Harsh Vardhan's List: Writing

• Since I'm not the greatest newsletter namer, the no-brainer advice I offer on the subject is 1) include the topic of your site in the title and 2) use the word News or one of its synonyms that also indicate timeliness.

• Do You Need to Do Background Research First?

    

  If you're going to write a newsletter for someone else, you need to understand their business first. In my last newsletter assignment, not being an expert on the the printing business, I started by asking the clients to supply information that could quickly acquaint me with what they do. I requested they send me printing trade papers, yearbooks, and highlights of their own correspondence, preferably pitch letters.

• After reading the background information, draw up a list of questions. Ask:

    
   
  • What's unique about your company? 
  • Who are your clients? (This tells  you what kind of audience you'll be writing to.) 
  • What recent product are your proudest  of? Show it to me. Describe it in your own words. (This can be  the core of a news or new-product feature in your newsletter.) 
  • Have you won any awards? 
  • Are there any clients who would  provide a testimonial about your services? (Makes good filler  material -- as long as it's short.) 
  • What does your audience need to  know about your business/service/product/idea? 
  • Are there any misconceptions we  can use the newsletter to clear up? 
  • What advances in your industry will  interest your audience?

• Structure a Table of Contents

    

  In developing a table of contents,think like an editor: Try to assemble a diverse and lively assortment of newsworthy pieces. Some articles can be long, others short. All need to be different in tone and content. How can you start?

    

  Think of all the elements you see in a newspaper:

    
   
  • table of contents 
  • masthead 
  • news articles 
  • feature articles 
  • personality profiles 
  • editorials 
  • columns 
  • new product announcements 
  • good news/success stories 
  • Q&A 
  • puzzles 
  • coming-attraction ads 
    

  Now, adapt this mix to your subject matter.You don't have to write the full story at first. Just come up with headlines that reflect the content that will follow. Then map out which items will go on each page of the newsletter.Once you know the editorial line-up, it's time to start writing.

• Unless your newsletter is oversize, assume you'll have room for 3-6 items per page. Some as short as a sentence or two might look good in a bigger typeface, set as a pullquote or "factoid."

    

  If you include photos or illustrations, you won't have as much room for text. But images will help attract your readers' attention. Take advantage of that fact by making sure every image has a caption.
• Consider building a response mechanism into the newsletter. It could be as simple as a box with a broken rule. Readers can sign and fax or mail it back to you for a free subscription. Or it could be designed to serve as an entry blank for a contest -- which traditionally lifts response. Either way, reader responses build a database of potential customers who've expressed interest in the company.

• Issue I, Volume I

    

  If you're starting your first issue, devote a column to introducing your newsletter and telling readers its mission and frequency. Include background on your own credentials and your business services. This can later be edited down and used as "boilerplate" copy that goes on the bottom of every issue.

• Masthead

    

  Some newsletters carry mastheads, others just a return address. If promoting your name is important to you -- or you'd like to give credit to anyone who helped you with the newsletter -- list them in the masthead with a title.
• • Research your subject first. 
  • Interview the client about his/her  business. Find out what's his or her most important message to  communicate to clients. 
  • At the end of any interview, always  pose the question: Is there anything else you want to add?  (You may be surprised by what you hear. When I interviewed Rupert  Murdoch, I got the essence of the entire story by asking this  open-ended question. He knew what message he wanted to convey  far better than I.) 
  • Decide on the name and frequency  of your newsletter. Stick to them. 
  • If you're the coordinator as well  as the writer, work out a budget and a production schedule. 
  • Draw up a table of contents for  each issue. 
  • Decide on a size, and how many articles  can comfortably fit on a side. 
  • Allow room for photographs and other  visuals. 
  • Vary the content to include different  types of articles (news, features, editorial opinion, Q&A,  letters to the editor, etc.) 
  • Keep articles brief and language  simple. If necessary, include a glossary. 
  • Run items that won't be out of date  in a month (or however long it takes to produce the newsletter). 
  • Include tips, site info, a calendar  of special events, how-to's, profiles of successes. 
  • Provide a list of URLs where readers  can find out more. 
  • Promote your site's "Coming  Attractions" 
  • Build a "clip" file of  information related to the subject that isn't particularly consumer-focused  and use them to inspire ideas and as background information. 
  • Golden Rule: A headline for every  article, a caption for every picture. 
  • Create a boilerplate paragraph (see  part I) to include at the bottom of every issue that explains  your newsletter's mission. 
  • Encourage readers to send you (e)mail. 
  • Create a contest. 
  • Double-check your spelling and grammar.  If you're weak in these areas, have someone else read the newsletter  with an editor's eye before mailing it. 
  • Carefully construct a mailing list.  Keep it in good shape -- and work on expanding it. The more people  who see your newsletter, the more business you'll get. 
  • Print enough copies -- and use them  as sales tools and leave-behinds as well as direct mail promotion..

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