Excerpt from Marketing
With Newsletters:
Where to Find Great
Content Fast
Some fact-finding
shortcuts can greatly decrease the time it takes you to research and pull
together the content for your newsletters.
You don’t have to generate all original material for each issue.
In fact, a lot of great newsletter content is sitting within a stone’s
throw of your desk. This chapter tells you how to find content from newspapers
and magazines, online, in people’s memories or in other materials
that your organization has already created.
Draw a Research
Map
Research requires more time to complete than writing. When you first break
ground on a new issue, draw a research map. Think about who would know
or care about your particular subject. More importantly, think about who
would benefit by helping you get the information in print. Thinking this
through is important, because a research map will lead you to the best
treasures as quickly as possible.
Start with sources close to home. Search out experts in your own camp.
Talk to members, doctors, salespeople, engineers, fund raisers and so
on. Your beat could also include other organizations or industry experts.
Request information, and ask if they’ve seen a similar article in
a recent publication. Someone may even have an entire file on the subject.
If you’re writing about a service or product, collect any marketing
materials already written. Brochures and fliers are helpful, because they
already include benefits and reasons for buying.
Keep in mind other sources for specialists. Look for people who have something
to gain by helping you—customers who’d enjoy the publicity,
consultants, suppliers and associations.When writing about a broader subject,
you’ll need to dig deeper. If you have time, hike over to the library.
If your library allows, you can try to connect via modem.
Most periodical listings are computerized. Enter the subject name you’re
researching, and see how many magazine sources you find. For newsletters,
magazine articles are usually more current than books. In addition, the
information has already been sifted, since there’s limited space
in most periodicals.
Using Magazines,
Newspapers & Journals
Be sure to read your industry publications and clip all of the articles
related to your particular service or product. Then sift and summarize
the news for your readers, noting trends and writing them up in brief
articles. While you can’t quote directly from others’ copyrighted
publications, you can use the information by rewriting it in your own
words.
The short news items you uncover can be grouped together under headings
such as “Newsbriefs,” “In the News,” and so on. Try
to condense related material under one heading to reduce repetition. Weed
out unnecessary words, to give skimmers a feeling of “compartmentalization.”
List the magazines and other sources you use to create the newsbriefs.
This will keep you clear from copyright violation and helps readers who
want more information on the subject.
Reprinting Articles From Other Sources
Sometimes you want to reprint a news article exactly as it appears. In
this case, you should ask for reprint permission. Although some writers
charge a fee for using their material, many people—industry experts
and even professional writers—contribute material for free. Their
motives are varied. Some want publicity; some enjoy seeing their names
and thoughts in print. Others are sincerely eager to make a contribution
to their field.
Syndicated Newsletters Save Time & Money
You may not need to generate all original content. A syndicated newsletter
may be available for your industry.
Syndicated (or franchised) newsletters are mass-produced for specific
markets. Common users are doctors, banks, chiropractors and accountants.
These organizations buy newsletters pre-written by someone else. The same
newsletter is sold to other organizations in other areas of the country.
Most syndicated newsletter companies offer their clients exclusivity within
zip code areas, in order to eliminate the possibility of competitors sending
the same publication to identical prospects. Many of these services also
make customization possible by leaving space on the front or back cover
for clients to print their names and/or their pictures.
You may have already received promotional material from a syndicated newsletter
supplier. If not, check with the national headquarters of your professional
association. The research department should have names of syndicated newsletters
for your industry. Many professional associations have entered the syndicated
newsletter field. For example, the American Academy of Ophthalmology offers
members a publication called Your Vision. Magazine publishers have jumped
on the bandwagon, too. For instance, Practical Accountant magazine offers
Client’s Monthly Alert.
There are several advantages to using a syndicated newsletter service.
First, you can produce a quality product without having any editorial
and design experience. Second, it saves you the time you would have had
to spend researching, writing, editing and producing a newsletter. The
overall cost is usually lower, because syndicated newsletters benefit
from the economy of larger print runs. They can also spread out editorial
and production costs.
Several different syndicated services are offered for banks and other
financial institutions. The Signal Group, in Nashville, TN, offers banks
several services. Banks can purchase either completed newsletters or use
of articles and photographs for their in-house managed publications. The
company has even expanded the concept to radio and offers a series of
personalized 60-second financial tips.
On the other hand, there are some important advantages to producing the
newsletter yourself. Your own publication has more of a personal touch.
You have complete control of the content and can better match the newsletter
to your current marketing goals and your client profile. By self-publishing,
you can also set your own schedule and change the size, length or graphic
design to fit your needs.
An alternative is to combine the benefits of syndicated newsletters with
those of self-publishing. You can use a syndicated newsletter but personalize
it by enclosing a note. You might include an insert page of news unique
to your organization and clients. When you do this, try to match the graphic
“feel,” so the publication appears to come from a single source.
Often, syndicated newsletter services will customize a version of their
standard newsletter for you. They can include an article submitted by
you targeting your specific readers. Or they may let you purchase the
articles alone and use them in your own newsletter.
If you decide to publish your own newsletter, you may want to consider
franchising it; you can sell it to businesses similar to yours in other
areas. This is how many syndicated newsletters get started. Since you’re
already going through the steps of publishing your own newsletter, your
organization may want to turn it into a profit-generating venture.
Readers Send in the Content
Solicit articles from vendors, customers, members and industry experts.
Just make sure they’re of strong interest to your readers and that
they satisfy the goals of your publication.
To generate interest, publish open invitations for contributors in your
newsletter. Write an explanation of how to submit an article, and place
it in the masthead or elsewhere in the newsletter. Something like “Contributions
welcome” will do.
The only potential problem with accepting contributions is that you often
encounter bad writers. And it’s often the case that writers without
much experience or skill are the most sensitive when their article is
rewritten, cut or rejected. (It’s no accident that good writers are
interested in how you changed or improved their writing.) Avoid offending
contributors by calling them and discussing your policy of editing articles
to fit the tone of your publication and the space available.
If you regularly include articles on clients and members, solicit information
in advance. Send out letters to all of your readers requesting information
on their organizations. This gives everyone an equal opportunity to appear
in the newsletter. It also provides you with a response to any charges
of favoritism.
Soliciting information accelerates you into the sifting stage. Sort through
the information you receive, and choose the most interesting items. Contact
the organizations to collect further data and set up interviews.
While it’s important to use the news of others, don’t forget
to use your own organization’s press releases. If public relations
is handled in a department different from your own, ask to be added to
the media list. This not only saves writing time, it adds continuity to
your marketing and public relations efforts.
The Idea File Saves Back-Tracking
As you’re thinking about each newsletter (or even between issues),
you’ll uncover information for future issues. Other times, you may
have “spillover” information that didn’t fit into the current
publication.
Safely store backlog information, along with all necessary reference notes,
in an “idea file.” Ideas can also be kept in a loose leaf binder.
Binders are particularly helpful for noting and tracking thoughts that
surface in editorial board meetings.
Your stash of ideas is not only helpful for the next issue, it can also
save you during disasters. In case an article isn’t ready at deadline,
something in your idea file can fill the gap. Try to keep an up-to-date,
safety net article on hand. If you’re using a desktop publishing
system, have the article written and stored on your computer.
Government Property & Other Information
The government is actively involved in gathering a variety of information.
Before you embark on a long research project, see if the information is
already available from a government office. Write or call the Government
Printing Office in Washington, D.C. for more information.
You can also swap information with other newsletter publishers. Although
this is more common among nonprofit organizations, you may find a willing
editor in your industry.
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