It's important to make your newsletter fun, informative and attention-grabbing.

Have fun. This doesn't mean writing content for the newsletter from a colored ball pit, but it's important for the newsletter creator to enjoy what they're working on. If the person writing the newsletter is having fun, the reader will have fun.

Austin, TX June 27, 2012

Any business, regardless of the type, needs to use the proper technique when creating a newsletter, and the right approach will only make it that much easier to gain the attention and loyalty of readers(who more than likely have very short attention spans). When it comes to getting focused and making great and effective newsletters, there are a few useful tips:

1. Make It Look Smart Yet Functional

The first thing readers' eyes are going to come across is the visual layout of the newsletter, so there's no point in cutting corners. It's important to take the time to use quality images and photos to provide good imagery for readers. If taking high quality photos of the product or service is a possibility, it's a good idea to do it. If there is a logo for the business, be sure to use it. It's surprising how much of a difference is made with the use of clean, nice looking imagery to help capture the eyes of the audience. On that note, one shouldn't waste all of their time making something look amazing if people will never be able to figure out how to use it. It's important to make it easily maneuverable and user friendly with easily detectable links and navigation.

2. Titles Are The Hook

It's human nature for people to gravitate towards what they like. That said, if something is remotely irrelevant or boring, readers are going to skip over it. This is exactly why creative titles are important. the title shouldn't tell the reader everything, but they shouldn't be too broad or uninteresting either. A title should be slightly mysterious with a splash of cleverness/wit/humor and take full advantage of the 3 seconds that readers’ brains use to make a decision; it's good to think outside the box. Whether the title made the reader chuckle for a second or even initiated a harmless argumentative response, if it grabs their attention, it's doing something right.

3. Make the Newsletter Personal

It’s no secret that the main objective of a business newsletter is to communicate the business to a mass audience. However, it's not desirable for the newsletter to make that painfully obvious. It should feel personal in the sense that the recipients of the newsletter will get that the business is connecting with them and that the business is in tune with what they like. This is why it's crucial to incorporate a somewhat FUN and ENTERTAINING approach and remember that readers are generously offering their time by looking at this newsletter, so appreciation for that should be shown through the presentation.

4. Have Fun

Yes, that’s right… have fun. This doesn't mean writing content for the newsletter from a colored ball pit, but it's important for the newsletter creator to enjoy what they're working on. If the author of the newsletter is miserable writing it, that will probably shine through. It's not necessary to worry that readers will dissect every little bit of it; if the person writing the newsletter is having fun, the reader will have fun. Period. Now, in no way does this mean to a newsletter should be inappropriate or go beyond the boundaries of what is socially acceptable (although that can be tempting at times), but it does mean thinking outside the box and letting loose. (Once again…not too loose, of course).

5. Be Informative But Keep It Simple

Although fun is important, there is a key factor to a successful newsletter--INFORMATION! It is crucial that a newsletter provides readers with all of the info regarding the business's service and product. However, one should keep in mind that this does not mean that the newsletter should drown the audience in words. It is easy to lose readers' attention if you give them too much to read, so details should be clean and thorough--but to the point. In a nutshell, aim for simple but effective. If readers are left saying, “That’s pretty cool, but where do I get that?” or “Do they have a website?” or “What’s the catch?”, then the newsletter has failed to include very important information about the business that could have landed a loyal customer.

6.Schedule Consistently

If the newsletter starts turning heads and people like what is being presented to them, they are going to look forward to the weekly/monthly newsletter. (Much like people look forward to a weekly/monthly magazine.) That means it's important not to keep them waiting or wondering when--or if--the newsletter is coming again. It's crucial to be consistent with a schedule and stick to an exact time and day every week or month that the newsletter goes out. Then readers will have a designated time to look forward to!

7. Separate A Newsletter and Business From the Rest

No matter the business, there is a very good chance that there is another business out there that does something exactly the same or similar. If that's not the case, then the business should capitalize on that and let the world know about the super product! But if it's among the majority, it's necessary to stand out from the rest of the competition. One way to do this is to do something unique that represents the business and what it has to offer. Details are very important, so highlighting even the smallest things that the business differently than others and including that in the newsletter is a good strategy.

Study Breaks College Media provides a one-stop solution for small businesses, providing them with big marketing strategies and delivering college students.

Study Breaks magazine is an award-winning line of monthly entertainment magazines for college students with a mission can best be explained through its slogan: We are college life. Published by Shweiki Media Printing Company, it is distributed in five Texas cities (Austin, Houston, San Antonio, San Marcos and Lubbock) and three southeast cities (Athens, GA; Auburn, AL; Columbia, SC). (Studybreaks.com)