“It’s about what you write, not how well you write it.”
Like a dagger to the heart, those words from a new email newsletter client pierced my writer’s soul and made me question the purpose of my very existence. Why am I here if not to take the mundane and spin it into something interesting?
I find it hard to write when I get discouraged. At a time when businesses are crumbling, the rate of small-business closings has tripled, and people are making drastic lifestyle decisions, I have let my writing time be consumed with thinking. Way too much thinking, to be honest.
I got a phone call this week from a client who does not hire me nearly as much as he used to. In fact, I haven’t written a story for his publication in a year or so. He says it’s because of budget cuts, but he apparently still had a phone, so I’m not so sure.
I just erased an entire blog post that was intended for this spot. I had an interesting anecdote to start things out and tied it to an important business principle, but when I read it back it bored me. It did not pass the “So What?” test, so I ditched it and started over.
As any parent with young children will tell you, kids have no problem asking questions. Even the simplest declaration can set off an avalanche of inquiries that would make the most experienced journalist proud. They leave no possibility unexplored and are committed to revealing every detail.
When writing a story for your email newsletter or blog that requires fact gathering via research or interviews, it is important for us to ask all the right questions as well. I have learned over the last 25 years or so that the most important part of the story-writing process is making sure to ask the questions that your readers would ask if they had the same opportunity.
Other than your mom, spouse and kids (before they become teenagers), do people really know what makes you special? Do your clients actually understand what you bring to the table? Can they see beyond the obvious to the essential value of what you provide? If not, you may have a problem.
For lots and lots of people, creating relevant, compelling content for their email newsletters can be a grind — bordering on downright unpleasant. No matter how enthusiastic one is about their business, it often is hard to come up with three or four good topics — much less actually write about them.
Your email newsletters can be cool, flashy and colorful – with lots of links and social media gadgets – but none of that matters if we are not giving them something useful to read. With apologies to Elvis and LeBron James, content is king – at least in the world of effective communications.
While the davemail writing team is here to help (a lot), the ideas for your newsletter articles are generally going to come from you. So where are the best places to find good, usable content that will compel your readers and help build stronger relationships? Here are five places to start looking:
A client emailed me last week to ask how I decide the right questions to ask when interviewing a subject for a profile piece. She was concerned about focusing too much on his accomplishments at the expense of exploring the more revealing aspects of his life. She rightfully wants her readers to really know the person, not just be familiar with his resume.
People profiles, whether for an email newsletter or academic journal, often are the most difficult stories to write. That’s because an experienced writer is always looking for a good hook that will make the reader care enough to finish the story (or at least read past the headline), and they are not always easy to find. Sometimes, it takes a little digging.
