Top tips for newsletter writing

18th July 2009 | Posted in Marketing communications

Newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with your customers and your colleagues. They require a bit of thought first though, to ensure you are providing useful and interesting information, and that everyone will benefit as a result. Here are some top tips for newsletter writing.

1. Who is your audience?

Customers or staff? This affects the sort of story you include. Staff changes are great for an internal audience, but do your customers really care?

2. What is the point of your newsletter?

Again, your goals will affect what you choose to put in the newsletter.

If you’re writing an internal newsletter, what role do you want it to play?

• As a management tool to explain strategy and changes?
• To promote a sense of community?
• As a bit of light relief for a Friday afternoon?

If you’re writing an executive customer newsletter, what are you hoping to achieve?

• To promote new products and services?
• To remind customers that you’re there – and promote the brand rather than particular products?
• To provide factual and helpful information to support their use of your products and services?

3. How often are you going to publish?

Make sure you will have enough to say to keep publishing regularly. People will notice if you produce two issues and run out of steam. Put together a realistic publication schedule, working backwards from delivery day, that gives you enough time to research, write and get approval for your articles.

4. Are you going to do this all by yourself?

Can you delegate regular columns or guest spots to other members of staff?

5. Who can you use to proofread?

Whether you are a confident writer or not, it is always, but always, a good idea to get someone else to read through your articles before you publish. When we read what we’ve written ourselves, we actually read what we think we’ve written, so we don’t pick up on our own mistakes as often as we should. Don’t rely on a spellchecker!