An internal company newsletter is an effective tool to use to communicate with employees and update them on the news and information that they are more likely to find valuable. However, while this is certainly a platform that has proven to be useful, there are still common mistakes that companies do when creating their own newsletters.
The following are some of the most common mistakes that organizations do in their newsletters, as well as some of the ways these mistakes can be corrected:
1. Irregularity
Regularly creating and sending out newsletters is vital to promoting commitment from your readers. If you send out your newsletter on a regular basis (that is, weekly, monthly or quarterly), your staff members are more likely to watch out for their dissemination. The know when to expect your newsletter.
Irregularity, on the other hand, will lead to employees forgetting the existence of your internal company newsletter. Employees will forget about this tool. This doesn’t promote commitment.
Many companies fall into the trap of irregularity because not enough time is given for the production of the newsletter. When this occurs, the publication suffers. To avoid this, remember that a four-page newsletter will generally require around 28 hours total of editorial time, which includes time for writing. Additional hours will be needed to layout the newsletter.
2. Headlines that aren’t catchy or descriptive
Headlines are extremely important because they urge people to read the content of your internal company newsletter. Even if your newsletter contains the most interesting, most thought-provoking content in the world, they simply won’t get read if you don’t create catchy and descriptive headlines.
So, how exactly can you create a catchy or descriptive headline? Generally, create headlines that are complete sentences and contain verbs. For example, a bad or mediocre headline would be “New product”; while a better headline would be “New product pushes company to the future.”
3. Headlines that do not vary in font size
Make sure that your headlines vary in size, as this signifies to the reader which headlines are considered to be the most “important”, or which ones are being emphasized. Not only does font size help in leading readers to the articles that should be prioritized first, it also makes your internal company newsletter look more interesting.
4. Failure to add photos to your newsletter
Photos not only make your newsletter look visually exciting, they also draw readers in and make your publication look more credible. Experts have stated that pictures and photos are the first things readers look at when they look at a page.
Photos also make your stories more memorable. While words can, of course, help people imagine features that are being discussed and described, stories simply have more impact when they can see a photo of the actual event being described or even the person being featured.
5. Using too many font sizes and types
The key to looking visually appealing and building a committed readership is consistency. One of the ways you can be consistent is to choose a consistent and uniform look for your internal company newsletter. Choose only one font size and type for the main text of your articles, and only one or two font styles for your headlines and subheads. Don’t go crazy trying 500 fonts in one newsletter.
6. Laying out articles so they are one-column wide
A newsletter that is one-column wide will look like a report, not a newsletter. Create a more interesting newsletter by keeping column widths reasonable and utilizing three columns per page for a standard 8.5 x 11 inch newsletter.
