How to write successful e-newsletters

Keeping in touch with existing and potential clients via email can be a great way to build brand recognition and brand loyalty, potentially creating a lasting relationship… but if you’re not careful, it can also be a short cut to alienating your audience.

Here’s how to avoid the pitfalls and make it work for you…

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How to…write a press release that really works

Generating good PR is a great way of getting free publicity. It’s a useful way of creating a good buzz around your reputation – and since you’re not paying the newspaper, radio or TV channel for the exposure, you also gain credibility from a third-party endorsement.

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1: Defining objectives

OK, so you’ve decided to have a go at writing your own copy. Good for you!
But before you put pen to paper, you need to do a bit of thinking: what are you hoping to achieve?

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2: Target audience

OK, so now that you know what you’re trying to achieve, you need to be sure who you’re speaking to. (Forgotten what you’re trying to achieve? Go back and read Part 1: Objectives again!)

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3: Finding your voice

Now you know who you’re targeting, all you have to do is talk to them! (Not sure who you’re targeting? Go back and read Part 2: Target audience)

You can set the register – informally known as ‘tone of voice’ – by imagining the conversation in your head. If you’re aiming your copy at people of retirement age, no matter how forward thinking they are, you’re unlikely to start your letter with, “Yo! Wassup?!” It’s all a question of appropriacy.

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4: Typical mistakes

OK, so by now you’ve decided on the objectives of your piece, you’ve considered tone of voice and you’ve identified your target market. Now all you need to do is avoid the most common pitfall of all: grammatical mistakes.

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