EMAIL NEWSLETTERS - WHAT SHOULD YOU WRITE ABOUT?

Publishing a regular newsletter offers the ideal opportunity to promote your business to your customer contacts quickly and easily.  And by sharing your knowledge and expertise, you build credibility as an expert, while spreading the word about your services and products.

So we know it works, but what happens if you sit down at your keyboard and find yourself stuck for ideas to write about?  Here are some quick ideas to help get you started – ideal for those moments when the dreaded ‘writers block’ strikes.

1. Case Studies

Focus on a particular problem you solved for a customer and use the example as a lead-in to offering some general advice on the subject.  For example, if you’re a car mechanic you might talk about a customer’s car which had a recurring fault and you managed to diagnose and fix it where others had failed.  These stories help position you as an expert in your readers' minds - more effectively than you just  saying so.

2. Study industry publications  Magazines and newspapers relating to your industry can be great source of raw material to write about.  What are the latest trends in your field?  What sort of challenges are your competitors facing right now?  What’s coming up in the future for your industry?

3. FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions Think of some of the questions you get asked frequently by your clients.  You could address these individually in a short article in each newsletter you publish.  If you’re really stuck for ‘question’ ideas, make that the subject of your next newsletter: ask your customers to email you their questions which you’ll then answer in the next issue.

4. Latest news Have you learned anything new in the last couple of months which you want to share with your readers?  Have you recently started offering a new service?  Have you just added a new line of products to your range?  What about special offers?

5. ‘Top 10 tips’  In general, people will be drawn towards reading quick tips as they tend to be short, sharp snippets of information that can be quickly digested.  Not only that, it’s usually much easier to create a list of tips than to put together a real article (although the tips can easily evelve into an article if you wish).  Usually it makes sense to offer your best tip first, or at least close to the top, in order to grab the reader’s interest and encourage them to read on.

6. InterviewsWhy not interview one of your associates and publish the results?  You don’t even need to conduct an actual interview – just email them several questions and await their response.  You may need to edit the results – and don’t forget to offer them a short ‘plug’ in your newsletter so they get a chance to promote their business in return.

7. Recommend books or websites Your customers might be interested to know what resources you refer to in the course of your work.  Whether it’s a book, a magazine, or a website you could even write a full review if you wish. 

8. Ask readers to send in profiles Depending on the type of business you’re in, this can be a good way to encourage some reciprocal business to change hands.  For example, if you’re a graphic designer you might publish a profile about the copywriter or web designer you use. 

9. Current / seasonal issues Think about the current issues your clients will be facing right now.  Obviously this will depend on your line of business but for example, an accountant may want to offer tips of preparing end of year accounts when appropriate, a roofer might suggest a roof check just as autumn kicks in, a car mechanic might suggest a pre-winter service etc.