Great Newsletters Deliver Complete Content, Consistently

As I have mentioned a few times before, I think few companies understand the true potential of a good email newsletter.

In the early days of the web, there were some wonderful, informative, interesting newsletters. Now, more and more newsletters have become little more than HTML candy...with small snippets of incomplete content, accompanied by links through to an accompanying web site.

The result? The newsletters themselves are not interesting, not useful, not satisfying...and destined for the junk folder.

Why it makes sense to deliver complete content in your newsletter

A good newsletter builds respect and trust. Think of the newsletters to which you have subscribed for two years or more.

You keep reading them for a reason. Because they are worth the time spent.

And each time you read a new issue, your respect for the company or organization behind it deepens a little bit more.

Meanwhile, more and more of the "drive them through to the web site" newsletters, with teaser content and onward links, lose our attention.

The only way to make sure your newsletter is consistently opened is to make it WORTH opening.

Complete Content newsletters are a long-term asset

The hard part for marketers is to resist the temptation to maximize short-term click-throughs.

For a variety of reasons we may find ourselves under pressure to use the newsletter to drive as many people as possible through to our sites.

It's a understandable aim, but you need to find a balance that won't diminish the value of the newsletter itself.

Three principles of great newsletters

1. Deliver complete content within the body of the newsletter, with optional links to your own site or other sites.

In other words, links should be included as a choice for readers who want to explore further, not as a condition of experiencing the full content.

2. Take the long term view.

Don't measure the success of your newsletter by short-term metrics. And don't keep changing it in search of incremental improvements in click-through rates.

When you start doing that, you are on the road to transforming your newsletter into a promotional email, where content is included simply as a hook, and not for its inherent value.

3. Maintain a consistent theme, tone and format.

The newsletters that keep the attention of their readers, year after year, are those that remain familiar in terms of the voice of the editor, the theme of the content and the format of the newsletter itself.

Why? Because your readers are extremely sensitive to changes in their favorite newsletters. They don't like unexpected shifts in voice and content. And as many publishers have found out the hard way, subscribers hate it when text newsletters are changed to an HTML format, or when an HTML newsletter undergoes a big change in design.

Concluding thoughts...

I think the core to producing a great newsletter is never to lose sight of the long view. Think in terms of years, not months or weeks.

Make sure you deliver real value with each issue, and that means including complete content within the body of each issue.

Finally, don't let short-term metrics divert you from your long-term goal.

Building long-term readership and loyalty takes time, a lot of time.

Be patient and you will be rewarded.

Related Resources:

The 6 Elements of a content-rich, money-making e-newsletter

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Michael Katz’s Do-It-Yourself E-Newsletter System

This is a big, comprehensive package for small business and freelancers who want to publish an e-newsletter as a means to promote their services. Michael knows exactly what he's talking about and shares all you need to know in order to create great content, format it correctly and get it delivered reliably. Read my full review of this excellent e-newsletter system...

Best Practices in Marketing with Email Newsletters

This 194-page from MarketingSherpa is a step-by-step guide to creating, writing, designing and delivering email newsletters that deliver the best results. Essential for marketers looking to increase the ROI of their email newsletter campaigns.

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