If you’re thinking about starting up a company newsletter, or are working on building up your communications as a brand, then you’ve come to the right place. I’ve been the person behind the newsletter for several companies, and I know the ins and outs of a successful newsletter strategy.
Together, let’s look at some of the key areas for newsletters:
- Internal newsletters vs. external newsletters
- Benefits of internal newsletters
- Benefits of external newsletters
- Newsletter content ideas
- Tips for successful implementation
External vs. Internal Newsletters: Which Fits Your Company?
Company newsletters can vary dramatically depending on your goals, your audience, your industry, and so on. For example, an ecommerce fitness brand focusing on bringing more visitors to their website would have a much different newsletter than a B2B company trying to improve company culture.
First off, there’s two main types of newsletters: internal and external newsletters. Internal newsletters can be circulated only among team members, or for B2B companies, that could extend to clients and investors. Meanwhile, external newsletters are available to the general public, either posted on your channels or available to newsletter subscribers.
For many organizations, internal newsletters are the beating heart of their company culture. Team members can use it as an avenue to celebrate victories, share insights or reminders, and reinforce a sense of unity. Internal newsletters are basically the backstage pass to the inner workings of your company.
On the flip side, external newsletters are the outward-facing ambassadors, delivering updates, insights, and valuable content to your audience. Beyond being a channel for promotions and product launches, external newsletters are a powerful tool for relationship-building, showcasing expertise, and driving engagement.
Top Reasons for an Internal Company Newsletter
Here’s some benefits of an internal newsletter:
- Centralize company communication. Your internal newsletter acts as a central communication hub, delivering updates, news, and important information directly to the screens of your team members. It’s the fix to information overload, and cuts through the clutter of emails to ensure everyone stays unified.
- Celebrate wins and team success. Success is a collective effort, and your internal newsletter is the spotlight that illuminates the victories, milestones, and outstanding achievements of your team. Whether it’s surpassing goals, completing projects, or receiving accolades, celebrating wins fosters a culture of appreciation and motivates everyone to reach new heights.
- Collect feedback and metrics. You can include surveys and polls in an internal newsletter to take a pulse check of your team members. Your newsletter becomes a feedback loop, collecting insights, opinions, and metrics that measure your company’s progress. It’s a valuable tool for continuous improvement and gives your team a say in the company’s evolution.
- Give policy reminders. Important policies, safety guidelines, and compliance updates find a home in your internal newsletter. Regular reminders ensure that everyone is informed and aligned with the standards, contributing to a safe and compliant work environment.
- Highlight team members and share job openings. People are at the heart of every company’s success story. An internal newsletter introduces team members, puts faces to names, and highlights the diverse talents contributing to your organization’s growth. Your internal newsletter is also a great place to announce job openings, promotions, and growth opportunities within the company.
- Promote culture and engagement. Beyond words on a mission statement, your company culture comes alive in your internal newsletter. An internal newsletter is something to have fun with and a place to infuse your own brand’s values and voice. You can include lighthearted sections, especially related to your brand. For example, a pet company could have a “pet corner,” or a food brand could feature a monthly recipe. It’s your newsletter to shape to fit your dynamic culture.
- Provide helpful resources. They say knowledge is power, and your internal newsletter is an exclusive place to share and expand upon valuable resources. Whether it’s training materials, industry insights, or educational content, creating a repository accessible to all team members ensures continuous learning and growth.
- Share the company calendar, important dates, and events. The internal newsletter is the keeper of your company’s calendar, marking important dates, events, and milestones. From birthdays and work anniversaries to upcoming events, it ensures that your team stays connected and engaged with the broader company narrative.
- Showcase community engagement and volunteering. An internal newsletter gives you a place to share stories of employees volunteering and community engagement. Whether it’s participating in charitable events or contributing to social causes, showcasing these efforts reinforces a culture of social responsibility and purpose.
Top Reasons for an External Company Newsletter
As for external newsletters, here’s some potential benefits:
- Build and maintain relationships. At the core of your external newsletter is relationship-building. It’s the digital handshake that introduces your brand, values, and offerings to clients, customers, and industry peers. By consistently delivering valuable content, updates, and insights, your newsletter becomes a trusted companion in their inbox.
- Drive engagement and conversions. Beyond merely informing, your external newsletter is a powerful tool for driving engagement and conversions. By strategically incorporating calls-to-actions (CTAs), promotions, and interactive elements, you transform passive subscribers into active participants for more meaningful interactions.
- Highlight your company culture. While culture is often associated with internal newsletters, an external newsletter can offer glimpses behind the scenes. Share stories and anecdotes that showcase the unique personality and values that drive your brand, creating a connection that transcends the transactional.
- Promote your events and webinars. If your business hosts events, webinars, or industry conferences, an external newsletter becomes a promotional powerhouse. Announcing, reminding, and providing exclusive content related to these events can significantly drive participation and attendance, maximizing the impact of your initiatives.
