How to
Never
Run Out of Newsletter Content Ideas
If you publish an eNewsletter on a regular basis, keeping a steady supply of fresh ideas can be quite a challenge. But if you set up a system to identify, collect and organize article topics, you'll
never
run out of interesting content to share with subscribers, says Marc Dube, president of Proven
Systems. Plus, you'll save time and wind up with better material for each issue.
Whether you produce your eNewsletter in-house or through a vendor, or you'll need to come up with content ideas that are relevant and valuable to your subscribers.
If you're creating the articles yourself, realize that you probably have a lot more to write about than you think. Remember, your customers and others who subscribe to your eNewsletter, don't work in your industry day in and day out. Topics that may seem elementary to you can be news to them. In other words: They have questions. And you have valuable answers, opinions, experience and an inside perspective that can satisfy their curiosity.
So how do you know what information will be interesting and relevant to your readers? That's easy. Just address the actual questions you receive from customers. They often start with: "How can I …?" or "Should I…?"
If you run out of "real" customer questions, no worries. Put yourself in their shoes and develop your own list of queries, advises Michael Katz in his book, "E-Newsletters That Work: The Small Business Owner's Guide to Creating, Writing and Publishing an Effective Electronic Newsletter." Simply write down the things that your existing and potential customers, colleagues, friends and relatives ask you every day about your work, he says.
Once your ideas start flowing, you'll quickly see that your challenge isn't simply having enough content ideas. It's identifying which topics are the most useful, interesting and relevant to your subscribers.
Develop a System
The average eNewsletter article should consist of 500 to 800 words. And, if you set up a system, you will never — yes,
never
— run out of relevant ideas to fill each issue. But without a system, your well of ideas will run dry because there's a limit to your own supply of creativity. Even if you could keep churning out ideas, your content would start focusing on company politics and agendas — instead of what actually interests your readers.
Here are six helpful strategies you can use to create an effective system for collecting article ideas:
1. Plan in advance.
Have you ever noticed that the hardest time to come up with ideas for eNewsletter articles is when you need them? Planning each issue months ahead will help. This will not only save you time, but it will also allow you to use your article ideas to the best advantage. You can publish articles in the best combination and at the most appropriate times of year.
2. Develop standing features or a theme.
Having regular sections or a theme will make it easier to plan your content plus give readers consistency. For example, the Proven Systems' eNewsletter has the following format every month: a feature, client profile, tip, question/answer, joke and a few other fixed elements.
3. Keep an eNewsletter idea file.
Whenever you think of an idea, save it in your computer, Palm Pilot or a notebook. Then when it's time to write each month, you simply open your file, select for the most suitable ideas, and you're off to a good start. (An eNewsletter idea file is the perfect solution to writer's block.)
4. Collect a list of informative Web sites.
Search the Internet for different Web sites with useful information and statistics about your industry. Then place the best ones in your "Favorites" folder for future reference. Better yet, identify online directories that offer one-stop, broad access to other relevant Web sites.
5. Subscribe to and read other email newsletters.
Subscribing to other eNewsletters in your field can help you generate ideas of your own or inspire you to create your own version of someone else's article. But be careful not to "borrow" content without the author's permission. Not only does this show a lack of originality on your part, but it's also against copyright laws.
6. Subscribe to industry journals and keep a personal "library" in your office.
Subscribing to industry journals can give you access to important news and developments in your field. Scour these publications regularly and clip any items you think might interest your subscribers.
To learn more about how to generate plenty of ideas for your eNewsletter,
email
Proven Systems Corp. or call
800.720.5398.
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