Tips on Writing Effective Newsletters

**Brandon Sheley** · 04-22-2008, 05:36 PM

Tips on Writing an Effective Newsletter
I seen a request in our forums for a little tutorial on writing an effective newsletter, so I thought I would give it a shot.
I’ll spend a day or two writing and putting together the pieces our vBulletinSetup Newsletter. Articles and written and rewritten after thought of the whole layout may change with some event or special that we have to get out in the newsletter. I try to remove all spelling and grammatical errors and usually try to get a staff member or two to look over it before posting it live. Our newsletter page is a little out of alignment at the moment, but in the emails they look great. I guess I’ll just start listing off some tips and we’ll see how this goes.

Always keep your audience in mind: For obvious reasons, all the content in the newsletter is directly related to? vBulletin news, vBulletinSetup news. This can work with any niche, if your site is about ford mustangs,? then post the latest news in regards to that car.
Email newsletter should be simple: If you are pushing out an email newsletter, you should try to keep it as simple as possible. Don’t put many images in the email and use all text. Your content should speak for itself, when I do add images, I try to make them very small in compared to the text.
Take your time composing the newsletter: As I started above, it takes me a few days to actually put together the newsletter.
Only publish the best: This is where I’m lacking a bit. I’m lucky enough to have a wife in advertising and plenty of member that will look over our newsletter. This really should be the #1 goal in a newsletter.
The newsletter must be readable: Don’t stuff 20 full stories in your newsletters, no one will read past the first sentence before deleting the email. I will post a snippet then link to the full story in the forums.
Choose the lead stories carefully: This is your “front page” if you are thinking like it’s a newspaper. You only want to post the stores that will be attractive to the largest number of people.
Build up the newsletter: In the beginning a newsletter will most likely be very simple, a few lead stories , some short news, and then a message from the admin. As your publication grows, you can add some featured stores, banners or columns to split the page up, rss feeds even for other news sites in regards to your niche.
Include the source: Our newsletter is full of links back to the stories in the forums.
Use catchy captains in the title: This is something I don’t take advantage of, but I need to start. This is your first impression on the member reading your newsletter. If the title is boring, it will most likely be deleted.
Ask your readers what they think: Ask your readers what they think of your newsletter. They are the reason you post them aren’t they? This is a great way to find bugs that you may not see.
Offer incentives for newsletter writers: I tossed this in here because this is something we have been doing on our blog. You may have noticed a few more authors other then myself lately. bdude, David and Blake have been helping out with the blog post. This would also work for newsletter, to get a collaborative process for a better product.
Don’t sacrifice look for readability: You don’t want so many banners, tables and columns on the newsletter that it makes it hard to read. Keep it simple.
Enjoy the praise: Once we started getting threads of users saying “great newsletter” and “thanks for sending” I knew I was up to something good.

A well written newsletter can generate a great deal of traffic, always try to improve your issues and don’t forget to ask for user feedback. I’m trying to think of a few more tips, I’m a bit stumped right now. This should be a good start.
If you have a news letter, I’d love to see a link to it. Seeing what’s working for other people would really be appreciated.
cheers
-Brandon @ Crowdgather

**Cori** · 04-22-2008, 06:01 PM

Excellent thread Brandon! I am in the process of putting together a newsletter, but it looks like I may need to work on it a little more before sending it out. The tips you have posted have really given me a lot to think about...thanks!

**Caddyman** · 04-22-2008, 06:05 PM

i have had a few emails sent back to me from loco saying "Chase you forgot to add a subject line"

DOH!

good read loco

**jamesgilfoyle** · 04-22-2008, 10:13 PM

Nice read,

Why not post it up in the resources section?

**xm100** · 04-22-2008, 11:15 PM

Thanks for this incredibly useful. I started my first newsletter a couple of weeks ago and just need to start tweaking it!

**Brandon Sheley** · 04-23-2008, 01:37 AM

I didn't know where to post it. Glad you all enjoy it

I just noticed a few errors in my post, sorry for that

I'll edit the blog post, this is why it takes me so long to put out a newsletter.
I'm always rushing a story out, then I'll spend a day or two thinking about the wording and such.

**xm100** · 04-23-2008, 03:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by loco.m

I'm always rushing a story out, then I'll spend a day or two thinking about the wording and such.

That's my style too!

I've been experimenting with html email too so am looking forward to a follow up from you on this

The main way's to set it up and the pitfalls. I don't know how many of these are successfully read compared to text emails

**Zane** · 05-10-2008, 01:02 PM

Very instructive, loco. I've been thinking about launching a community wide newsletter for a while now. I’m certain this will help me get started.

