5 Must Haves for a Successful E-Newsletter

E-Newsletters, commonly called ‘E-Zines’, are a must have for any business in today’s competitive market.  E-Newsletters, done correctly, are a creative, non-aggressive method of reaching your current clients and building your prospect base at little or no cost.  They not only provide useful information to subscribers on a consistent basis but they are a valuable marketing tool that allow you to enter your customers’ lives regularly.   

First and foremost, your E-Newsletter must have a:  

1.  SUBJECT LINE  Your newsletter’s headline, otherwise known as the subject of the e-mail, is responsible for 50-75% of its success.  Other than whom the e-mail is from, it is what your reader sees first.  Without a successful headline, your e-mail is destined for the trash can and you’ve missed a golden opportunity to reach your audience. 

 Here a few keys to a successful subject line: 

Appeal to your reader’s self interest. Provide a benefit to your reader and make it personal to your audience of clients and prospects.  Example:  “10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Earnings Overnight.”    This type of headline might work for a financial investment firm, or an accountant.  A headline can be tailored to any industry and what your readers are interested in. 

Make it Newsworthy.  Headlines using the words ‘new’, ‘now’, ‘finally’, ‘announcing’, and ‘latest’ give the reader a sense of newsworthiness.  “New Soil Conditioner Increases Plant Life By 10%.”  This headline is both newsworthy and it appeals to the reader’s self interest-assuming that the newsletter is going to clients of a nursery, florist and the like and not to an automotive repair shop!

Appeal to your reader’s emotions.  Fear, Pride, Insecurity, Curiosity, Love, Happiness, Boredom, Laziness, and Altruism are among many of the emotions that you can use to motivate your reader to open your newsletter.  “How To Ask Your Boss For A Raise,” would be good headline for a staffing company.  It appeals to the reader’s curiosity.  Another curiosity driven headline might be “10 Questions You Should Never Ask A Prospective Client.” 

When in doubt, choose simple and straightforward over clever.  A subject line that simply states the newsletter, issue, and volume will be opened far more often than one with a subject line that is unbelievable or just plain hokey. 

 2.  VOLUME NUMBER AND A DATE.  It may seem obvious, but one thing that is consistently overlooked in E-Newsletter publication is the volume number and date.  When you provide a consistent publication date, and volume, you give your readers a method to archive and/or search when they’re hunting through old issues for the amazing content that you’ve supplied them. 

By organizing your newsletters by volume and date, you also make it easier to track each issue’s effectiveness.

 
3.  INFORMATION.  Your newsletter must contain useful information.  Content Is Key!  Even if your newsletter contains an editorial piece, you need to give your readers something valuable.  

We’re a nation hungry for information.  Non-fiction consistently outsells fiction in the bookstores and ease of information is in high demand.  As far as information goes—Nothing Is Better Than Free, Helpful Information Delivered To You On A Consistent Basis!

According to an article recently published by the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Association www.newsletters.org  —“Publishers need high-value content to reach readers and advertisers. ……editorial quality is just as important for a free newsletter as it is for a subscription newsletter. ……advises publishers to talk with their user base at all times, survey readers and know their needs.      

4.  AN OPTION FOR READER FEEDBACK.  An option for reader feedback in a newsletter is a good way to build your community and to add content to the publication.  It not only lets you know what the readers are responding to in your newsletter but it encourages reader participation and people, whether they admit it or not, like to see their name in print.  

A simple feedback form occasionally included in the newsletter or a more consistent ‘Dear Abby’ type column where readers ask questions and you (as the expert) answer them, is the easiest way to include this feature into your publication. 

5.  AN OFFER    Besides endearing your clients and prospects to you and your company, the main purpose of an E-Newsletter is to build your business or in other words, SELL. 

Don’t let a single issue go by without some kind of offer; a click through to your web site, a coupon, a new product for sale in your store or on your website, an inside sale.  

Tie the offer in to your theme and with a good headline, you have a sure hit!  Let’s go back to our very first headline “10 Ways To Increase Your Portfolio Overnight.”  Let’s assume that the newsletter is from a team of financial advisors. 

Don't go overboard!  A general rule of thumb is to have 80% of your newsletter copy presented as informative content and 20% of it can be sales or promotional copy.

We've just touched on a few of the requirements for a successful e-newsletter.  Next time I'll touch on  a few more and wrap it up.

Take Care!