is for ...

Dear Alun

Some people think that jotting down a few random thoughts and sending them out as an email newsletter, is the quickest, cheapest way of selling masses of their products and services. If you’re one of those people, or you think that adding thousands of subscribers to your list – whether they’ve asked to be added or not – then please stop reading here, because this newsletter is not for you.

However, if you know that quality is far, far more important that quantity and you want to know how to bring more quality to your newsletter, then read on.

Best wishes,

Chantal

Q is for Quality, not Quantity

Why do you need to write a quality newsletter, for every single issue? Because if you don’t, you’ll start to lose readers and lose your reputation.

How can you bring quality to your newsletter?

• Make sure it’s interesting. Write about what’s interesting to your readers. Imagine a complete stranger reading your newsletter. Much of what you write may be of interest to a close colleague, but what about the people who do not know you as well and are less likely to forgive you for waffling? As your mailing list grows, the ‘strangers’ will soon outnumber the friends and family, so you should always check what you have written, from this point of view.

• Make sure it’s relevant. No matter how interesting your newsletter is, if it doesn’t relate to your objective for writing it, you’ll struggle to succeed. Having a specific topic or theme for your newsletter and for each issue will help you stay focused. Your newsletter is a marketing tool; it is not just a space for you to download your random thoughts. Many people on your mailing list will use your newsletter to check you out before deciding to become a customer. They will be interested in what you can do for them, not how you spent the weekend.

• Make sure it’s helpful. If you want your newsletter to bring you more business, make sure the information you provide is valuable to your readers. Give away the same quality of advice that you give to your paying clients. Don’t hold back by reserving the ‘good stuff’ for those who pay. This only defeats the purpose of publishing a newsletter in the first place.

Being interesting, relevant and helpful means putting yourself in your readers’ shoes and providing what’s most useful to them, not whatever happens to be easiest for you. I think I’ve got a pretty good idea of what you want from JAC Tips, but if there are any issues you’re struggling with, please click here to tell me about them and I’ll cover them in future issues.

Q is also for Questions

Do you have any questions you'd like to ask about your newsletter, or how to get started on writing one?

We're here to help, so if you have a question, click here to email it to us and we'll send you a helpful, impartial answer. If you're a seasoned newsletter publisher looking for ways of updating your newsletter, send us an issue and we’ll look over it for you and send you some suggestions. If you're completely new to the world of newsletters and think your question is ‘silly’, send it anyway and we’ll answer it for you, without judging you.

My question to you is can you help us to grow our mailing list of quality people? If you know anyone else who would find the A-Z of newsletters helpful, please ask them to go to www.justaddcontent.co.uk to sign up to JAC Tips. When they do, they’ll receive the latest issue, along with a free 17 Point Check List to help them with their newsletter. In addition, they will also receive our brand new ebook “Business for Free (or How You Can Promote Your Business Without Spending Any Money)”. We will also send you a free copy of our ebook when one of your quality contacts joins our list of subscribers, as a thank you.