Unfortunately, many of us do. Here’s a quote with some great advice on the subject:
“Remember: When you’re developing an e-mail newsletter, make it relevant and interesting to your audience. This sounds so simple, but I still see clients whose e-mail newsletters are “all about us” — we’ve hired a new VP of sales, we landed a new client, etc. That’s nice, but what’s in it for the reader?
Many times this type of information, if included at all, should be relegated to a brief sidebar — it’s not the meat of your e-mail newsletter. If there’s more to the story — for instance, you’ve added new functionality that may benefit other clients to land the new customer — then that might warrant a full-blown article.”
- Found at ClickZ.
Next time you are creating content for your newsletter, put yourself in the shoes of the reader. They don’t care about the same things that you do internally. Think about the newsletters you get from your favourite store – they show you new products, offer fashion advice and discounts, and perhaps suggest items based on your past behaviour. They do not announce new hirings and corporate objectives. More often than not, the retail sector gets it right when it comes to writing for the reader in the email newsletter space. Why should economic development be any different?
Look at each potential news item and ask “Does this impact my reader? Does it offer them something that is relevant to them? How does it change things for them? What can they do with this information?” If you don’t have a meaningful answer to these questions then it’s time to shelve that story and find something that will give readers a reason to keep reading your newsletter.
A final thought: Don’t be afraid to include stories and links that aren’t directly about you. Show thought leadership with an advice-based story for your readers, or link to recent news or announcements that are relevant to them. As an economic development professional, you facilitate and act as a link to a variety of resources in your day-to-day work. Find ways to extend those services to your clients online as well, and you’ll ensure that your e-newsletters are read and kept as a resource by the people that read it.