Newsletters need more than news to get read. Include useful information your audience can act on. Speak with the voice of an insider, add relevant resources, offer something special for your readership, and measure to learn what your audience is most interested in.

Topics are not the only way to get your newsletter read. Identify goals and strategize first. Large readership numbers may not be at the top of the list for everyone. Driving traffic to a blog or website may be important or building a list or increasing brand identity. Use the tips below to engage your audience with the content you’ve created.

1. Put the best first. The content appearing at the top of your newsletter is most likely to be read. Make it count.

2. Introduce something new. Here’s an example from Futureceuticals. They provide an easy way to learn more with a link to their product list.

Engage your audience by asking them to answer a question. Later, show how customer feedback influenced your product line.

3. Demonstrate expertise through an insider view. This can take the form of problem/solution, a short case study, opinions, or basic How To. Jakob Nielsen’s newsletter Alertbox does just that.

Chris Brogan is another expert who demonstrates his knowledge by sharing ideas through a newsletter. He uses a simple, text-only format that appears as a letter. He believes this approach fosters two-way interaction.

4.  Include upcoming events and relevant resources. Show that you are connected with what’s happening in your industry. Add some social proof. Scan your social networks to find what others are saying about your company/products. Include the posts in your newsletter.

5. Add info-graphics that show relevant trends or statistics. Chunk your text under compelling headlines. This helps make the newsletter scanable. Sometimes it’s easy to start with the art.

6. Include a special offer available only to your e-newsletter readers. Such an offer makes your audience feel special.

7. Optimize the newsletter using keywords and measure to learn what your audience is truly interested in. Who opened the e-newsletter and what did they click on?  Assess the Subject lines to see which got the most views. Use this information to understand your audience better.

The modern e-newsletter should not be long. Deliver concise content that is useful, encourages interaction, shows expertise, includes an offer and is measurable. Have you found other ways to get your newsletter read? Please add any suggestions through the comment button below.

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