To get results your newsletter needs to present relevant content in a style that meets the reading habits of your audience. And it’s the same whether you’re broadcasting a particular offer, or just reminding customers and prospects about what you do.
So how do you go about it? In this increasingly visual-driven age you have to meet the needs of the scan-reader – which most of us now especially when it comes to online reading. As such, we don’t necessarily read every word but look for sign-posts in the layout to tell us we’re in the right place, or that there’s something on the page worth reading.
Pace your reader
First, organise your information so the article’s main thrust is clear at the start and your readers know what it’s about. Write in the pyramid style, starting at the apex (important points first) and expanding outwards with your supporting arguments so the least essential comes last. If you’re editing contributions by others, you may find the real message buried among the waffle so dig deep to pull it out otherwise your readers will give up and miss it completely.
Get your information across in short paragraphs, and keep your vocabulary simple. Explain jargon. Your intention is get your message over simply and clearly in an easy read. You don’t want to bamboozle your readers, or drive them to a dictionary.
Use rhetorical questions to keep your readers engaged. These are the newsletter equivalent of fiction’s page-turners and will grab your readers’ attention as they highlight solutions they may be seeking. Sub-headings, bulleted lists and highlighted keywords and phrases visually break up your copy and make it easier for readers to find information relevant to them.
Accuracy, accuracy, accuracy
When it comes to the story itself, accuracy is paramount. Misspell someone’s name, or get a figure or a fact wrong, and that will be the only thing anyone will remember about the article, no matter how well written.
Check and double check. Ideally have two people proofread everything and be especially careful about headlines and captions.
Finally, when you’re ready to publish, it’s a good idea to read what you’ve written aloud, or have someone read your words back to you. You may be surprised at the difference between what you think you communicated as you wrote, and how it comes across.
| Tags: customer newsletters, grammar and punctuation, newsletters, online reading, pyramid writing style, readability
