8 Pointers on Publishing an Effective Promotional Newsletter

businessman reading newsletter

Give your readers something nourishing to chew on

Newsletters that plug a business most strongly often seem not to plug it at all. By providing information that recipients perceive they need, they open doors to sales. Self-centered newsletters, on the other hand, irritate busy customers, lose good will, and quickly go into the wastebasket.

Keep it newsy

Readers welcome fresh material, even if slightly off target, more than old stuff, even if it hits the bull’s-eye. Glean up-to-date information by scanning current publications, websites…or skimming on-line databases. Old news is no news.

Stay on schedule

Regular repetition is key to establishing your brand image by a newsletter. A letter you issue as promised only once a quarter will do you much more good than a proposed monthly publication that—too late—you find you can’t put out 12 times a year.

Write attention-grabbing headlines

Always assume that your readers, however intelligent, have the attention span of a flea. If your headline doesn’t rivet them, they’re unlikely to read the information below it.

Consistently use a limited number of type styles and fonts

Making your newsletter look the same from one issue to the next helps burn in your brand image. Using too many styles and fonts distracts from the information you are presenting.

Support your text with graphics

When they help make a point, graphs, charts, illustrations, and photos enhance the readability of a newsletter.

Make it right

Typos, misspellings, and grammar goofs undermine your newsletter’s credibility— and your own.

Call for help

Writing, editing, and publishing newsletters soaks up more time than most people anticipate. Don’t be shy of outsourcing the work. The Castle Press, as a value-added service to its customers, is ready to put its resources to work for you.