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Newsletters – Who Needs Them?

I have a question for you today concerning newsletters.

I was reading someone’s newsletter (I won’t say who) on my smartphone this morning, or rather, I was struggling to read it, and that struggle gave me an idea for a discussion.

I think there’s need for another post about mistakes to avoid in newsletters, and I could use your help. While I could fill a post with my pet peeves, it would be better for all if we crowd-sourced a list of things to avoid.

What would you say are the biggest mistakes people make with their newsletters?

My top choice is formatting and testing. I see a lot of newsletters that were clearly never tested on a smartphone, and can’t actually be read on a smartphone due to the formatting.

What mistakes do you see in newsletters?

Thanks!

image by Rob Enslin

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Comments


Maria (BearMountainBooks) March 6, 2018 um 3:56 pm

Repetition. I get a lot of NLs and I participate in author exchanges (we each mention the other’s books. In my case, I sometimes review the book or sometimes it’s just to announce a sale of other author books). Because of the exchange, I get a lot of these NLs and the thing I find most annoying is a "big" news item that is summarized at the top and then it is expounded upon in the next loooong section. Then other news follows. Most people are scanning these things (I am) and the loooong section isn’t required. Tell me the news, let me scan for other bargains/book covers and done!

I personally do not care for "excerpts" in NLs, but I see these done frequently too. I don’t think I’ve ever read an excerpt in the NLs, but that could just be me.


Ros Jackson March 7, 2018 um 3:35 pm

My biggest bugbear is volume. I can’t be doing with reading a newsletter daily, or even weekly. I’d rather hear the news when there’s substantial news to impart, or get a monthly round-up, then get a frequent newsletter that’s full of filler. It’s the number one reason I unsubscribe.

This comment applies as much to lengthy emails as it does to overly frequent ones. I prefer newsletters that are respectful of my time.


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