It’s a well-known fact—quality content is critical to a newsletter’s success. But finding something interesting to write about month after month can be daunting. Here are a few ideas to serve as inspiration and add some fun to the process of publishing your newsletter!
You’re the expert
You’ve been working in your industry for several years, you’re passionate about it, you know it inside out, and then some. This makes you a valuable source of content. Your newsletter is very likely being sent to people who know a lot less about the field than you do. Share your knowledge—and your passion—with them. Sincerity, emotions, and anecdotes are all the rage!
Hold onto interesting reads
Whenever you come across a fascinating article, a catchy ad or an exceptional website, add it to your Favourites or take a screen shot. Chances are you won’t be working on your newsletter when you happen on these items, so put them aside for when you need them.
Sign up for newsletters like yours
Your suppliers, business partners and even your competitors may publish newsletters that touch on subjects similar to yours. Subscribe to them and take note of their approach to different topics, the length of the articles, from what perspective they’re written, and so on. Tip: sign up for publications beyond your territory to see how the products and/or services you offer are discussed elsewhere.
Make it your own
It goes without saying that, regardless of your source of inspiration, you can’t simply take content from here and there and publish it under your name. You need to find an angle and write your article from that perspective—in other words, make it your own. Your newsletters should all have a similar tone, a common thread that stays true to your company’s brand identity. Your subscribers will become accustomed to your style and will be more inclined to read your next newsletter once they know what to expect.
Recycle old subject matter
If you wrote about something that was trending in your industry 18 months ago, simply rewrite it to suit today’s needs, and voilà! Brand new content.
It’s all in the planning
You can simplify the writing process by making an editorial calendar (including publishing dates) a few months in advance. Feature articles can be planned slightly ahead of time such that some space is set aside for up-to-the-minute information like news and current promotions.
Ask for suggestions
Your company’s customer service agents can certainly give you a few ideas as to the most frequently asked questions by customers, or you can ask your readers for suggestions at the bottom of your next newsletter.
Remember, there’s no magic recipe for writing a newsletter. Have confidence in yourself, and keep it simple.
I hope you’ll find these tips helpful. To end off this article, I’m going to follow my own advice and ask you this: What topics would you like us to cover in the coming months? Send your suggestions to: communications@cyberimpact.com