What Makes A Good Newsletter - Part 1

13/10/2011

By Jackie Barrie, Copywriter, Trainer & Author at Comms Plus

It’s often quoted that 68% of customers leave a business because of ‘perceived indifference’ (Ford Foundation Study, 2004). If you want repeat orders, you have to show your customers that you care. One way of doing that is to keep in touch by sending regular newsletters, whether printed or by email.

The trouble is, the word newsletter is a misnomer, as I don’t believe your newsletter should actually contain much news!

Your customer newsletter is not the place for your press releases. Readers don’t care that you’ve won a new contract, employed a new...

...director, or moved to a new premises. They only care what’s in it for them.

Your newsletter objective should not be to tell them what’s new with you, it should be to share useful information that demonstrates your expertise.

I therefore recommend you fill your newsletter with handy hints, useful advice, inside information, humour (if that’s a good fit with your brand values), top ten lists, and even rants with a positive twist. It’s also good to include your unique brand personality and any industry comment that they can’t get elsewhere.

For e-newsletters, the subject line is the most important, as it determines whether people will open it or not. It’s best to write it last, and to avoid any words that will make your message look like spam.

And here’s a controversial thought. It almost doesn’t matter whether subscribers open and read it or not! As long as they see your newsletter in their inbox, it reminds them that you exist, what you do and that you’re thinking of them.

As for content, most newsletters I write for my clients include a client case study (to act as human interest, external endorsement and maybe even for sponsorship), or staff profile (meet the team... continued on page two >

 

 

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