The newsletter phenomenon – part 2

Behind the scenes
So the newsletter is here to stay, is still much loved, and still the popular kid in school. While part 1 of this article talked about when it’s agood call to use a newsletter, we now get to the cooking. There’s practical nuances that work behind the scenes to make the newsletter an effective tool – frequency, content, technology, and just simply the skills and resources needed to create it.

The frequency and regularity is important. This depends on how easy or difficult it is to source content, the effort going into design and layout, and mindspace of your audience. The newsletter that arrives promptly in your mailbox at the same time, same day every week makes you believe it’s credible and dependable. And therefore the news in it is also credible and dependable.

To ensure regular streams of content you need a network of sources who are enthusiastic and willing to provide news on your publishing schedule, besides their day jobs. Packaging content is important – tiny digestible bites with goto links for more information. Graphical treatment of key points or emotive use of colour and design create the ‘mood’ to receive information. Engagement devices such as contests, feedback, and a call to crowdsource content make audiences feel included.

Then of course there’s technology. Is your newsletter a pdf delivered by email, or an emailer, or is it an e-zine? Or perhaps it’s just a news stream on your website that is delivered to mailboxes? The technology must be chosen based on the receptiveness of the audience. In one internal newsletter I worked on, the technology evolved with the audience. It began as a pdf, then became an interactive pdf, then grew into a slick e-book. But following an acquisition which changed employee demographics, 50% of them were not receptive to the e-book, so we scaled it back to a pdf. It’s most important to reach people – the technology is a means to an end.

And who will do all this work? Admin, CSR, sales teams, businesses and change programs would believe that that this is an hour’s work tops for a coms person. Coms people do have superhuman powers, but not here. It needs the skills of writing, design, and whatever technology you are using – maybe html, flash, maybe a tool subscription.

The newsletter generally heralds a time in the organization where there is a thirst for information, and a compelling need to share it.  While it is a positive climate for communication, newsletters are the ‘last mile’ connect. In a newsletter, the amount of information that can be shared is limited, and its job is to ‘push’ the content until a ‘pull’ is created – where people themselves visit the regular channels frequently.

Newsletters must eventually pave the way for a strong aggregated channel such as a single monthly or weekly communique, the intranet or website. In the food-related dessert analogy I use here, the intranet or website is the buffet where people can choose what information is relevant and helpful to their work. They can choose how much they want, look around and see what they may want later, and keep coming back whenever they want.

So what the ideal newsletter essentially says is “Bon appetite!”