Tag Archives: newsletters

How to write newsletters

Posted on by

Everyone wants to be a writer, but the task of producing a company newsletter is something no one wants to undertake.

Is your company producing a quarterly, or monthly newsletter? Is it available on your web site? Do you feel writing a newsletter is a waste of time? Do you have anyone in the company that knows how to write a newsletter?

Don’t panic if you answered yes to one or more of these questions. How to write a newsletter is not a big deal, if you are a writer, or is it? Many of our PR Clients prefer we do their newsletters. Some PR clients have an in-house staff assigned to do their own, but still ask us to review and design the newsletter to make it appealing to their customers.

Newsletter writing

So what are the tips to writing a newsletter? You can go to a number of web sites like “How to write a Newsletter Toolkit“. But that means buying software then trying to learn what to do. Or go to another site called “101 Newsletter Answers“. But that can be a lot to review and learn. There is always Google if you do a search for writing newsletters.

Or you can read my tips and learn the fast and easy way. If that is too much, we do offer this service to clients. An example of a client’s newsletter is shown. Here are a few tips:

1- Keep the newsletter interesting with information, facts that YOUR customers, or potential customers would find interesting and have value.

2- Design. Have a clean, yet creative look that is not overpowering the information. Similar to a frame that makes a picture more attractive rather than a frame that is too bold and colorful taking away from the picture.

3- Give tips in the newsletter. Offer your customers tips to help them improve their business. It is always best to relate that to something you offer.

4- Give real examples. Tell a story, short, not long, of a situation how your company helped a customer improve their company with your service/product.

5- Assemble a series of these types of topics, and place them in a file for future newsletters. This makes writing the next one easier than trying to find something to write about.

6- Offer customers a reason to contact you. Maybe have a “special” for that quarter, or list your closeout products, etc. Be sure to have your contact information listed.

These are just a few simple tips to get you going. Remember, when you begin writing a newsletter for your company, it is important to keep it going. You will find customers, and potential customers looking for it when you do it right.

Important Points When Publishing Newsletters

Posted on by
Reply

This is an excellent way to keep in touch with clients

Writing a newsletter is not an easy task and most companies try to do them monthly, only to quit after the first year.

The reason is that they try to write them at the last minute. That may bring timely information into your newsletter, but it eventually creates the reason to abandon the process.

Here are a few helpful hints about writing a newsletter.

1- Plan to keep a schedule
Decide if the newsletter will be monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly. Remember, whatever you choose, be sure to stay with that schedule. Being consistent builds a better reputation.
2- Write Information that relates to your industry
Having articles that are rich in content and speak about your industry will help to position your company as an expert in the field.
3- Be Timely
All the articles do not need to be current, but they should be timely. Even information that is a year old might relate to a "timely" event that can help your readers make better decisions. Keeping a handful of subjects and information on file for future newsletters can save you the frustration of having to do research the last minute for another newsletter.
4- Accurate Information
Don’t write something and then inflate the story to make it more interesting. Or add figures that are not correct to again show you know it all. That will only hurt your credibility.

When you have a regular newsletter schedule, and it is filled with rich content, it becomes something customers will look forward to and want to read.

This is another form of publicity. Unlike a press release that may or may not get published, your story, or release can be put into the newsletter. This gives you more control of letting customers know about positive things happening inside your company.

Get noticed by having a regular published newsletter. It keeps your company name in front of prospects and current customers.


See Also

Get Materials Ready For PR

Posted on by
Reply

I have been explaining about the need to have a campaign ready when you are going to "meet the press". This means you should have already prepared several press releases, a company newsletter, a media kit and a media list for your specific market.

When we discussed the media kit, too often companies feel it can be costly and only print about 50 kits (if even that many) thinking that only 20 or 25 reporters exist in their industry. The problem is that you will need more kits because reporters move around and many times you will be asked to send a second kit to a different reporter at that same publication.

So what’s the solution? How about creating an Online Media Kit! This doesn’t mean you completely ignore the tangible, printed press kits. It just reduces the amount of printed copies that you would have mailed out, and allows you to distribute the printed kits at trade shows, or press conferences.

An online media kit can be an excellent tool for reporters and other press to access information about your company. Plus, you can easily update the kit without the fear of "printing" too many.

I want to again point out that pitching a story takes time and careful planning. Don’t make yourself hidden to the media, but also keep in mind they do not like constant calls that have no substance either.
Choose three or four of the reporters from your list that you feel can benefit your company. Stay in touch with them to develop a good relationship. Don’t send them gifts; just provide honest and real information about what your company is doing.