We don’t always gel with the people we meet – even if we have interests in common. If you are a keen sailor, for example, meeting another keen sailor is not a guarantee for a long-term friendship. There are any number of ways in which the other mariner could alienate you – by being over-familiar, by appearing arrogant and patronising or simply by boring you. The same principles apply when creating a newsletter.
Striking up a two-way relationship with your readers is not just about providing relevant content. The content must also be interesting and inviting.
An important way of making newsletter content accessible to readers is to split the copy into multiple, easily digestible articles of different types. In the same way that the keen sailor doesn’t want to talk about spinnakers all day, your readers are unlikely to want to read several similar articles one after the other. Presenting readers with the opportunity to dip in and out of a variety of content is far more appealing to them.
Length, pace and style
The truth is that newsletters needn’t just be about news. They can incorporate all manner of articles – opinions, case studies, interviews etc. These pieces may vary in length, pace and style. An editorial, for example, could be short, snappy and humorous. An educational article, more serious, discursive and detailed. You can also spice up each article individually using outquotes, images and outboxes. This mix makes for a more engaging publication, catering for all types of reader – from those with short concentration spans and busy schedules to the attentive with plenty of time to consider complex issues. (Note: in our experience the latter is pretty rare!)
Maintaining newsletter consistency with variety
Whilst the reader encounters a variety of styles, the consistency of the publication as a whole should not be compromised. Incorporating a range of articles, the publication can still adopt the same overall tone.
Additionally (and crucially), the newsletter’s objectives including the key corporate messages permeate every article meaning that the different pieces ought to hang together coherently. Indeed, separate articles employed shrewdly can reinforce the same ideas and messages in different ways.
To use a fictional example, take the company Padlock Brothers Ltd. One issue of its quarterly newsletter, Under lock and key, could contain a number of articles each reflecting the same message – namely, that Padlock Brothers Ltd is an expert in security alarm systems. A detailed educational article could discuss the importance and complexity of alarm systems, revealing the company’s understanding in this field. A shorter case study could demonstrate that the company has effectively implemented such systems. And a brief product update could announce the addition of some new features to Padlock’s alarm systems, emphasising how these systems can now meet every business’s needs.
The point is, whichever article you choose to read, the same overall message is there, whether implicitly or explicitly.
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Paul Ayling is the founder and CEO of Writing Machine.
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