Tips on writing a successful newsletter
The main purpose of newsletters is to communicate regularly with a special group. An employee or member newsletter is one way an organisation communicates with people important to its existence, but before you start writing, ask yourself why it is in the self-interest of employees to read what you are writing. Say what you have to say in as few words as possible using a crisp, clear style. Knowing your subject matter really well will help you achieve this and ensure that you cut out the fluff and include current information that’s important to your audience. Remember the Who, What, Why, When, Where and How of standard news writing because this is also important in newsletters. And don’t forget to do a strong edit of your first draft – you’ll no doubt cut out half of what you’ve written because it contains too much prose.
An important point to remember is that a newsletter is just one tactical device effective in employee communication, and it’s not necessarily one of the best for delivering your particular key messages to your target publics. Keep an open mind. You have a wide range of tactical tools that can be applied to the task of employee communication. Select the best tools for the job, not simply continue with the newsletter because that is the way it has always been.