A newsletter is one of the most effective ways of spreading word. You can use it to promote, to preach, to market, or to advertise whatever you want. Organizations and some companies still see some value in spreading the news around. The problem is how you can make one that’s sure to generate your desired results.
Choose your medium. In a paperless universe, it is definitely cheaper to do it online. You can always send it out via e-mail or have it available for download. A blog as a news zine can also work too. Having it printed out can be an option (a bit more expensive too) and you might have some limitations like color (printing in color is expensive!). A photocopied newsletter (while it can work with small runs and very localized distribution) can be a bit shabby at times.
Settle on your content. A newsletter should consist of good material. If you’re running a business, your newsletter content should contain updates, new items on sale, promotions and discounts. Your goal is to inform the public about your product or service. That way, your objective will always be satisfied.
Make good write-ups. You may have good content, but can you compose compelling write-ups and articles? Remember, you want people to read your newsletter from cover to cover so make sure you write your content in the most interesting way you can. And make sure you proof-read your articles. Bad grammar is just not acceptable.
Hire a good artist if you’re not good with designs. A newsletter is not just about the text, but it’s also about the visuals. You want your newsletter to be fresh and appealing so invest on a good layout and design artist who can give life to your newsletter with kick-ass design.
If you want to do it yourself, desktop publishing is the way to go. But you have to at least gain a simple understanding of design concepts before you proceed. Some design concepts to take note of - 1) Clear readable font size, 2) effective color schemes, 3) pictures (make sure they’re scaled or cropped so they won’t look distorted), and 4) effective use of white space (to prevent visual clutter).
Ask for feedback. In one part of your newsletter, you can put a feedback form where your readers can fax you what they think about your newsletter. You can get very helpful suggestions from your readers and increase readership if your newsletter keeps on getting better because of their feedback. Plus, you can earn the readers’ loyalty.
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