Make your e-news sizzle

Your e-newsletter is not free.  Nor is it the "free" place for everyone in your organization to promote their own project, event, or initiative.

Your e-news asks for attention in crowded in-boxes. Which means you need to know what your strategy is... know why it's your strategy... and then give someone at your organization the editorial control to execute the strategy (which includes saying "no.")

Here are a few tips for making the most of your e-news:

BE A HUB FOR AMAZING CONTENT

• Focus not just on what your organization wants to say... but on creating and finding content that people will find interesting, engaging, and even cool. 
• Give people the opportunity to be amazed by the world you inhabit.  And let them see that you're "in the know" and taking the time to share what you know with them.
• Think about your e-news as the place where you celebrate your mission far more often than you're earnest about it.

MAKE IT PERSONAL

• Have the newsletter come from an actual person at your organization.  A person with a name.  A person who might sign a brief letter at the top, or place their signature at the bottom.
• People connect with other people, not organizations.

MAKE IT TARGETED

• Too much content doesn't engage people... it overwhelms them.  Choose your subjects carefully and set limits. 
• Find a way to mark or break up sections so people can see where to look and follow what you're saying. And keep the sections the same from week to week so they know where to look for their favorite content.
• Print out your e-news on actual paper. If it's more than about two pages long, it's too long.

Have fun... be creative... be personal.  Your readers will appreciate it and follow along.