Archive for Writing Better Ezines

Compelling Newsletter Content:
2 Big Problems

By Patsi Krakoff
Tuesday, October 4th, 2016

newsletter-contentFrom what I see, many small business professionals struggle with writing compelling newsletter content. It’s not easy. You need to be interesting, personal, AND remind them of your products and services.Try too hard to do both… you end up confusing and losing readers.

The trick to creating compelling newsletter content is simple:

You’ve got to connect with readers in emotional ways and offer solutions to their problems. 

When I’m working with my clients on their newsletters, I often find one of two problems (or both): lack of clarity and lack of connection. Read More→

Categories : Content Marketing, Email Marketing Tips, On Writing Better, Writing Better Ezines
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Great Newsletters:
5 Must-Haves for Better Design

By Patsi Krakoff
Tuesday, September 6th, 2016


eNewsletterHave you noticed what great business newsletters have in common?  They’re easily scannable; that is to say, you can easily scan the newsletter to determine the topic, the key message and what action the writer wants you to take.

That’s why newsletter design is so important.

I’ve been writing about business newsletters (relevancy and branding), and great newsletters also have a lot of thought put into design and layout. 

When readers receive your newsletter the first time, is it easy to understand what it’s about? Is it easy to read? And is it easy to find information they’re looking for? Or, do they get distracted by too many words, images or stuff, so they flee? Read More→

Categories : Email Marketing Tips, Ezines We Love, Writing Better Ezines
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Business Newsletters:
Is Your Newsletter Still Relevant?

By Patsi Krakoff
Friday, August 19th, 2016

Business-NewsletterI am frequently asked if business newsletters are still relevant, or if blogs, social media, and videos have replaced them.  My response? When done well, a newsletter is very important for staying in touch with clients and prospects and a great way to build credibility and trust. In spite of all the other social media outlets, e-newsletters and printed newsletters get results.

In fact, when I ask clients if they’re getting results from their e-newsletter — if it’s worth the time, effort and money — professionals say:

“I just met with the COO at a company where I’ve been coaching. He told me that the employees (the ones I coach) forward him my newsletter. He said, ‘They want me to read it because they feel the content is often pertinent to what’s going on at the company.’ There are over 100 employees at this company and I’ll soon be asking if I can send everyone my newsletter.” Read More→

Categories : Content Marketing, Writing Better Ezines
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Best Kept Secret of an Email Newsletter Bio

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, April 8th, 2015

Email-NewsletterWhat’s the best kept secret of a newsletter bio? As I mentioned in my last post, your bio on your blog or website About page should be current and tell a story, rather than be a resume written in the third person. The same is true for an email newsletter bio.

Unfortunately, I see many coaches and consultants use their resumes for their sidebar bio. (“Dr. Smith has 20 years experience in strategic planning and holds an MBA from Harvard, etc.”)

Then there are those who go to the other extreme: They tell too much about their achievements and come across like an ego-maniac.

While everyone wants to know about who you are as the author of an email newsletter, mostly they want to know “what’s in it for me.” (WIIFM) Read More→

Categories : How to...Tips, On Writing Better, Story Telling, Writing Better Ezines
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Business Newsletter Tips: Don’t be the Grinch this Holiday

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, December 17th, 2014

If I’ve said it once, I’veBizBook-Nuggets said it a thousand times: your business newsletter content must solve problems for your readers or help them meet a need.  So, if your newsletter topic is something that you can’t cover in an e-newsletter, don’t be the Newsletter Grinch: give it the attention it deserves and cover it properly on a blog page.  Your audience will appreciate your attention to detail, as long as you provide value.

In my previous blog post, I shared tips to get your business newsletter read, specifically, how to grab attention with a compelling subject line and headline. But once you get your readers to open your email newsletter, make sure they keep reading by offering compelling, relevant information.

For example, I create and distribute a newsletter called Biz Book Nuggets (if you haven’t subscribed, you can sign up in the upper right corner of this page.)  This newsletter includes insights gathered from all the leadership business books I read. Read More→

Categories : How to...Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Writing Better Ezines
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E-Newsletters: What’s the Ideal Format?

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, July 16th, 2014

eNewsletter Newsletters: What’s the best format to send yours so it gets delivered, opened, and read? 

There is a definite divergence of opinions, but according to my readers, the preferred formatting and distribution method for e-Newsletters is HTML. Half of those who responded to my poll indicated they preferred HTML, and a third preferred plain text.

With more and more people using smart phones, iPads, e-readers, and laptops, does anyone prefer plain text? What about PDF files? (Either sent as an attachment, or viewed as a page on their websites.)

Here’s my perspective:

  • If you want readers to focus primarily on your message, then plain text is valuable.
  • If you also want to impress people visually with colors, logo and other branding elements, then it makes sense to get the most out of graphic design by using HTML formatting.

