Top 10 Mistakes to avoid in making your newsletter

Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid in Your Email Newsletter 1. Spamming. The Internet has a long tradition of resistance to unsolicited commercial email. Sending your newsletter without getting permission in advance is a no-no, regardless of how valuable your content is. Rule of thumb: You may send one sample copy, clearly marked as such, explaining how the reader can receive future issues. 2. Poor Proofreading. Trust me, you cannot proof your own work effectively, nor can you rely on a spell checker, and no one can proof well from a screen. Get someone else to check your work from a print out. Idea: swap proofing with a colleague. 3. False Pretenses. I see a lot of email newsletters that masquerade as non-commercial email messages. This is irritating to the reader, who quickly ascertains that your message is really a promotional piece and wonders why you won't just come out and admit it. 4. Timid Presentation. If you are going to send an email newsletter, treat it like a newsletter. Give it a name, a table of contents (if you have more than a couple of screens of text), and let your readers know what they are receiving in the subject line. 5. Weak writing. Get, read, and use The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. This little classic will invigorate your prose. 6. Poor Formatting. If your newsletter is hard to read, people will not read it. Use (but do not overuse) symbols such as the slash, tilde (~), and asterisk to offset titles or sections of text. Set your email line length to no more than 80 characters (a setting of 60 is often recommended) so that text will break into easily readable lines. Use short  paragraphs. Break different topics into titled sections and give your readers a succinct table of contents at the top. 7. It's Hard to Subscribe/Un-subscribe. Make it easy for people to whom your newsletter is forwarded to subscribe. Equally important, make it easy for people to un-subscribe. This courtesy builds trust. 8. Intellectual property rights are ignored. Protect your intellectual property by dating each issue and including a copyright line, such as © Molly Gordon, 2000. All rights reserved. OR  Copyright Molly Gordon, 2000. All rights reserved. (c) is not a legally recognized symbol for copyright, so it is best not to rely on it. Protect the intellectual property of others by getting permission before using their materials in your newsletter. Avoid using anonymous material. There's plenty of good information for which you can name the source. 9. Slow or Flat Subscriber Growth. To build your subscriber base, make it easy for people to forward your newsletter. Ask your readers to send the newsletter to others provided they send it in its entirety with copyright information intact. 10. Lack of Personality. Some newsletter fails because they try to appeal to everyone. Better to show up BIG in your newsletter, attracting the people who will thrive through their contact with you than to attempt to satisfy  everyone and thrill no one. Let your personality and point of view shine through. *BONUS* 11. Lack of Privacy Policy. Internet subscribers are jealous of their privacy. If you care about that, say so, say it clearly, and say it in every issue as well as on your Web site.   Top Ten Mistakes to Avoid in Your Email Newsletter 1. Spamming. The Internet has a long tradition of resistance to unsolicited commercial email. Sending your newsletter without getting permission in advance is a no-no, regardless of how valuable your content is. Rule of thumb: You may send one sample copy, clearly marked as such, explaining how the reader can receive future issues. 2. Poor Proofreading. Trust me, you cannot proof your own work effectively, nor can you rely on a spell checker, and no one can proof well from a screen. Get someone else to check your work from a print out. Idea: swap proofing with a colleague. 3. False Pretenses. I see a lot of email newsletters that masquerade as non-commercial email messages. This is irritating to the reader, who quickly ascertains that your message is really a promotional piece and wonders why you won't just come out and admit it. 4. Timid Presentation. If you are going to send an email newsletter, treat it like a newsletter. Give it a name, a table of contents (if you have more than a couple of screens of text), and let your readers know what they are receiving in the subject line. 5. Weak writing. Get, read, and use The Elements of Style by William Strunk Jr. and E. B. White. This little classic will invigorate your prose. 6. Poor Formatting. If your newsletter is hard to read, people will not read it. Use (but do not overuse) symbols such as the slash, tilde (~), and asterisk to offset titles or sections of text. Set your email line length to no more than 80 characters (a setting of 60 is often recommended) so that text will break into easily readable lines. Use short  paragraphs. Break different topics into titled sections and give your readers a succinct table of contents at the top. 7. It's Hard to Subscribe/Un-subscribe. Make it easy for people to whom your newsletter is forwarded to subscribe. Equally important, make it easy for people to un-subscribe. This courtesy builds trust. 8. Intellectual property rights are ignored. Protect your intellectual property by dating each issue and including a copyright line, such as © Molly Gordon, 2000. All rights reserved. OR  Copyright Molly Gordon, 2000. All rights reserved. (c) is not a legally recognized symbol for copyright, so it is best not to rely on it. Protect the intellectual property of others by getting permission before using their materials in your newsletter. Avoid using anonymous material. There's plenty of good information for which you can name the source. 9. Slow or Flat Subscriber Growth. To build your subscriber base, make it easy for people to forward your newsletter. Ask your readers to send the newsletter to others provided they send it in its entirety with copyright information intact. 10. Lack of Personality. Some newsletter fails because they try to appeal to everyone. Better to show up BIG in your newsletter, attracting the people who will thrive through their contact with you than to attempt to satisfy  everyone and thrill no one. Let your personality and point of view shine through. *BONUS* 11. Lack of Privacy Policy. Internet subscribers are jealous of their privacy. If you care about that, say so, say it clearly, and say it in every issue as well as on your Web site. 2008-10-21T22:19:42Z

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top-10-mistakes-to-avoid-in-making-your-newsletter

2008-10-24T01:34:21Z

There may be some mistakes that you are making in your newsletter that you haven't considered.

Top 10 Mistakes to avoid in making your newsletter

2009-02-24T09:46:41Z