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February 26, 2004
Why are Some Email Newsletters so
Bad?
by Jeanne S. Jennings
This question was posed to me last week at a client's site by a Vice President who joined our meeting about a new e-mail newsletter and online resource center I'm developing content-wise for them. His point was that he didn't want a 'bad' e-mail newsletter -- he wants something relevant and of real interest and value to their target market. But it got me thinking -- why are so many e-mail newsletter of so poor quality? And how can you be sure yours isn't one of them? Here are some things I came up with.
1. Content is King
Say what you will -- but if the content isn't of interest to your readers, you
won't have a successful e-mail newsletter. Too many companies make the e-mail
newsletter 'all about them' instead of 'all about the reader.' If it's 100%
marketing, it's NOT a newsletter -- it's a promotional piece. And there's a big
difference.
I recommend making at least 60% of your e-mail newsletter editorial content -- and maybe more (an article I read recently said at least 80%). This content should be relevant to your reader and can be related to your business, but it shouldn't be a blatant marketing piece. There are lots of free and inexpensive ways to develop editorial content -- here are just a few:
Compile -- link to relevant articles on the web written and posted by other (non-competitive) organizations.
Industry Experts -- many consultants and other industry experts are happy to write an article in exchange for attribution and a link to their website.
Readers and/or Customers -- ask your readers to write articles about the challenges they face in their business and how they overcome them. Again, many are happy to do it just to get some recognition.
2. Format is Queen
I got an e-mail newsletter from a publisher the other idea telling me about the
latest issue of their magazine, which I like. The problem? The e-mail was
text-only and the paragraphs were really, really long. They looked like (they
were!) big blocks of text -- not very appealing to the eye, not something you
feel like reading, on or off a computer screen.
If you're writing for e-mail, keep it brief. I try to have paragraphs run no longer than 5-1/4 lines (this is based on a tip I read long ago in a case study). Use bullet points. Especially in text e-mails, be sure you have a lot of white space. Even the highest quality content is unlikely to be able to overcome poor formatting.
3. Have A Take and Don't
S*ck!
...to borrow a line from Jim Rome, one of my favorite sports radio guys. Too
many e-mail newsletters, especially B2B e-mail newsletters, are afraid to have a
personality. Don't be. That's what engages people. That's what makes they want
to read. What's more appealing -- something that a person put together for you
or something that appears to have been done 'without human intervention' -- i.e.
by a computer searching a database?
Obviously you need to be a little more professional in a B2B e-mail newsletter than you might be in a B2C publication. But the best B2B speakers make people smile and laugh in their presentations. This is what your goal should be with the e-mail newsletter. Engage your readers, don't keep them at arms length.
One of the best examples of a newsletter with a great personality is the Personal Finance Newsletter put out by CBS Marketwatch (http://www.CBSMarketwatch.com). The editor does an intro paragraph that pulls me in almost every issue. I started subscribing when I was doing work for a Personal Investment Newsletter -- most of the industry publications were somewhat dry, but not this one.
4. Make it Personal
Email is much more personal than direct mail -- it falls somewhere between USPS
Mail and the phone. Too many companies make the mistake of sending out an
article or press release with no introduction -- these formats do not lend
themselves to e-mail. It's like answering the phone and the person on the other
end just starts in talking without saying hello. Take a line to include a
salutation -- anything from 'Dear Jeanne' to 'Hey!' to 'Good Day!' will work.
5. Put it in Context
I've increased my click-through rates on e-mail newsletter by up to 50% by
including a brief paragraph as an introduction. It makes the case for why the
reader should take a minute right now to read this e-mail newsletter, highlights
a few content items and spells out the benefits. It's also a good way to infuse
your e-mail with a little bit of personality (see item 3 above). This combined
with a table of contents, will give your readers what they need to determine if
this issue is for them. If it is, they engage. If not, you haven't wasted their
time.
6. Don't Leave it to an
Intern
Nothing against interns, but unless they are steeped in knowledge about your
audience, don't just drop the newsletter on them. Too many companies focus on
the quantity of the e-mail newsletter -- how many people they're sending to --
rather than the quality -- is this something of value to our readers. If it is,
they will read the editorial and see your (20% to 40%) marketing messages. If
not, they'll hit the delete key.
7. Do What it Takes to Do
It Right
I often think back to a lunch I had with two online editors for a large
publishing company. We talked e-mail newsletters almost exclusively -- how to
use them as a marketing tool, how to get more people to sign-up for them,
increasing deliverability, various content sources, etc. At the end of my lunch
I offered to send a proposal -- after hearing about their challenges and
frustrations it was clear I could help. Their response was along the lines of 'A
proposal? But it's only e-mail -- it's not like we'd pay someone to help with
that.'
Bottom Line: If you've reached a level of success but your growth or response rates aren't meeting your goals, or if you're just starting a program and aren't quite sure how to proceed, don't hesitate to look for help. There is lots of free information online (some of it is excellent, some of it not, but if you read enough you can sort it out quickly) and there are lots of people, consultants, vendors and colleagues, who can help you out.
Good Email Newsletters, especially those that softly market a product or service, are a different animal. It's less like writing an e-mail to your friend and more like publishing -- less like direct mail than it is like a great ad placement in a publication that you happen to control editorial on. Learning what works -- and what doesn't -- from others can save you time and money in the long run.
Jeanne S. Jennings
Consultant, Marketing and New Product Development
Publisher, The Jennings Report
Columnist, ClickZ.com
mailto:publisher@jenningsreport.com
Phone: 202-365-0423
Thanks for reading! I'd love to hear what you have to say. Feel free to contact me with any thoughts or feedback about this publisher's note.
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