Keep it Lite
Your readers have enough of their own troubles – don’t lend
them any of yours! If you are a church
newsletter save the deep theology for the pulpit. If you are a non-profit organization, save
the doom and gloom for your annual get-together and fund-raisers. No one likes a Debbie Downer and your
readership with flag as a result.
Positive, uplifting, and humorous articles will encourage your readers
to keep reading.
5. Let Other Voices be Heard
Your organization (church, non-profit, business, school,
etc.) has lots of people that will want to tell a story or take a picture. Use them!
There is nothing as un-compelling as a newsletter written and produced
by one person. One world of
caution: a blanket request for authors
and photographers will probably fall on deaf ears. Have your organization leaders ask people
directly for contributions. Plus, asking
for help verbally, face-to-face makes it harder to say, No!
6. Message from the Top
The newsletter will gain value in the eyes of your readers
if the leader of your organization has a regular, recurring article discussing
topics such as: a) the current state of things within the organization, b)
upcoming events, c) changes/updates to the organization, or d) new member or
staff changes. Really anything that the leader
(or leaders) discusses will be appreciated by your readers. Leader contributions add credibility and
authority that will boost readership numbers.
Just make sure that the message is positive and genuine.
7. Link to Permanent Resources
It is essential that your readers have direct likes to you
and your organization. Make certain that
you have names and email addresses in a regularly recurring location. Have a phone number if available. Articles
can be linked to information on your website or the Internet (digital=clickable
link; print=spell out the URL.) Listed
events and upcoming attractions must have contact information such as names,
addresses, emails, phone numbers, etc. Make it as easy as you can for your readers
to interact with you and your organization.
The easier it is to contact you or pertinent members of the
organization, the more the reader will read future editions of the newsletter
keeping them in the organizational loop.
