Newsletters and blogs are powerful communication tools that can help you reach your audience, share your insights, and build your brand. But creating and managing them can be challenging, especially if you don't have a clear strategy and process. In this article, you'll learn some practical tips on how to plan, write, design, distribute, and measure your newsletters and blogs.
Before you start creating your newsletters and blogs, you need to have a clear idea of why you are doing it and who you are doing it for. What are your goals and objectives? What value do you want to provide to your readers? Who are your ideal subscribers and followers? How do they consume and interact with your content? Answering these questions will help you define your purpose and audience, and guide your content creation and distribution.
I waited (impatiently) for LinkedIn to grant me the ability to write a newsletter, but used the time to decide what and how often I could consistently share something. It started by highlighting cool #BackgroundPhotos people used in their profiles and became the LinkedIn Profile Showcase. I added AI to it because of the amount of work I’m doing with Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Designer and other AI technology in Microsoft 365. Weekly newsletter editions now center around #SocialSaturday and are truly collaborative with others!
It is super important to determine what the end goal for creating a newsletter or blog? Is it to trumpet one's own social branding? Is it to get valuable feedback from readers to improve oneself and one's offering? Is it to do it because of FOMO?
Next, you need to decide which platform and format you will use for your newsletters and blogs. There are many options available, such as email marketing tools, content management systems, social media platforms, or third-party services. Each one has its own advantages and disadvantages, depending on your needs and preferences. For example, email marketing tools can help you create, send, and track your newsletters, while content management systems can help you create, publish, and manage your blogs. You also need to consider the format of your content, such as text, images, videos, audio, or a combination of them.
I’ve used other platforms before (most notably a Microsoft TechNet Blog as a full time employee) but settled on LinkedIn articles and now a newsletter. The community newsletter is another thing I’ve worked on through the Microsoft Speakers Hub.
This needs to be a continuous learning and adapting process. The format also needs to change depending on audience's needs. For instance, short form video was unheard of even five years ago. Today it is THE thing. Also if needing to understand how and what, when, how long the audience consumes is important, choosing a platform with good analytics is important to get that feedback
Once you have chosen your platform and format, you need to plan your content and schedule. This means creating a content calendar that outlines what topics you will cover, when you will publish them, and how often you will send or post them. A content calendar can help you organize your ideas, avoid repetition, and maintain consistency. You can use tools like spreadsheets, calendars, or apps to create and manage your content calendar. You also need to research your topics, find relevant sources, and outline your main points.
On LinkedIn, you can always publish more frequently, but setting some type of rhythm helps. We decided on monthly for the journey to the cloud newsletter and occasionally have guest bloggers add articles/editions. I typically stick to Saturdays for the AI and LinkedIn Profile Showcase. I know have just over 4,100 subscribers to my newsletter!
The schedule needs to be empathetic with the audience's needs. For instance I look forward to monthly newsletters but weekly ones (unless they are really good) I detest! So understanding how often the audience is engaging with the content is important. And sometimes if the content isn't worthy enough but the deadline is there, it is best to be honest and let the audience know that there wasn't enough there to publish so you are skipping this week. It will be appreciated!
The next step is to write and design your content. This is where you need to apply your communication skills and creativity to craft engaging and informative content that resonates with your audience. You need to use clear and concise language, avoid jargon and errors, and use headings, subheadings, lists, and quotes to structure your content. You also need to use visuals, such as images, videos, charts, or infographics, to enhance your content and attract attention. You can use tools like editors, templates, or generators to help you write and design your content.
Consistency is key. For instance, one newsletter I look forward to is because it will have three key takeaways. That's it. And I dig that. Easy to remember and short! Another one picks one topic that she deep dives into quickly and with great visuals that she consistency produces by-weekly!
I typically start with either ezgif or PowerPoint to come up with my newsletter banner (having movement in the newsletter banner has gotten a lot of attention! It’s visual and peaks your curiosity to learn more!) From there either at mentions or links become important and then deciding what else to showcase besides people!
After you have written and designed your content, you need to distribute and promote it. This means sending or posting your newsletters and blogs to your platform of choice, and making sure they reach your audience. You need to consider the best time and frequency to send or post your content, and test different options to see what works best. You also need to promote your content on other channels, such as social media, websites, or forums, and encourage your audience to share, comment, or subscribe.
LinkedIn makes this an integrated process. The newsletter can be subscribed to (and I’m grateful for everyone who supports mine), but I’ve often thought the last thing I need is yet another newsletter, so showcasing others seemed to be a great angle and collaborating together has had some great benefits as well!
The final step is to measure and improve your content. This means tracking and analyzing the performance of your newsletters and blogs, and using the data to improve your future content. You need to use metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, views, comments, shares, or conversions, to evaluate the effectiveness of your content. You also need to use feedback, surveys, or polls to understand the satisfaction and preferences of your audience. You can use tools like analytics, reports, or dashboards to help you measure and improve your content.
With tools, FOMO, need to build a brand constantly banging at our front door, starting a newsletter is relatively easy. Keeping it going with consistency, value and empathy is the hardest part. Once that is achieved, the newsletter has made it IMO!