Some folks have cast doubt on the future of the newsletter as a communications tool. But if executed with aplomb, they can make your audience feel heard and engaged.

So what makes a newsletter so special?

Its unique reach means you can communicate your goals with your entire staff in one message, reducing inbox congestion. And, unlike face-to-face communication, the message is saved in their inbox. So they’re less likely to forget important internal notices.

Keep everyone on the same page!

Given its strengths, an employee newsletter is an essential part of any robust internal communications strategy. Here’s a few ideas to get you started:

Round-up

Internal newsletters provide staff with information on the latest company news, job postings, competitor updates, and any press coverage. For example, getting them up to speed with a new softphone system that’s rolling out company-wide. Keep employees up-to-date and you keep them in sync with each other and your broader company vision.

Community

Plug events to encourage community and help workers get to know each other. Hype them to maximise their impact and attendance. And recap the biggest takeaways from the latest all-hands session. Feel free to mix it up with a balance of photos and other media among the need-to-knows and ICYMIs.

Milestones

Get it right and your newsletter can sustain a positive internal community culture. Foster connection in the workplace by shouting out milestones, anniversaries, and human stories. And give your employees the recognition they’ll appreciate and bring your workplace closer together.

Spotlight teams

Include any articles that showcase impactful work. Celebrate wins big and small, and radiate positivity. Whether it’s an employee who has smashed their goals, positive social media chatter, or a smaller win, giving employees credit where due cultivates the sense that your organisation is a progressive place to work.

User-generated content

User-generated content such as book reviews, stories, testimonials, and ideas will boost engagement. After all, the best company newsletters aren’t the vision of a single person but reflect your staff as a whole. Break down silos and spark cooperation by letting employees hear from co-workers in other departments. And customer-focused content can give employees the satisfaction of seeing the impact of services and products in the real world.

Tips to drive newsletter engagement

Once you’re clear about the kind of content you want to include in your newsletter, you’re ready to create content that’s worth reading. Follow the tips below to make sure you nail it.

Invest in your people:

Remember the fundamentals of marketing and invest in your internal newsletter like you would in customer communications strategy. Deliver value to your staff and, as day follows night, earn some positive word-of-mouth brand cred for the business when they become your well-informed ambassadors (read: Your biggest fans) and share your stories naturally.

Know your staff:

It seems obvious, but don’t forget to gear your newsletter content to what your employees want. Get in their shoes, and get to know the kind of content they like to read in their valuable time. Let that be your true north.

Feedback:

While an internal newsletter is a brilliant one-way communication channel, social reaction (surveys, a suggestion box, or anonymous comments) takes the pulse of what’s happening in your organisation and promotes a culture of open dialogue. 

This data not only provides management with actionable insights, informing business improvement strategies, but staff also won’t want to miss out on their published observations next time. It also tells you what resonates.

Stop, collaborate and listen:

Why not go further and give employees the chance to collaborate on newsletter content itself. Encourage them to rate or elaborate on what they like or dislike, and use their input to test, iterate, and experiment with fresh ideas. You can even solicit ideas on different communications channels, such as a white board online.

Pretend you're a curator at a museum:

Experiment with the format to see what works for your goals. Try out longer-form copy, single-subject newsletters, or even have a guest editor inject some new perspective. But generally speaking, keep it concise. If you want your employees to carve time out of their busy lives to read your content, cherry-pick the highlights. Avoid overloading them with walls of text lest they lose interest like it’s going out of fashion.

One fell scroll:

Good design, regardless, is a must and draws readers to points of interest. You can segment popular topics and show readers inviting snippets of longer-form content. Because who doesn’t like choice? The simple serial list of topics format with intriguing headlines scans well, too.

Recurring features:

Give staff something to look forward to. The formality of previews and regular features builds anticipation, allowing employees to navigate your content according to their interests and specific concerns.

Visuals:

Cut back on words to lure employees in with eye-catching imagery. Data visualisations make metrics and results pop and ensure they’re easier to understand. Find that happy medium between info they need to know and a range of engaging media, like video, social media links, or even memes.

Tone:

Words are still a thing, all the same, and this is your chance to have a conversation with your staff. Good content means clean copy, storytelling techniques, and a conversational tone, so be as breezy and engaging as your brand permits. Ditch the jargon and cut complexity by breaking up long sentences and long paras.

Subject line:

Coin a unique and recognisable name for your newsletter that cuts through, and include it in the subject line every single time. But keep it relatively short. Boldly announce benefits to pique readers’ curiosity, deploy personal phrasing to make them feel special, and front load any human-interest angle. 

Mastering the art of the compellingly crafted title can be the difference between having your newsletter opened or sinking in inboxes like a stone.

The time of the season:

Consider the size, goals, and needs of your team, and pick a frequency that works. Use analytics to optimise timing for engagement. Sticking to a calendar is key.

Onboard the fun train:

Have fun with it. Use humour congruent with your company culture. Break the ice by profiling new staff answering some decidedly non-office-related questions. And include fun facts and pop culture tidbits, or gamify your newsletter with contests (company-related trivia) and reward regular readers. 

Be a helpful resource:

Furnish new employees with helpful work tips and valuable lists, like the best eating recommendations in the area. An advice column, short FYIs, or explainers are neat ways of staying on top of the latest trending topics, too. 

And when your team is working so hard that even a virtual receptionist would need a break, the newsletter is an ideal place to gently remind staff to book their holidays with a crystal clear CTA. 

Plug freebies, staff benefits, and training opportunities, and communicate work-life balance and wellbeing resources and advice.

Keep it lit:

A wise person once counselled, using hyperbole to great effect, that nobody wants to read this stuff. But create consistent, authentic, reliable, thoughtful, and varied newsletter content and the people in your organisation might wind up enjoying your company lit (erature). How’s that for an inside joke in your next edition?