What Are The Benefits Of 'Member' Newsletters?
Communication is vital for any group and the best way to communicate regularly is by
newsletters. They allow news and items of special interest to the group to be covered in a
way that appeals to them, such as by the inclusion of 'jargon' for example. Club or
Association-specific news, such as the outcomes of committee meetings, disbursements of
special funds, upcoming events and so on, fit particularly well with the newsletter format
where the group's colors, logo, motto etc. can readily be incorporated as well.
Well-organized and properly produced newsletters full of meaningful content should cultivate
a sense of belonging, generate a collective identity and enhance membership loyalty.
What Else Is Special About Member Newsletters?
In the context of organized groups, they are the most efficient way of keeping everyone
up-to-date with calendar events like the time and date of meetings, what happens on
specified days of the week, month etc. As such, they can be used as information resources,
at the same time as serving to remind members of regular events and happenings. Member
newsletters can outline what is coming up for discussion in meetings, who the Committee
members are, what their special responsibilities are and various other similar types of
data. In other words, in common with most other newsletters, the readers matter most,
and in this case they are the members. Member newsletters therefore help to draw the
organization together by reinforcing that sense of membership.
What Should Be In Them?
The most obvious type of data for inclusion is Club or Association news, as previously
mentioned. 'Coming Events' is the most common example but, with a little imagination, you
can think up many more. 'Serialized' content is one type of feature that has many
advantages, including that of allowing an editor to run articles that otherwise might be
considered too long for a single reading. Short biographies of important members of the
organization can also prove popular. Or better still, bios of new members, or members of
long standing. The point is that any information that is likely to interest the majority of
members should find a place as a regular feature. Members quickly become familiar with the
layout of their newsletter and start looking forward to its regular inclusions.
Should They Contain Only 'Club News'?
Definitely not! A newsletter that only contains news that directly involves the host
organization soon becomes boring. For example, a newsletter for 'The Dolphins' junior league
water polo team, might soon lose its power to excite if its coverage is always restricted to
committee meetings, reports of wins and losses, upcoming events etc. Some human interest is
always good for variety (like how little Jimmy's mother always launders the whole team's
gear after every match) but it has its limitations. What is needed is appropriate supporting
copy.
What Is Supporting Copy?
Anything that goes beyond that which is strictly necessary for inclusion qualifies as
supporting copy. Continuing the above example, this might include such items as a series on
'Famous Stars of Water Polo', a crossword with a sports theme, a couple of jokes and maybe a
cartoon. Supporting copy used this way adds variety and balance, and ensures that the
newsletter gets read.
Where Do You Find Supporting Copy?
Specialized material, such as the hypothetical 'Famous Stars of Water Polo' piece, might
be contributed by a club member or researched using an enthusiastic member's book collection
on the sport. Or you could use your local library or an encyclopedia to seek out the
fundamental data needed for that article and maybe some of the other things mentioned. Now
though, for the first time, there is another source. The Internet really has developed, at
last, into the 'information super highway' and on it you can usually find hundreds of gems
of knowledge related to your subject if you know how and where to look. There are even sites
that provide ready-made content that you simply copy and paste. A good example is the ClipCopy collection at http://www.clipcopy.com, which specializes in
'supporting copy'. OK, so I'm biased! I obviously have a strong interest in it so I might be
expected to say that. But the truth is that it was because of my enthusiasm for the role of
supporting copy in newsletters that the site came into being in the first place.
© Mike Alexander 2002 (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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