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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.
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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). |
