FROM INCEPTION TO DISTRIBUTION, PLANNING IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
The availability of today's electronic publishing technology makes the creation and distribution of a company newsletter easier than ever. At the same time, good newsletters don't just happen - as with all creative endeavors, careful planning, scheduling and attention to detail are required to ensure success.

DEFINE YOUR STYLE
Nearly all newsletters can be classified as belonging to one of four categories: subscription, association, corporate or advertising/promotional.

Subscription newsletters target a small readership interested in very specific aspects of a certain field, such as organic farming or antiques. Since the information these newsletters provide is often proprietary or hard to come by, they are quite expensive to produce. Subscription newsletters are sold by publishing companies as a source of revenue, and are beyond the scope of this article.

Association newsletters are published by organizations to keep their members informed of policies, activities, etc. A good example might be a newsletter published by an amateur radio club. For the purposes of this article, the advice given here for corporate newsletters would apply.

Corporate newsletters are published by large companies and read by their employees. In addition to keeping employees informed of changes and events taking place in their company, these newsletters can be valuable in building employee morale. For example, a large maintenance firm we know has offices spread across the country. Through their newsletter, employees are able to meet and read about fellow team members in ways that aren't otherwise possible. Used in this way, a newsletter creates a feeling of cohesiveness within an organization. The same concept could be applied by any company that has many different departments, not all of which interact directly with each other.

This brings us to the fourth type of newsletter: Advertising/Promotional. These newsletters are produced by companies to be read by their customers and potential customers. The most important job of these newsletters is to promote the goods and services provided by the company that publishes them, while creating a feeling of reliability and trust.

A well-written, professionally-designed newsletter will generally be read by the person who receives it and can become a powerful marketing tool.

WHERE DO YOU START?

Time is valuable, and most of us have learned to determine with a brief glance whether or not an unsolicited publication contains material that is truly of interest to us.

To be interesting, a newsletter must have clearly-defined goals and purposes . . . simply asking each department head to submit an article won't do the job. Someone needs to identify the purpose behind your newsletter and determine the best ways to achieve that end. Make a list of ideas and combine several of them to come up with a concept that will be unique, appealing, and will result in the type of response you are seeking.

You'll need to decide on the type of material to include in your newsletter. A good start might be to assemble a collection of newsletters from other companies and look at them, really look at them. If certain features appeal to you (original cartoons, a brain-teaser, creative photographs) ask yourself if these features are appropriate to your publication. More importantly, look for features that leave you absolutely cold. An example of this might be a newsletter that consists of "in-house" gossip or information that is of interest only to the company that sent it to you. Don't use your newsletter as a vehicle for ego gratification. The material must be interesting not only to you, but to the reader.

Remember that people like to read about people, and they especially like to read about themselves. If someone in your company has come up with a good idea to increase sales or improve morale, write a story about it. The employee certainly will feel proud and realize his/her value to the company. Other employees might be inspired to follow this lead.

Look for ways to be creative. Does your company give an Employee of the Month award? The newsletter might be a good way to feature that person. Don't just publish their photo; interview them! They may have an interesting history, or anecdotal stories they've always wanted to share.

Newsletter editors must be mindful that friendly competition in a company can be harnessed to increase productivity in positive ways. Make sure that human-interest stories in your newsletter are balanced. If the work of one department is consistently praised over that of another, positive competition can easily turn to jealousy.

If you are publishing an advertising/promotional newsletter the choice of content is a more complex issue. The primary interest of your readership is not who owns your company or who works for it. They are interested in the quality of your goods or services and why they should do business with you. The newsletter must communicate this above all else.

If you own a retail or service-oriented business the inclusion of "monthly specials" can be quite important - they can alert old friends to money-saving deals and entice potential customers to do business with you for the first time. Our advice is DON'T OVERDO IT! If your newsletter consists mainly of advertising, it will soon take on the appearance of those cheap circulars we throw away every day. Remember, an interesting newsletter contains interesting news. Depending on your clientele, this might include stories about advances in your industry or reviews of new products you will be stocking in the near future.

Before you mention the names of distributors or manufacturers, call them directly. Tell them about your newsletter and let them know you'd like to feature their product. Most likely they will be more than willing to send you written material you may reproduce unencumbered - that means less research time and a good "inside" story you can share with your readers.

CALL ON A PROFESSIONAL

For either promotional or corporate newsletters, you'll probably want a more graphic look in order to attract attention. Don't be shy with the use of photos, diagrams and illustrations. Consider hiring a graphic designer to establish a format for your newsletter.

If you plan on doing the layout yourself, there is excellent page-layout software developed specifically for this purpose. Programs are available in versions for both Macintosh and IBM-compatible computers.

DELIVER IT!

Distribution of corporate newsletters is simple: send one to each employee. Deciding who should receive a promotional newsletter isn't as easy. Start with your firm's customers. Then select potential customers that would find your information of value. Clients can come from a particular geographic area or from a specific audience. Mailing lists are available to fit nearly any requirement. Depending on the size of your mailing, and delivery location, you may qualify for discounted postage rates by mailing it third class rather than first.