Print versus E-mail Newsletter

A lot of companies utilize newsletters to engage, interact and communicate with their employees. But when it comes to improving communication between managers, executives and employees, which is the better medium – print or e-mail? Before concluding which internal communications plan is best, let’s first delve into the pros and cons of each.

Both platforms would contain the same informative content; however, while e-mail newsletters are distributed online, print newsletters have to be physically printed, and then mailed or handed out. This, in turn, means that print newsletters would generally cost more than e-mail newsletters.

E-mail Newsletters: The More Inexpensive Platform

Aside from being cheaper to create and distribute, e-mail newsletters are advantageous because they can be distributed more frequently than their print counterparts. While some companies can actually send e-mail newsletters to their employees on a daily basis, this is not practical or feasible when it comes to print.

Also, if you integrate e-mail newsletters into your internal communications strategy, you can easily target specific departments and employees and send them hand-picked content that is relevant to them.

However, while e-mail newsletters are naturally flexible platforms that can be sent frequently, they can also be easily ignored, deleted and even blocked. A simple click of the mouse and they can be left unread and deleted.

Print Newsletters: The Medium that Gets More Responses

While e-mail newsletters are easily ignored, print newsletters are more successful when it comes to response rate – meaning, of the two platforms, print newsletters are more likely to get read. While an enticing newsletter will get one-half of a percent readership, a great newsletter can get as much as 3 to 5 percent.

However, of the two internal communication strategy, print newsletters cost more to print and distribute, and are unlikely to be sent frequently.

Knowing the pros and cons of each medium, which then is the better route to take when it comes to newsletters?

Most companies will say both. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and using each kind of newsletter in tandem will be beneficial to organizations due to their unique virtues. Utilizing both at the same time also builds on and further strengthens the message you want to send to your staff members and solidifies your image as a company.

Each type of newsletter can even build hype and generate buzz for the other. When sending out e-mail newsletters, you can also inform your readers that there is also a print version they can acquire. When handing out your print newsletters, you can also inform them that they can sign up for your e-mail newsletter.

Just remember that no matter what medium you decide to take on, the important thing to remember is that your content should be created for the purpose of engaging your employees, and boosting their morale.

Here are some internal newsletter ideas you can add to either your e-mail newsletter or printed newsletter:

1. A message from the company CEO or other leaders within the company
2. Organizational news that affects employees
3. New products and services
4. Outstanding employees and their achievements
5. Information on benefit plans and health programs
6. Advertisements on vacancies within the company
7. Updates regarding competitors
8. Work-related articles
9. Motivational quotes and articles to boost morale and inspire
10. Social events, team building workshops and leadership seminars being made available to staff members
11. Non-work related articles to serve as breathers from the rest of the work-related content found in the newsletter
12. “Bad news”, especially if the said news needs to be told as it is relevant to people working in the company