Why Publish a newsletter

The primary responsibility and purpose of a newsletter is to retain the attention of this growing group of subscribers and to position your company as the vendor they trust most when it comes to making a purchase.

Much like a branding campaign, this long-term focus can make it tricky to measure the precise return on investment. But many organizations have found it’s more than worth the time and energy it takes to produce it.

High-quality newsletters are the marketing medium of the future. More appealing to a reader than a standalone sales pitch, they give companies and organizations a chance to build a long-term relationship with prospects and customers.

Newsletters and e-Newsletters feel personal because they arrive in your mailbox and inbox; you have an ongoing relationship with them. In contrast Web sites are things you glance at when you need to get something done or find the answers to a specific question.

A lot of newsletters are executed very professionally, everything is done well from a practical point but had the editor thought a little more clearly about the purpose of their newsletter, the potential of their newsletter and how to really think it through and get the greatest value from their newsletter for their company, customers, prospects and everyone else.

A good newsletter is written and published to a regular schedule with every issue including valuable and useful editorial content. The subject of editorial content is central to the power of a newsletter. While promotional email campaigns are developed to drive sales, newsletters should be viewed as a tool to educate, inform and engage your audience over the long term.

The role of the newsletter is to engage your subscribers and hold their attention for years to come.

A newsletter is also a remarkable branding tool. This is not in the visual sense (like a brand logo) or the communication of your positioning statement — but as a way to build strong feelings and positive word of mouth about your company.

A newsletter is about: Giving useful information, giving help, and giving advice.

The return on this investment comes when a subscriber needs to make a purchase. He or she will have several vendors to choose from. And if he or she has been reading your newsletter for months or even years, then you have an advantage.

Satisfied newsletter subscribers are more likely to choose your company, simply because you have held their attention and built confidence and trust in your products or services. You become the obvious or even the only choice.

Once you have built a list of thousands or tens of thousands of subscribers, you will have created a remarkable asset. That is to say, you will have tens of thousands of highly qualified prospects who trust you, listen to you and are willing to follow your advice and recommendations.

Make your newsletter interactive. When you interact with your readers, you have a huge impact on their loyalty and the amount of attention they give your publication. There are a number of ways you can introduce interactive elements to your newsletter. Include surveys in each issue. Not everyone will participate, but many will. And be sure to share the results in your next issue. People will look forward to reading about the results. Over time you will find the survey results will teach you a great deal about your readers and their core interests. It is a good way to get feedback and to steer your publication forward in a direction that is of interest to your most engaged readers.

Invite readers to ask questions. The “ask the expert” feature is one used successfully in many newsletters. Invite people to send in their questions, but also make it clear you can answer only one or two questions per issue. People will understand that. One thing you can be sure about: Everyone who sends in a question will open and read the next issue. Also, every one of your subscribers will appreciate that you have taken the time to answer the question and that you are really there — a living, breathing human being.

Happy Friday to All ...

And have a great weekend!

Newsletter for American Lung Association

Dates

Dates should always use Arabic figures, without st, nd, rd or th.

Interviewing with Ease

It’s no secret that a good quote can significantly liven up a mostly mundane article. However, conducting the necessary interview is often considered to be a real chore for many writers. Changing your thinking about this essential writing skill is pretty easy by keeping these tips in mind:

