Everything You Wanted to Know About
E-Newsletters

Traditional writers, editors, designers, and others in the publishing field gathered at the March seminar to hear about the latest trend in the publishing world: e-newsletters.

Sarah Eaton, managing editor of BeTuitive Marketing, enlightened the audience about “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About E-Newsletters—Ever.” Eaton noted the reasons for developing an e-newsletter include:

• Brand building
• Relationship building
• Making better customers
• Credibility building
• Everyone has one

Moving from a hardcopy newsletter to an e-newsletter can be quite a transition; Eaton discussed both the advantages and disadvantages of this move.

Advantages

• Drives traffic to your Web site
• No geographic limitations
• The ability to track results
• The cost is much lower

Disadvantages

• Sometimes perceived as too overtly promotional
• Can be perceived as spam
• Can contribute to e-mail overabundance and clutter

When considering an e-newsletter, you must first consider the audience. If the audience mainly consists of young, tech-savvy individuals, then an e-newsletter would be the best choice, but if the audience is mainly CEOs, then a hardcopy newsletter would probably be a better choice. If the newsletter is going to serve as an information source, a print newsletter would work better; but, if the newsletter is primarily a source for calls to action, then an e-newsletter would work better because of its immediacy. You must also determine how the newsletter will integrate with other marketing initiatives.

According to Eaton, the design of an e-newsletter is what makes it or breaks it. When designing an e-newsletter, the most important question you need to ask is, how is the newsletter going to appear above the fold? Fold refers to the first look of the newsletter before you scroll down the page.

Elements of an e-newsletter include:

1. Welcome letter—this can serve different purposes for different clients/businesses
2. Blurbs/headlines—should not contain everything in the story, but should act as a teaser—you want the audience to click through to the story
3. Current news/press releases
4. Calendars
5. Promotional calls to action—upcoming events, calls for participation
6. Surveys—do not expect too much from surveys; the easier you make the question, the more likely it is that you will get responses

Another consideration is if the business has a different audience. You may want to develop more than one e-newsletter to serve different needs.

When writing and editing e-newsletters, remember that people skim Web sites. A short introduction, short sentences and paragraphs, and a short closing work best. Eliminate anything that is not essential.

E-newsletter articles that get results include the how-to article, the five ways (or ten tips, any kind of number) article, the success story/case study (or horror story), ask the expert, question and answer, and articles based on internal research.

When transitioning from a print newsletter to an e-newsletter, keep these things in mind:

1. Do not scan, create a PDF, or create a link to the print newsletter—the e-newsletter should contain some original material
2. Articles should be no longer than 700–900 words
3. Introductions and conclusions should be short
4. Break up compound sentences into digestible bits
5. Chop lengthy articles into two articles or a series

When developing e-newsletters, you must consider the work that goes on behind the scenes. Whether you want to create a design newsletter or a template depends on your audience—if you want to project a professional image, then a design newsletter is your best bet. E-mail list management is very important. If your list is not clean, it will not be able to pull names and you may not be able to personalize your e-newsletters. Choose an ESP (e-mail service provider) that can maintain the e-mail list for your business. The display name (who the e-mail is from) and subject line in the e-mail will determine the open e-mail rates and ensure good tracking results. The recipients will more likely open the e-mail if it comes from the same person consistently, and will feel like they know the person sending out the e-newsletter.

For more information on Sarah Eaton or BeTuitive.com or if you have any questions, feel free to contact Eaton at Sarah.E@betuitive.com, www.betuitive.com, or www.betuitive.blogs.com/betuitive.

Lara R. Jackson has been an editor for the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy for five and a half years in Mount Prospect, IL, where she writes and edits articles and other materials, and lays out newsletters and other documents. Lara is also an aspiring creative writer and has one short story published, and is a former freelance writer for Pioneer Press. To reach Lara please e-mail her at larajackson@sbcglobal.net.

Photos courtesy of Heather Pierce.

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