Yikes! I can’t believe I really used the a-word in my previous blog post title! I did it to stir things up a bit, and I felt it was significant that a Stanford business professor (Dr. Robert Sutton) would use that a-word in the title of his new book. I didn’t get any reaction from readers. But my own face is red every time I see that post title in one of my feed readers!

Are we getting so accustomed to bad language that it loses its shock value?

Yesterday The Hubby and I saw the film Borat. Sasha Cohen is a comedic genius; his series on HBO, The Ali G Show, was brilliant. Borat was the #1 box-office hit this weekend, in spite of opening in only a few theatres. People loved it, and it is at times vulgar.

Is our culture getting more vulgar? is toilet humor really that funny? Has bad language lost its shock value and become accepted into our culture? What are your thoughts on this?

This last week I’ve published a variety of articles on how to do an ezine so that your emailed messages get opened, get read, and get results. What’s the bottom line here, if you want to get started publishing an e-newsletter for your business or practice? What should you pay attention to if your current ezine isn’t getting results, and your list of subscribers isn’t growing?

Writing on blogs has taught me a lot about writing short and sweet, but I still tend to go on and on. Like right here, I am fighting a tendency to tell you all about the way newsletters used to be written, and how they should be written today. They have evolved, have you? Okay, I’m over it… back to my points:

Whether you are starting a new newsletter or revising your current one, you need to:

1. Decide on who your target audience of readers and customers is
2. Decide on the purpose of your ezine (or blog)
3. Decide the best format for your ezine, considering the reading habits of your subscribers (PDF, plain text, HTML?), along with length (600-800 words ideal), and frequency (monthly, bi-weekly, weekly?)

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What are the 10 “New Rules” for effective ezines? Here are a few tips that are shaping effective ezines today.

1. Headlines are more crucial than ever. A cleverly crafted headline (or subject line for email) will determine if your email gets opened and read or not. Those headlines that can appeal to reader’s desires on an emotional level will be more effective. “Insider secrets,” “5 tips you can apply now to save time/money/energy,” and “What they don’t want you to know,” are examples of titles that work because they are compelling. They offer a promise to solve a problem. They leave the reader with great curiosity. They seduce the reader to open and read the email.

2. Keywords should be placed in the headline. Use them again in the first paragraph, and repeat several times in the body of the content. When somebody sits down and types keywords into a search engine looking for information they need, will your content be found?

3. Content length should be short and to the point. Once you write your message, review it and delete as many words as possible. Ask, “So what?” to each sentence. Keep the focus on your core intention for that email message.

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Do you make these 6 common errors when you write your e-newsletter?

Out of the hundreds of email promotions and newsletters I review each week, here are the most common errors:

1. Either too personal, informal and friendly, or – too formal, too impersonal, with too much jargon or corporate-speak

2. Too much content, too long, too many topics and multiple calls to action

3. Boring content, nothing compelling in the subject line or headline

4. Talking about the person or company too much, with no regard for what’s in it for readers

5. Too much hype, too many bolded or all-cap words, aggressively calling for action with no real benefit spelled out for readers

6. Not enough compelling reason to do anything other than scan, read, and delete…in some cases, no call to action whatsoever

Remember, your email must inform, educate, entertain, and give something of value to readers.

Otherwise, you are taking up valuable time and energy from your readers who will eventually delete and unsubscribe.

In today’s crowded inboxes, email newsletters should be short and to the point. One point is ideal, rather than two or three articles. Worse is the brain dump ezine where the professional writes a term paper and showcases his/her knowledge.

This ezine tip comes from Michael Katz’ E-Newsletter called "Simply Put…Simple Sells," Oct. 13, 2006. (To subscribe, email ContactUs@BluePenguinDevelopment.com.)

Here’s an excerpt:

The problem with most E-Newsletters is "too much." Too much detail, too many points being made, too many words being used. Too much, too much, too much.

Few people have time or interest in learning everything you know about your chosen profession. Even if they did, that’s not why you publish a newsletter. You do it to position yourself as expert, make a human connection with your readers and stay top of mind, so that when a prospective client has a need that you can satisfy, you get the call…

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