Here are five signs that it’s time to give your email newsletter a makeover:
1) You hate writing it. If writing your newsletter is a total drag or bore, you are doing it wrong! Your newsletter should be a great tool to communicate with your readers about all of the exciting work you are doing and about how important their support is to you. If you have passion for your job and your organization’s mission, you should have passion for your newsletter too.
2) You know it’s too long, but . . . you just can’t figure out how to make it shorter. There’s always something to cut. The problem is that you are either not sure what your readers really care about and/or too invested in all of the stories to look at the newsletter objectively. It’s time to step back and put yourself into your readers’ shoes.
3) You transitioned from a print version to an email version in a hurry. Print and email are very different formats and making that transition takes some careful consideration. If you threw pretty much everything from your print newsletter into your email newsletter, it’s time to take a deep breathe and look it all over again.
4) You use the same subject line over and over. “Charity Newsletter, Volume 5” ring a bell? Time to makeover those subject lines! They should be different with every single edition and they should describe what’s in the body of the email.
5) The newsletter rarely links back to your website. If you aren’t sending e-newsletters with lots of links that let your supporters donate, volunteer, comment, advocate, or get more information, why are you sending it? Always offer your readers a next step.
