Electronic Newsletter Best Practices:
23 Ways to Create a Phenomenal Online Publication
By Stephanie Chandler
1. Send your newsletter at regular intervals. For
example, the second Tuesday each month or the first and
third Friday each month. Your readers will appreciate
that it is predictable.
2. Studies show that your heading should be less than 50
characters. Make it engaging so you can prompt readers
to open the message.
3. Many e-mail users now read messages with preview
panes. That means that the first few paragraphs of your
newsletter should be engaging in order to convince the
recipient to keep reading.
4. Use a table of contents to entice readers. Better
yet, make the subjects clickable so it’s easy to
navigate the newsletter.
5. Include a good balance of useful content and sales
copy. Ideally your newsletter should contain at least
70% content (articles, tips, how-to advice, etc.) and
minimal sales copy.
6. Include an irresistible special offer, discount or
promotion. These give readers a reason to open your
messages and make a purchase.
7. Keep it simple. Computer users have short attention
spans. Your newsletter should be easy to scan and read.
8. Engage readers. Ask readers to submit feedback,
respond to a survey question, or enter a contest.
9. Give your newsletter personality. The tone of your
newsletter should match that of your business.
10. Make sure you are compliant with the CAN-SPAM act by
including a link to unsubscribe with every email you
send. Visit the FTC website for the latest compliance
laws:
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/pubs/buspubs/canspam.shtm.
11. Include all of your contact information, including a
physical address, website and phone number.
12. Don’t ever use your home address. Invest in a post
office box to give your business the level of
professionalism it deserves.
13. Invite subscribers to forward to a friend.
14. Include regular columns. Make your newsletter
predictable by including the same type of information in
each edition.
15. Include a note from the company President. This adds
a personal element that readers will appreciate.
16. Minimize the use of photos and images. Not everyone
has high speed Internet access and images can make a
newsletter difficult to download.
17. Have your newsletter edited for grammar and
punctuation. One or two typos are forgivable, but too
many and you will begin to lose credibility.
18. Use high-contrast colors that are easy to read. Dark
letters on light backgrounds (black or blue on white)
are the easiest to read.
19. Choose a font size that is also easy to read.
There’s nothing worse than straining to read a
newsletter. Most people won’t bother.
20. Ask recipients for feedback. Your newsletter can
only get better if you listen to your readers.
21. Keep it simple. Long newsletters are tempting to
write, but hard to read. If you have that much to say,
consider breaking it up into multiple newsletters or
publishing the extra information on a blog or other
online venue.
22. Respect your mailing list. Don’t send too many
messages in between newsletters or you will risk
exhausting your list and will end up with an avalanche
of unsubscribe requests.
23. Give readers a reason to look forward to your
newsletter. Think about it carefully. Why do they want
to read it? How can you make it better? What newsletters
do you love receiving and why? These answers will help
you develop a phenomenal publication.
About the Author:
Stephanie
Chandler is a small business expert and the author of
FROM ENTREPRENEUR TO INFOPRENEUR: MAKE MONEY WITH BOOKS,
E-BOOKS AND INFORMATION PRODUCTS. She is the founder of
www.BusinessInfoGuide.com,
a directory of resources for entrepreneurs and
www.ProPublishingServices.com, a custom writing
business specializing in electronic newsletters,
information marketing, and sales copy for websites and
brochures.
*This
article can be reprinted in full provided the author
resource box is included with the publication.