- Receive feedback and market insights. Just as you can collect feedback internally from team members, you can listen and learn from your audience. Interactive elements in your newsletter, such as surveys and feedback requests, provide a direct line of communication with consumers. This two-way interaction not only fosters engagement but also serves as a valuable source of market insights. Understanding your audience’s preferences and challenges enables you to refine your offerings.
- Share your community involvement. Your external newsletter is an ideal place to showcase your company’s commitment to the community. Share stories of charitable initiatives, volunteer efforts, community engagement, and social responsibility to highlight how you make a positive impact beyond business transactions.
- Showcase expertise and thought leadership. Your external newsletter is the podium where your brand stands tall as an industry authority. Through thoughtfully curated content, industry insights, and expert commentary, it demonstrates the depth of your knowledge and positions your brand as a thought leader within your niche.
30 Company Newsletter Ideas to Get Started
Now that you’ve determined whether to do an internal newsletter, external newsletter, or both, it’s important to build a strategy for what topics to include. This can rotate depending on what’s happening at your company, but having a general content plan will help you take a more strategic approach.
Here’s some newsletter ideas to get you started and help spark your own unique ideas:
- Announce collaborations and partnerships
- Behind-the-scenes look at your company
- Book or podcast recommendations
- Case studies, success stories, and client testimonials
- Community involvement and non-profit work
- Company achievements and awards
- Company anniversaries and milestones
- Company news and updates
- Customer or client spotlight
- Employee spotlights or milestones
- ESG and social responsibility initiatives
- Exclusive business tips
- Explain your referral, affiliate, or related program
- Free resources, such as white papers
- Fun get-to-know-you columns about team members
- Guest posts from thought leaders
- Highlight engaging user-generated content (UGC)
- Holiday greetings and seasonal content
- Industry events and conferences highlights
- Insights into industry trends
- Interactive polls, surveys, and quizzes
- Link to blog posts and articles from website
- New product or service highlights
- New team openings and career opportunities
- News, press releases, and your company in the media
- Promotions, deals, and special offers
- Promote company events or webinars
- Share company podcasts or videos
- Share your brand story or company history
- Social media giveaways, contests, and challenges
Remember to make these newsletter ideas your own to align with your company’s tone, brand identity, and target audience. Mixing and matching these content ideas will keep your newsletters diverse, engaging, and valuable for your readers.
Tips for a Successful Company Newsletter
- Choose the right tools to build and send out your newsletter. Select tools that suit your content creation and delivery needs. Design tools like Adobe Spark or Canva can help create visually stunning content. For email newsletters, platforms like beehiiv, Brevo, or Mailchimp are popular choices. Even better, email marketing platforms often provide templates for easy newsletter creation.
- Create visual appeal. Integrate visually appealing elements to capture attention, such as high-quality graphics, images, infographics, and even videos. Visual content breaks up text and makes the newsletter more engaging.
- Determine the right frequency for your company and bandwidth. Establish a consistent publishing schedule so your audience knows what to expect. Most newsletters are sent monthly or quarterly, but find a frequency that aligns with your content strategy and audience expectations.
- Don’t forget to have fun with it! Infuse personality and creativity into your newsletter to make your content more relatable. Experiment with different formats, themes, emojis, or interactive elements to keep things interesting.
- Ensure brand alignment. Maintain consistency with your brand’s tone, style, and visual elements. From the color palette to the language used, align every aspect of your newsletter with your brand identity for a cohesive and recognizable experience.
- Keep it short and sweet. Readers often skim through newsletters, so keep your content digestible. Use shorter paragraphs and bullet points to avoid overwhelming them. You can link out to longer content, such as articles or landing pages, for those who want even more information.
- Include CTA elements. Clearly define the actions you want your readers to take. Whether it’s visiting your website, viewing a social post, or making a purchase, incorporate compelling CTAs that guide readers toward desired outcomes.
- Make it personalized. Customize content based on reader preferences and behaviors. Personalize newsletters by addressing subscribers by name and providing content relevant to their interests. You can even try segmenting your audience to send targeted content to specific groups.
- Use the right delivery method for you. Decide whether your newsletter will be delivered via email, published on your website, or so on. Email newsletters offer direct communication, while web-based newsletters can enhance SEO and provide a centralized location for your content.
Final Thoughts
The beauty of a company newsletter lies in its adaptability. It’s not a one-size-fits-all; it’s a tailored suit designed to fit the unique contours of your brand. Whether you’re nurturing relationships, positioning your brand as a thought leader, or improving internal communications, a newsletter is a versatile tool that evolves with your business goals and vision.
In essence, your newsletter, whether internal or external, is more than an informational conduit; it’s a conversation starter, a trust-builder, and a catalyst for turning team members or consumers into long-term advocates for your brand.
Want help executing a company newsletter? We’d love to help! Reach out to give us all the deets.
