Why Would Anyone Read Your E-Newsletter?: 6 Tips for Creating 'Sticky' Content

It's the hardest part. Really, it is. You can learn how to get permission to deliver your e-letter. You can find the right provider to zip your content across the web to the readers who eagerly await its arrival. Wait. Eagerly await its arrival?  Now we've come to the challenging part: how to find a personal style and rich topics that keep your subscribers checking their in-boxes to see if your next issue is there yet.  You're ready to tackle the content.  You've heard that your e-letter should sound "professional." Like you really know your stuff. But is that the only thing it should do? The big content secret Have you ever noticed that the most engaging e-letters (and blog posts, for that matter) are engaging, even playful sometimes? How the best writers teach us things and keep us entertained at the same time? We don't think about how many words are on the screen because they have reeled us in. We are part of the story— with copy that keeps us contentedly flowing down the stream of content. Copy that shows us just why we can trust the author's expertise and unique take on a topic.  The content pond is never fished out. I know. You're thinking, "I don't have enough to say," or, "What if I run out of ideas?"  You may think you will but, trust me, you won't. The possibilities are endless. So what's the best way to deliver killer content? 1. Find 'sticky' ideas. Try mind mapping (Draw a big circle with and write down a general topic inside. Then draw lines shooting out with smaller circles, with other related subjects that come to mind.) Listen to the problems of your customers and clients. Read blogs in your industry. Keep up with the news and trends in your field. Start a list of topics in a notebook and jot down ideas as they come to you. If the content thing worries you, ask for help. Let's say you are a tile company. You might approach some of your better customers (architects, interior designers, etc.) for stories about how they used your product in a unique way. Or how you provided exceptional customer service to help them with a challenging project. A paint company might offer tips for selecting paint to complement tiles. The benefits are two-fold: Your product is showcased by someone who has an objective view, and the company contributing the article gets some free publicity. 2. Do the work for your readers. If your newsletter isn't helping your subscribers reach their goals, solve their problems, well, then, why would they want to read it?  That's the mindset your readers are in when they open your e-letter. They want answers. Now. In your headline, present a problem and promise a solution. Intriguing headlines will increase open rates. Then solve the problem. Write subheads to break the solution into easy steps. 3. Offer a unique viewpoint and take a stand. There's already too much stuff out there. Your readers don't need more information. What they are craving is someone who cannmake sense of it all—someone to package advice with a distinct voice and a unique opinion. Example: One of our recent marketing e-tip titles was, "What's Keeping Your Customers from Buying?" FAQ Lessons from the Encyclopedia Man." It was all about how the Encyclopedia Britannica man's marketing skills impressed me as a child because he overcame (and had anticipated) all of my mom's objections to the sale. I went on to show how a good FAQ page on your website can do the same thing. Don't be a "me, too." Offer something new. 4. Find your voice. This is maybe the hardest part, the part you'll keep working on. Your voice: what makes you unique as a writer. When you find it, you'll know. You'll say to yourself, "Okay. This is me." And your readers won't have to see your name on your e-letter to know it’s you.  I remember the day the instructor in my Gotham Writers' Workshop creative nonfiction class said to me, "I think you've done it. You found your voice!" Up until then it had been elusive. I kept searching for it, as if I would find it someday, under the couch cushion with that sock slipper that disappeared. It's not that complicated. Your voice is really just your authentic self. It's the words only you would use—the ones that make you different from every other writer. I wrote a whole blog post on finding your voice. But for now, I'll just say the more you write, the closer you get to it. Tape record yourself so you know what you sound like when you're just talking. Free write in a journal. Read some of the emails you've sent. And write, write, write. You'll get there. 5. Favor content over sales. If your e-letter sounds more like an infomercial, your subscribers will tune out. They may even unsubscribe. Your goal is to help your readers. Show them how good you are at what you do by solving their problems. I guarantee you'll be first in their mind when they need the product or service you are selling. A good ratio is 5:1—80 percent rich, useful content and 20 percent (or less) sales. With our e-tips, we stay more in the range of 90 percent useful content with short promotions now and then, if they relate to a topic we've been helping our readers with. If you find the right balance, your readers will start looking forward to getting each new issue  Depending on the length of time they've been subscribers, of course, you will gradually begin to follow up with e-mails containing specific offers.  6. Create 5 'pillar issues' first. Sometimes called "evergreen," these issues are focused on topics that never go out of style. They will help you get started. If you have them, you won't have to be stressed in the first few weeks or months when that next issue rolls around. And if something happens in your business, something more timely, well, you can write about that and still have these extra issues to fall back on when your life gets too busy. There are other issues in attracting a readership, like formatting your e-letter for maximum readability, finding intriguing graphics, and deciding—and keeping to—a consistent schedule,  so your readers are 'trained' to expect new content at a specific time. But these six basics will go a long way in ensuring that your e-letter gets noticed—and read. 2009-01-07T00:08:39Z

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why-would-anyone-read-your-e-newsletter-6-tips-for-creating-sticky-content

2009-01-09T06:43:12Z

You got permission to send your newsletter out. You found the right delivery provider. Now the challenging part: how to find a personal style and rich content that keep your subscribers checking their in-boxes for the next issue.

Why Would Anyone Read Your E-Newsletter?: 6 Tips for Creating 'Sticky' Content

2009-02-24T09:48:20Z