04-22-2008, 06:01 PM	#2
Cori Forum Addict Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Florida Posts: 1,551	Excellent thread Brandon! I am in the process of putting together a newsletter, but it looks like I may need to work on it a little more before sending it out. The tips you have posted have really given me a lot to think about...thanks! __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-22-2008, 06:05 PM	#3
Caddyman Forum Addict Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Delaware Posts: 1,342	i have had a few emails sent back to me from loco saying "Chase you forgot to add a subject line" DOH! good read loco __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. boomshockalacka

04-22-2008, 10:13 PM	#4
jamesgilfoyle Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 104	Nice read, Why not post it up in the resources section? __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. \| To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-22-2008, 11:15 PM	#5
xm100 Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 100	Thanks for this incredibly useful. I started my first newsletter a couple of weeks ago and just need to start tweaking it! __________________ To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-23-2008, 01:37 AM	#6
Brandon Sheley Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 1,739	I didn't know where to post it. Glad you all enjoy it I just noticed a few errors in my post, sorry for that I'll edit the blog post, this is why it takes me so long to put out a newsletter. I'm always rushing a story out, then I'll spend a day or two thinking about the wording and such. __________________ How to be To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & Comparing To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . Check out my blog , it's a DOFOLLOW blog, go comment! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Are you on Twitter? To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

04-22-2008, 05:36 PM	#1
Brandon Sheley Super Moderator Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Topeka, KS Posts: 1,739	Tips on Writing Effective Newsletters Tips on Writing an Effective Newsletter I seen a request in our forums for a little tutorial on writing an effective newsletter, so I thought I would give it a shot. I’ll spend a day or two writing and putting together the pieces our vBulletinSetup Newsletter. Articles and written and rewritten after thought of the whole layout may change with some event or special that we have to get out in the newsletter. I try to remove all spelling and grammatical errors and usually try to get a staff member or two to look over it before posting it live. Our newsletter page is a little out of alignment at the moment, but in the emails they look great. I guess I’ll just start listing off some tips and we’ll see how this goes. Always keep your audience in mind: For obvious reasons, all the content in the newsletter is directly related to? vBulletin news, vBulletinSetup news. This can work with any niche, if your site is about ford mustangs,? then post the latest news in regards to that car. Email newsletter should be simple: If you are pushing out an email newsletter, you should try to keep it as simple as possible. Don’t put many images in the email and use all text. Your content should speak for itself, when I do add images, I try to make them very small in compared to the text. Take your time composing the newsletter: As I started above, it takes me a few days to actually put together the newsletter. Only publish the best: This is where I’m lacking a bit. I’m lucky enough to have a wife in advertising and plenty of member that will look over our newsletter. This really should be the #1 goal in a newsletter. The newsletter must be readable: Don’t stuff 20 full stories in your newsletters, no one will read past the first sentence before deleting the email. I will post a snippet then link to the full story in the forums. Choose the lead stories carefully: This is your “front page” if you are thinking like it’s a newspaper. You only want to post the stores that will be attractive to the largest number of people. Build up the newsletter: In the beginning a newsletter will most likely be very simple, a few lead stories , some short news, and then a message from the admin. As your publication grows, you can add some featured stores, banners or columns to split the page up, rss feeds even for other news sites in regards to your niche. Include the source: Our newsletter is full of links back to the stories in the forums. Use catchy captains in the title: This is something I don’t take advantage of, but I need to start. This is your first impression on the member reading your newsletter. If the title is boring, it will most likely be deleted. Ask your readers what they think: Ask your readers what they think of your newsletter. They are the reason you post them aren’t they? This is a great way to find bugs that you may not see. Offer incentives for newsletter writers: I tossed this in here because this is something we have been doing on our blog. You may have noticed a few more authors other then myself lately. bdude, David and Blake have been helping out with the blog post. This would also work for newsletter, to get a collaborative process for a better product. Don’t sacrifice look for readability: You don’t want so many banners, tables and columns on the newsletter that it makes it hard to read. Keep it simple. Enjoy the praise: Once we started getting threads of users saying “great newsletter” and “thanks for sending” I knew I was up to something good. A well written newsletter can generate a great deal of traffic, always try to improve your issues and don’t forget to ask for user feedback. I’m trying to think of a few more tips, I’m a bit stumped right now. This should be a good start. If you have a news letter, I’d love to see a link to it. Seeing what’s working for other people would really be appreciated. cheers -Brandon @ Crowdgather __________________ How to be To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & Comparing To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. . Check out my blog , it's a DOFOLLOW blog, go comment! To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. Are you on Twitter? To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

05-10-2008, 01:02 PM	#8
Zane Lurker Join Date: May 2008 Posts: 12	Very instructive, loco. I've been thinking about launching a community wide newsletter for a while now. I’m certain this will help me get started. __________________ No trees were killed in the making of this post. However, many trillions of electrons were however inconvenienced.

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