Writing Effective Newsletters

It's obvious but true that your newsletter can only be effective if people bother to read it. Nowadays we are all drowning in an excess of information that comes at us in all directions and in all forms so this really is the biggest obstacle you have to overcome. To persuade your audience to read what you have to say, you should follow some basic rules:

1. Know your readership
My point here is that a newsletter for internal use will not serve for external readers. The two readerships are totally different. So if you want to target both internal readers and, say, customers and clients, you need two separate newsletters. Internal clients will want to keep up to speed with company developments, know about internal opportunities and hear about company successes and the exploits of individuals. Customers and clients will want to know how your products or services can benefit them. They will also want information that shows your track record and helps position you in the sector-in other words information that builds your trustworthiness and credibility and shows the direction you are going in.

2. Attract the readership
Pay attention to the appearance of the newsletter. Give it an eye-catching and memorable title. It shouldn't be too busy or too long. Keep it clean so that the eye isn't distracted. Don't make the prose too dense. Break up the text with headings and bullet points. Where it is appropriate, use charts, graphs and diagrams as these convey information more efficiently that words.

3. Write well
Write simply but accurately. Avoid jargon but if you need to use technical terms or acronyms, ask if your readers will be able to understand them. If they can't, then explain them. Avoid clichés because these are usually a sign that you haven't clarified what the message is. Make sure each paragraph has one sentence that summarizes the content. The example here is my first sentence: write simply but accurately.

4. Be direct
Many people fall into a rigid, formal style when they write. This isn't attractive. Address the readership directly and avoid the passive voice. Use contracted forms as you would in speech and liven up the style with rhetorical questions. Use good, strong and simple verbs (use instead of utilize, find out instead of ascertain). Don't be vague: instead of sales showed a substantial increase, say, sales rose by 15%. Cut adverbs: actually, in fact, on the whole-most adverbs are merely padding.

5. Be informative
Give your readers concrete information that that will be useful to them. Such information could be details of forthcoming events, useful websites, how-to tips.

By following these rules, you should be able to build a faithful readership-an audience that eagerly awaits the next edition of your newsletter.

Brenda Townsend Hall is a writer and trainer in the fields of communications and cross-cultural awareness. She is an associate member of the ITAP International Alliance (http://www.itapintl.com).

---

Google News Updated : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:44:32 GMT Madonna, queen of reinvention, to divorce again - Reuters Reuters Madonna, queen of reinvention, to divorce again Reuters - 1 hour ago LONDON (Reuters) - The key to Madonna's enduring appeal has been to stay one step ahead of the game in the famously fickle world of pop. Video: AP Exclusive: Madonna, Guy Ritchie to Divorce AssociatedPress Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie announce plans to divorce Reality TV World E! Online - Financial Times - People Magazine - China Daily all 2,013 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:53:05 GMT US infant mortality ranks lower - San Jose Mercury News Chatter Shmatter US infant mortality ranks lower San Jose Mercury News - 2 hours ago By Mary Engel After a century of declines, the US infant mortality rate barely budged from 2000 to 2005, causing the United States to slip further behind other developed countries despite spending more on health care, according to a report released ... Infant Mortality: US Ranks 29th WebMD Infant Deaths Drop in US, but Rate Is Still High New York Times Washington Post - MedHeadlines - Bloomberg - MedPage Today all 37 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:11:36 GMT Drinking and the Shrinking Brain - Washington Post Canada.com Drinking and the Shrinking Brain Washington Post - 15 hours ago Nobody wants to think about their brain's shrinking. But our brains do so as we age. They decrease in size by about 2 percent per decade; and the brains of drinkers may shrink more quickly, according to a study published Monday in the Archives of ... Alcohol shrinks your brain! ...True, sad story CollegeOTR Is Drinking Shrinking Your Brain? FOXNews ChattahBox - eFluxMedia - CNN - dBTechno all 165 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 11:02:40 GMT Movie Review - Entertainment Weekly Wall Street Journal Movie Review Entertainment Weekly - 4 hours ago DUBYA Josh Brolin stands out as the soon-to-be former president in Oliver Stone's W. By Lisa Schwarzbaum As his second term as the 43rd President of the United States concludes in national financial upheaval, the real George W. Bush is a figure more ... Video: George Bush on the Big Screen AssociatedPress Where's Dubya? The Star-Ledger - NJ.com The Week Magazine - San Jose Mercury News - Los Angeles Times - New York Times all 469 news articles Publ.Date : Wed, 15 Oct 2008 22:01:30 GMT New MacBooks Shine Light On Nvidia, Intel, SSDs - CRN DailyTech New MacBooks Shine Light On Nvidia, Intel, SSDs CRN - 2 hours ago Apple launched its new family of MacBooks to great fanfare at its Cupertino, Calif. headquarters Tuesday. After the initial flurry of speeds and feeds, here are some thoughts about the new lineup and what it means for the industry. Enterprise Mac | Tom Yager InfoWorld New Macbook lineup to feature GeForce 9400M GPUs Neoseeker PC World - IGN - Slashdot - PC Magazine all 1,228 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:07:24 GMT McCain brings up '60s radical in questioning Obama - The Associated Press ringsidereport.com McCain brings up '60s radical in questioning Obama The Associated Press - 30 minutes ago NEW YORK (AP) - Republican John McCain is raising rival Barack Obama's link to a 1960s radical in the final presidential debate. What We Want to Hear Washington Post Where is the room for John McCain to Succeed? CNN Political Ticker AsianWeek - Kansas City Star - Wall Street Journal Blogs - ringsidereport.com all 286 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:13:48 GMT Hill's late jumper lifts Suns past Hawks, 102-100 - USA Today CBC.ca Hill's late jumper lifts Suns past Hawks, 102-100 USA Today - 33 minutes ago ATLANTA (AP) - Grant Hill made an 18-foot jump shot with 5.6 seconds left and the Phoenix Suns beat the Atlanta Hawks 102-100 in a preseason game Wednesday night. Nash leaves preseason game vs. Hawks Sports Network Suns superstar Nash leaves pre-season game with sprained ankle The Canadian Press HoopsWorld all 38 news articles Publ.Date : Thu, 16 Oct 2008 02:10:47 GMT RSS to Blog RSS For Web Pages

PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

Top 3 Steps to Success Building the Relationships

Marketing is a broad business subject that encompasses a range... Read More

Five Solid Reasons To Publish Your Ezine In a Blog!

Get Your Ezine 'Out There'!Placing your ezine in a Blog... Read More

Ebook Rebranding - The New Ebook Marketing Power?

Well, it is definitely yes!In the early day of internet... Read More

8 Killer Mistakes For Ezine Failure You Must Avoid

It is true that sometimes in life there is a... Read More

The Number One Tried and Tested Method For Exploding Your Ezine Subscriptions

We all know how cagey and stubborn prospects can be... Read More

E-Power The E-zine Advantage

"Regular communication with your customers is essential to your success."... Read More

Good News About Getting Published

So you want to get a book published and add... Read More

Need Ezine Content - Think Holidays

Publishing an ezine certainly has its benefits and rewards, but... Read More

Does Your Ezine Publisher Try To Rape Your Pocket?

If you have been online for a while, one of... Read More

Why Self-Publish Your Book?

When I meet an author with a great book concept,... Read More

An Embarrassment of Riches - Part I

The Internet is too rich. Even powerful and sophisticated search... Read More

Top 7 Techniques For Generating Subscribers To A Newsletter

Imagine you are sitting at home relaxing reading a book... Read More

Top 10 Tips to Give Your Newsletter Impact!

There are thousands of email newsletters or "ezines" produced every... Read More

Delivering Your Email Newsletter

After creating your email newsletter, you face the challenge of... Read More

Your E-zine 13 - A Formatting Checklist

While sending out a text e-zine may seem like a... Read More

Managing Internet Addresses in Your Email Newsletter

Web and email addresses pose a special challenge for writers... Read More

What Makes An Ezine Worth Reading?

What makes your ezine hot stuff? With literally thousands of... Read More

Email Newsletter Format: HTML or Text

An email newsletter is probably the most effective way to... Read More

Want To Start a Publishing Revolution?

Calling all publishers, editors, journalists and freelance writers. It's time... Read More

22 Ways to Grow Your Subscriber List

1. Don't bury your subscriber form, place it on your... Read More

Talking Pictures Are the Go!

A Tokyo day care company has begun marketing a "talking... Read More

Newsletter Design Ideas - How to Get Creative Ideas for Your Newsletter Template

If you want to have a successful newsletter, you need... Read More

The Power of Personality

Owning an online business and publishing an ezine can be... Read More

Newsletter Name Ideas - Creative Ideas to Choose A Good Name for Your Newsletter

When you want to choose a name for your newsletter,... Read More

10 Valuable Tips For Ezine Publishers

1. Write your own articles.Your articles will give you an... Read More