What characteristics of a newsletter will help a publisher achieve that illusive influence and impact?
Brownlow: There’s a lot of competition for space and attention in those inboxes – not just from what you might consider your traditional competitors, but from everyone sending your readers email; their mom, their boss, their customers, the auto repair shop etc. If you want to impact and influence your readers over the long-term, then you need to deliver professionalism, value and personality. Everything associated with the production, distribution and management of your newsletter has to exude professionalism. You need to deliver useful or entertaining, relevant content – that’s the value. And you need to give people something they can connect to at a more human, personal level by introducing some personality into your publication. MCNews: Would you elaborate on newsletter “personality?” How can a publisher find a personality that fits? Brownlow: First of all it means a human voice – talk to your reader as if you were sharing a coffee. You’re not writing to a factor, target, segment, c
