Working on a client’s employee newsletter has kept my nose to the grindstone for a bit (why hello blog! should I re-introduce myself?). And it also reminded me that the corporate world has much to do to keep employees reading their newsletters. Despite company guidelines that encourage lively and clear writing, the pieces I edited [...]
Tag Archives: Newsletters
The discussion about how often to publish continues
While the last post had been in the works, it got finished because of a comment made by Steve Crescenzo in the latest issue of IABC’s Communication World. I know Steve is a big fan of print newsletters, so he shocked me by stating that three or even two times a year was often enough [...]
Newsletters: How often should you publish?
I recently spoke with a colleague who mentioned that her company had a small print employee newsletter. They published it three times a year, but were thinking of dropping the frequency to twice and increasing the size. My first reaction was dismay. No matter what the format, print or electronic, twice a year is just [...]
Newsletters & blogs both great tools
Corporate blogs are growing in popularity, but don’t discount newsletters as powerful communications tools. I recently had a little disagreement on just this topic with Jason Falls at Social Media Explorer. Jason wanted to convey the power of a blog and compared it to a newsletter. I agree with him that blogs are accessible, cost [...]
Thinking about a newsletter? Some things to consider
Are you thinking about producing a newsletter? Great idea! Here are some newsletter points to ponder, over at Advantis Communications.
My grandma helps avoid the passive
Maybe it’s the influence of Legal departments, who prefer the blameless “mistakes were made” or “it was decided” to naming names. But corporate writers often have to fight for the active voice — you know, where the subject performs an action, like “The Legal department slashed my article to ribbons.” Instead, the passive voice creeps [...]
E-newsletters a great tool
While Facebook and Twitter continue to get all the press, email newsletters just keep building their solid reputation. In fact, they are “the Internet’s best tool for supplementing a website,” according to web usability expert Jakob Nielsen: “The positive emotional aspect of newsletters is that they can create much more of a bond between user [...]
Ditch the jargon
You know it’s a good idea to stay away from jargon, or what I like to call the “secret handshake” between insiders. Sadly, many people (many of them in high places) do not. My guest post at Advantis Communications is a reminder of why it’s a good idea to ditch the jargon.
Inclusive language post at Advantis
Well, this is exciting — I’m a guest blogger! Find out what I have to say about “inclusive language” in newsletters and other communications over at Advantis Communications. Oh, you know I have an opinion. Do you?
Write news releases without this lead
A client called yesterday in a bit of a panic, wondering if I could revise a news release for her by end of day. This is the kind of thing I often refer to as “pulling a rabbit out of a hat.” I was already juggling a number of projects, but this is a long-time, [...]