Delete. Delete. Delete.
When you think about the newsletters that flood your inbox, I bet more often than not they’re sent straight to the trash. Why is that? Because it’s likely just another piece of clutter that provides little value to you.
So, when you’re writing a newsletter, remember that what people are looking for is great content. They’ll read great content and look forward to it. Your newsletters need to be more than merely a self-promotional, sales opportunity.
That’s not to say there is never an opportunity to sell in your newsletter. However, first priority is to provide value for your reader with informative and engaging content. This approach builds trust, develops thought-leadership and makes you a source of information.
As you think about writing your next newsletter, consider these six types of content that will help to engage, humanize and build trust with your audience.
6 Types of Content to Try in Your Next Newsletter:
1. Tell a story through a real customer’s experience.
Include a customer spotlight. Every customer you work with goes along on a journey with you. But the key is to tell about it as a story. It’s less about the solution and more about the successes and transformation your customer experienced as a result of your partnership.
Readers may think, “Wow, I have that same problem. Maybe company ABC can help me make the same transformation.”
2. Humanize your newsletter with a column from a subject matter expert (SME) in your organization.
I’m sure at your organization there are an abundance of subject matter experts who have a wealth of knowledge that you could be sharing with your readers. Provide them the opportunity to share best practices, teach new tactics or comment on industry trends.
If they don’t have the time to write something themselves, schedule a 30-minute interview and ask them some questions about a topic near and dear to their heart. Summarize your conversation, and you’ve got some great content from an inside perspective.
3. Invite your subscribers to participate in a survey.
A survey is an awesome, actionable way to engage your readers, but also to discover new insights and provide you with a surplus of content to turn into other digital assets.
If you have segmented your lists, you can ask your subscribers (like your customers) questions that deliver insight into their thoughts, challenges and aspirations. Share the results in the next newsletter, but also consider creating an infographic, blog or eBook that highlights the information.
4. Recap your latest blog posts.
Your readers may not have visited your website to read your latest blogs. Share the highlights or summary of the information in your newsletter so it lands right in their inbox.
5. Curate informative, educative and helpful industry content.
For your readers to turn to you as a source of information, you need to share more than just your own content.
Find articles, blog posts or other news pieces from trusted sources or partners that reflect your organization’s position on industry trends, and include them in your newsletter.
6. Introduce your subscribers to the faces of your company.
Include a Team Spotlight. Ultimately, potential customers are going to build relationships with the people representing the company logo and brand. Sharing your teams’ stories humanizes your company and shapes a connection even before meeting face-to-face.
Try out these steps. Experiment with different types of content. And, remember to be consistent. A newsletter is your opportunity to give and add value.
Start creating newsletters people will actually read (and hopefully forward!).