• Do Your Homework. With most companies (and many individuals) having a Web site these days, obtaining fundamental facts for the article is almost effortless. Other possible sources of information include media kits, press releases, and previous stories written on the article subject. Establishing basic information makes the fact-checking aspect of the interview go more quickly so that more time can be spent on more probing questions.
• Develop a list of questions. Finding out as much as possible before the interview helps in developing questions beyond the basic who, what, when, where, why, and how. Try to craft questions that will provide new information on the topic and will result in a different story angle. Also have a reasonable time frame in mind to help keep the interview on track.
• Make an appointment for the interview. Call or e-mail the interviewee to set up an appointment. Don’t catch the person off-guard by expecting answers to your questions on the first contact, but have them ready in case the interviewee prefers to answer them at that time. Be sure to provide your contact information in case the interviewee thinks of something later to add to the article.
• Consider providing the questions in advance. Being interviewed makes many people feel a bit uncomfortable. Furnishing the questions in advance often helps in easing apprehensions about the interview. And more time to think about the questions often results in more thorough responses.
• Keep it Conversational During a Phone or In-Person Interview. Although the subject matter may be serious, the interview process doesn’t have to be rigid and uncomfortable. And be open to the idea of the conversation taking a different direction than what you may have originally thought. Asking open-ended questions will give your story its unique approach and will often raise questions you may not have anticipated.
• Take the Time to Get it Right. If you need a moment to write down a quote during the interview, ask the interviewee to pause a moment. It’s understandable that you’re just trying to make sure that it is written correctly. Also, review your notes as soon as possible after the interview. It’s a good idea to rewrite them, clarifying any points that you may have jotted down that could be difficult to “interpret” later. 
• Mind Your Manners. If you choose to use a tape recorder, get consent prior to the interview, and make sure the machine is in good working order.

After the interview send a thank you note either by mail or e-mail, and arrange to have a few copies of the publication sent to the interviewee.

Interviewing is a great way add a more depth to your stories. With a little less dread and little more practice, they’ll soon become second nature.

Does Your Means of Newsletter Distribution Fit Your Newsletter’s Purpose?

Instead of viewing distribution as a means to an end (getting your newsletter into the hands of your audience), think of distribution as a part of the whole package. Like every other aspect of newsletter production, you should select your distribution mode with your audience and your newsletter goals in mind.

If you produce a newsletter for employees, internal distribution probably offers the least costly method. Why spend money on postage when you can simply place a newsletter in everyone’s box or his or her workstation? Or, place stacks of newsletters in the break room and other places where employees congregate. For association/membership newsletters, handing out issues at meetings or stacking them near entrances and exits will afford you similar savings.

If your newsletter is for promotional purposes, try to leave stacks of issues at places where prospective customers, clients or members go to shop or meet. You may have to convince storeowners or other decision makers that offering free copies of your newsletter is another valuable service they can provide to their customers. If you’ve packed your newsletter with news and kept the promotional aspect subtle, you usually won’t have a problem.

If your employees or members are scattered, or if your customer base is such that drop-off distribution isn’t possible, including the newsletter with other mailed materials (also called “piggybacking”) might work. Stuff the newsletter in with paychecks, invoices or whatever else you mail. While this costs more than handout or drop-off distribution, it’s less expensive than mailing several pieces separately.

If none of these methods is workable, or if they don’t appeal to you, mail your newsletter on its own. Though usually the costliest part of newsletter production, a separate newsletter mailing enjoys unique strengths, especially if you need to present your newsletter as the information source for your audience. Similarly, you may have invested time, effort and money into creating a newsletter that conveys a certain message, and piggybacking it or handing it out would take away from that message.

For example, an independent financial consultant marketing to attorneys and physicians would want a newsletter to convey security, trustworthiness, commitment, experience, wisdom and the like. After thoroughly researching each article to make sure it provides the most up-to-date information, such a firm would want its newsletter to arrive separately in the mail, and thereby increase the sense of value that its audience attaches to the publication.

You may even forego the envelope barrier altogether and make the newsletter a self-mailer — you won’t have to purchase envelopes, or spend time and money to stuff and seal them.

If you prefer mailing your newsletters but find it’s too time intensive to tackle on your own, consider utilizing the services of a mail house. Talk with prospective mail house personnel about the various options available to you. If you decide to do the mailing on your own, contact Post Office officials by phone or in person. Post Office and mail house employees know the system and can save you time and money by explaining current postal requirements in advance of your scheduled mail date.

With a minimum mailing of 200 pieces, bulk mail represents the most cost-effective option; however, it will not be delivered as rapidly as first-class mail. Bulk rate or standard presort rates reflect the savings postal employees realize in processing the mail piece, but do not enjoy the immediacy of first-class delivery.

Regardless of the distribution method you use, put careful consideration into choosing the optimum channel prior to designing your publication. After all, the newsletter production process requires constant attention to the primary goals of the publication. Getting the piece into a reader’s hands as efficiently and cost-effectively as possible is crucial to producing a successful newsletter.