Whereas with an external publication you’re quality-controlled by someone outside your organization (the publication’s editor) who is therefore independent and autonomous, equivalent person connected with an internally produced newsletter is either you, or someone else who gets paid by your organization.

Consequently newsletters have a sad habit of falling prey to same self-indulgent and boring content as misguided, subjective, self-congratulatory press releases so many organizations issue. Only this time, it’s worse.

It’s not just a few paragraphs of self-indulgent drivel, it’s two, four or even eight pages of stuff that’s of tremendous interest to writers and instigators, but usually of no interest to readers. This problem is often swept under rug with a comment like “ah well, they’re staff so they’re getting paid to read it/they’re our suppliers so they have to read it because we’re their best customer” etc.

Of course, if newsletter is directed only to staff or another purely internal group, fact that there is a certain degree of family indulgence, will help. Staff certainly don’t expect anything other than heavily cushioned bad news in articles written by CEO or Financial Director/VP, even if company’s not doing quite so well this quarter. And although they might not like to admit it, internal people actually do like to see silly pictures of Christmas staff party, summer Family Day, and annual Spring Ball. So compilers of internal newsletters can approach exercise with a bit of poetic licence if they want to.

Where you do have to pull yourselves up by bootlaces is with newsletters that go outside organization – particularly customer newsletters. Here there is no external editor to run his/her “blue pencil” through all self-congratulatory bullshit. So you need to place yourself firmly in shoes of audience and ensure that your content is of interest to them.

In exactly same way as online e-zines and e-newsletters, printed external newsletters are of much greater value to reader if they contain information that is of genuine, generic use to them – information that helps them do their jobs better, or in some other way improves their daily life.

If newsletters are generically useful then people will take them more seriously, will keep them handy rather than throw them away, and so will pay far more attention to your messages that accompany generic information. Very few people these days are stupid enough to be fooled by thinly disguised advertising blurb masquerading as “useful” editorial.

Yet all too often I see companies spending quite large sums of money on customer newsletters that really do put “junk” into junk mail.

All it takes to turn a boring, totally subjective newsletter into a useful, interesting one is a little imagination, not big bucks.

A car dealership can send out a quarterly newsletter than not only announces latest new model launches and new staff appointments, but also includes a seasonal maintenance checklist for readers, for example: ·how to drive safely in winter conditions ·ideas on how to keep kids entertained on long car trips in summer ·security and anti-theft tips ·dates of future roadworks/construction that may cause congestion (available from local government sources) ·… etc.

An accountancy firm could send out this type of information:

·how new legislation affects local or regional businesses ·how new tax laws should be interpreted ·tips and advice on how to fill out personal tax returns ·tips for small businesses and self-employed people on how to record their expenses more efficiently ·…etc.

An investment company could send out following information;