What Is Meaningful Content?
No matter what type of newsletter you are producing, meaningful content is essential if
you want it to be read. This applies whether it’s for a non-profit concern such as a club,
association, church or school, or a commercial newsletter such as for a retailer or other
business. Check yours out now to see if it adheres to the following five principles that
every newsletter should follow to ensure that it has meaningful content.
The 5 Rules Of Meaningful Newsletter Content
The most important rules relating to content are that a newsletter should be:
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Topical (contain news, e.g. coming events, new products, announcements etc)
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Readable (contain short, properly written, focused articles)
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Useful (have an advice column, hints & tips, analyze issues etc)
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Balanced (contain a mixture of serious and light-hearted content)
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Compelling (cover areas known to be of interest to its readership)
Topical Issues
The first item goes without saying; the news in newsletter is just as important as the
news in newspaper—and it’s not news unless it’s topical. If you are responsible for
providing the copy for your newsletter, keep notes to ensure that you cover everything that’s
happened since the last edition and everything that’s planned following the next. It is
vital that the lead item(s) pay due regard to this rule.
Make It Readable
In the case of the second principle, always remember your target audience. A
conversational style is usually best, rather than the more formal approach such as I use in
this article. I know of course, that the vast majority, if not all, of my readers are
relatively literate so my writing style reflects this. As my readership evolves to include
people who use English as a second language, I may need to look again at this question of
readability.
Useful Information
The third item is important because, amongst other things, it can be effective in
building relationships and even soliciting feedback. Advice for new people, a jargon
dictionary where older members are asked to contribute, the historical background to some
tradition or other, where to go to get this, how to apply for that; these are all ideas that
you might want to think about.
That Elusive Balance
Balance, the fourth item in the list, is an elusive quality that is easy to get wrong.
The need differs from one newsletter to another. There are boundaries of taste and
inappropriate contrasts to consider. For example, a funeral director’s newsletter is
hardly likely to be improved by a ‘grim reaper’ cartoon—no matter how funny. On the
other hand, some readers can be turned into loyal and enthusiastic followers by the
inclusion of something as simple as a regular crossword.
Reader Appeal
Last, but by no means least, how do you make your newsletter compelling? By including
content that is irresistible to the reader; in other words, the things that they are most
interested in. You must know your reader. The more you know about the reader the more
relevant you can make the content and the more compelling the newsletter. Don’t forget
also how compelling it is for people to read about themselves! Even better is seeing a
picture of themselves or one that includes them or their group. What about a regular feature
such as ‘Volunteer (Worker, Committee Member, Customer etc) of the Month’ or randomly
selecting someone in your club for a ‘Focus on a Member’ spot?
If you stick to the five principles of meaningful content, your newsletter will have true
reader appeal and once it has that it is relatively easy to unleash its potential to
really work for you.
© 1999 Mike Alexander (Revised 2003)
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Mike Alexander is the creator and owner of '101 Newsletter Answers', the 'How-To'
place where the focus is on 'Power Communicating' with newsletters. http://www.101newsletteranswers.com
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