Can there be an ideal merge of both of these important elements – design for branding AND showcase valuable content?

Read More→

Categories : Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Writing Better Ezines
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E-Newsletter Review: Is There Something Wrong?

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, July 9th, 2014

How’s your e-newsletter? You may be doing all the right content marketing things (e-newsletter, blog, social media, articles, etc.) and still not get good results (get found, get known, and get clients!)

If all you’re doing is publishing good information, without personality, without offers, what’s the point? Last week I asked which was best for marketing: blogs, social media or e-newsletters.

I have written a “Shortcuts” list of questions to ask yourself when planning your e-newsletter and you can access it for free here.

I shared many positive comments on the benefits of sending newsletters. I also received an email from a client who lamented the poor results from her emailed newsletter. After a year she reported:

  • No new clients came to her after reading it
  • No new sign-ups were happening (or were rare)

She asked what she was doing wrong. Here were some of her questions, followed by my answers. This would be a good time to check your own e-newsletter for opportunities for improvement. Read More→

Categories : Attracting Clients, Content Marketing, Ezines We Love, How to...Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Better Ezines
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E-Newsletter Review: How’s Your Ezine?

By Patsi Krakoff
Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

You may be doing all the right content marketing things (e-newsletter, blog, articles, etc.) and still not get good results (get found, get known, get clients!) If all you’re doing is publishing good information, without personality, without offers, what’s the point?

I got an email from a client who lamented the poor results from her emailed newsletter. After a year she reported:

  • No new clients came to her after reading it
  • No new sign-ups were happening (or were rare)

She asked what she was doing wrong. Here were some of her questions, followed by my answers. This would be a good time to check your own e-newsletter for opportunities for improvement.

  1. Could it be the article is too long?
  2. Could it be I don’t know how to sell myself with my newsletter?
  3. Could it be that I don’t choose the right article for my clients (they are small business owners and at time managers in various companies)?
  4. Could it be that many people check their emails on their phone and do not have time to read my newsletters?

The person asking these good questions is an executive coach. She needs to “sell herself” by providing quality content that demonstrates her expertise in coaching matters and leadership and personal development issues. Read More→

Categories : Content Marketing, Executive Coach Ezine Article Topics, Getting Read, List Building Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better, Promoting Your Ezine +/or Blog, Writing Better Ezines
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Content Marketing Tips to Get More “Juice”

By Patsi Krakoff
Thursday, December 9th, 2010

Here are some content marketing tips to save you time and energy while getting more visibility on the Web.

I began these writing tips when I wrote about taking one nugget of information, and instead of posting it as one blog post, you make a list of 3-5 sub-topics or issues. Then you expand each one into 3-5 blog posts.

The point is that as long as you are writing quality posts for your readers, use that content in multiple ways, at multiple points in time, and deliver it multiple ways.

For example:

  1. Take a 300-word blog post, write an introduction, a conclusion and make it into a stand alone article of 450-500 words you can submit to article directories. Be sure to name it using a keyword-rich headline, and include your resource box with links to your blog, website and ezine sign up page.
  2. Write one longer article (600-850 words) that ties together the 3-5 blog posts you used in your series. Write an introduction, a conclusion, and add your resource box including links to sign-up for your ezine and your blog. Submit it to article directories with different a title. Read More→
Categories : Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better, Writing Better Ezines, Writing Great Blog Content
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5 Steps to Writing a Good Newsletter Bio

By Patsi Krakoff
Sunday, April 26th, 2009

Show-off How should you write your bio for your newsletter? I see many coaches and consultants use their resumes for their sidebar bio. ("Dr. Smith has 20 years experience in strategic planning and holds an MBA from Harvard, etc.") But really, this is pretty boring and old-school.

Then there are those who, wanting to get with the program and use newly acquired copywriting techniques, go to the other extreme. They tell too much about their achievements and come across like an ego-maniac.

While everyone wants to know about who you are as the author of a newsletter, mostly they want to know "what's in it for me."

Last week a client asked me for some guidelines on how to craft the side-bar marketing message for his ezine. Here are my 5 steps for writing a good bio/marketing message for an e-newsletter (new school).

When you write your bio, pretend you are talking to someone. Use the pronoun ‘I’ and speak with your readers like you would a favorite client. Use the pronoun ‘you’ often. (Unless, of course, you're a large firm with multiple authors.)

1. What problem do you solve?

Start with a question or statement about the challenges and needs of your readers. This will draw them into reading your bio. It is better to lead with "what's in it for them" than to start off talking about you and your accomplishments.

2. Offer Help

Read More→

Categories : Content Marketing, How to...Tips, Managing Your Ezine & Blog Tasks, On Writing Better, Writing Better Ezines
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