How To Write A Good Newsletter
We all know the feelings that come with that obligatory newsletter... either guilt of having not done it or total overwhelm, confusion or even boredom on where to start with it all.
Newsletters are a fantastic way to keep in touch with your clients and subscribers, and as we know, it's really important to be at the forefront of your clients and subscribers minds (and inboxes)! We achieve this through regular contact (read more about how to do this through email automation here).
"How often should I write a newsletter?", you ask?
However frequently you can commit to. Monthly is great, and to be completely honest, more frequently than that is overkill. If you can commit to every two months, that's perfect too. There is no secret answer here, find your comfortable space between too-much-contact and not-enough.
But, how do we write a good newsletter that serves its purpose and isn't a drag to write or read?
Firstly, the purpose of a newsletter is to
- connect
- update
- educate
- entertain
- inspire
- and/or motivate
Choose two of these things to achieve in your newsletter and you're not wasting your time.
TIP 1
Write from your either first or third person. Words should read like they're coming out of your mouth or the mouth of your business as a separate entity. This makes it easy for your reader to connect with as they will already be familiar with either your or your brand. Stay consistent with either first or third person! And, as always, make sure you are writing to connect with your ideal client! (If you don't have an ideal client, read this... if you do, here's a blog on how to write to engage them)
TIP 2
Keep it relevant. Update your subscribers on any changes that have or are happening in the clinic (eg new equipment or tests, pricing changes or introduction of packages, website update). Inspire and motivate your subscribers with recognition and celebration of positive results that have happened in the clinic since your last newsletter (before and after photos are spectacular to include for visual proof!). Educate or entertain with recent blog posts or recipes. Newsletters are about sharing the good stuff! Think of it like a call to an old friend.
TIP 3
Be on brand. Make sure you have your logo somewhere in your email so that people can immediately connect with your brand. Photos are great to include in your newsletter as well as text-heavy newsletters are clunky and boring to read. Splash it with colour, especially your brand colours!
TIP 4
Make it easy. Don't spend two weeks writing a newsletter. Smash it out as quickly as possible by keeping it succinct and recycling blogs or Facebook posts that you have already published. Speed the whole process up by spending the time to create a template in Mailchimp (see how to here) and saving it to reuse for all of your newsletters. Then all you have to do is replace some photos and words and you're done! A newsletter, in my opinion, should take no longer than 30 minutes to complete.
TIP 5
Don't start a theme that you can't keep up with. For example, don't make a "Joke of the Month" section if you have two jokes to last you a year. Consider the longevity of the themes you might want to go with, and don't feel pressured at all to even have a theme if you'd rather write ad-lib!
TIP 6
Subscribe to other businesses newsletters in your industry to see what content they focus on and what you like and don't like about how they have set out their newsletter or the sort of information they are sharing. Be inspired and motivated by your competition.
TIP 7
Start now, where you are. Don't feel put off by the fact you have put out newsletters totally randomly in the past. Don't start off your newsletter by saying "From now on you'll hear from us every month!". Just write the damn newsletter.