Newsletter Writing
On the list of top ten things to do to increase ranking, internet traffic, and popularity in general — right between kwr articles and blogging — is the art of newsletter writing and administration. Newsletters are convenient for your customers, clients, and/or potential repeat visitors; they are one of the best forms of condensed information dispersal and of advertising; and they are fairly easy to generate and automate…so your following has a weekly or monthly update, resource, and reminder (of you, your services, your products).
Since my forte is not newsletter writing, I will not posture with too involved a lesson on newsletter writing, but will pass on tips I have found in my online research and reading ventures, and will offer you some model sources.
Who better to model the best (award-winning) newsletter writing than writers who issue newsletters to fellow writers and readers? If you are not a writer, per se, but do wish to see the most readable, most accessible layouts, check out copies of the following (all of which are fr..ee..):
Absolute Write Newsletter – Produced by the dynamic and perky published author Jenna Glatzer and her team, this newsletter arrives in your email box every Wednesday with such regular features as advice articles, classes offered, affiliates, and resources for writers.
Writing World Newsletter – Produced by the professional Moira Allen, this newsletter appears in your ebox monthly, and offers such items as writing news, a q & a section, feature articles, writer site listings/links, writing contests (with no entry fees), feature articles, and The Author’s Bookshelf.
Writers Weekly Newsletter – Produced by the vigilant protector of writers worldwide Angela Hoy (also owner of BookLocker.com), this newsletter contains weekly features such as advice and features from the editor, letters to the editor, feature articles, calls for interview subjects (posted by writers), Ask the Expert, paying markets and jobs listings (current), and an absolutely imperative section called Whispers and Warnings, wherein readers (as writers) can stay informed of the scammers and deadbeats who don’t pay, are extremely late in paying, or refuse to acknowledge promise of/payment.
The three administrators/writers offering the above newsletters also have archives on their websites which provide tips for all kinds of writing, newsletter writing included. But I will offer a bulleted version of some of the elements a newsletter might include. Formatting and content will be up to you to figure out, of course:
* Include topical material—that which your target audience is interested in and cares about.
* Add relevant links—including a blurb that briefly describes what the linked site entails
* Advice/Q & A sections—again, relevant and helpful
* Products/Services Ads/Reviews
* Trivia/Jokes/Cartoons—although the latter is less common a trend
Whichever you decide, whichever approach you wish to use (personal, business, etc.), you may wish to get specific guidelines, learn of the newsletter-writing software, understand which text to use, and read up on RSS and opt-in strategies, etc., or you may choose to hire a writer!
