Years ago I worked for a well-known insurance company that employed a very large workforce. One of the things I liked about the company, other than the cafeteria and profit-sharing plan, was the newsletter.
Each month it came out, me and most of the other employees devoured the contents. It was always exciting to see what was happening in the company and the pictures of different people and events. From the CEO’s message to the articles written by staff members, it was good to be in the know of what was happening in the company.
The best part was probably the employee news. There was news about promotions, moves, weddings and births as well as retirements and awards. If your name or picture was in that edition you made sure to get as many as you could to share with your family and friends. It was one of the best company newsletters I had ever seen.
But Does it HAVE to be Boring?!?!
Too often company newsletters drone on and on about company profits, trends and other dull content. It is more like an annual report than a newsletter. The content may be fresh but it is a dry as a rice cake. The executives with stock options may care but the mailroom employee could care less. A publication like that does very little to motivate and foster a sense of family or community.
How do you make your company newsletter engaging enough to get and keep the attention and loyalty of your employees?
Make Your Content Engaging
To create a company newsletter everyone wants to read, begin focusing on the employees. They are the life blood of the organization and should be recognized as such. Include lots of photos, plenty of employee news, and interesting stories written by staff or contributions from employees.
Include Employee, Client, or Customer Photos
A pictures says a thousand words so be generous with them. If you do not have a staff photographer ask for volunteers to submit pictures from various departments. Include images of people working, playing, and posing. Be sure to include their name and the reason they are featured or activity they are involved in.
Make the News Relevant to Them
Employee news matters to all employees. There may not be space for full articles but a name and short description works well in an employee announcement section. Include birthdays, anniversaries, new births or adoption, departmental moves, and promotions. Highlight employees of the month in an article and include a nice picture.
Add Stories and More Stories
Interesting stories written by the newsletter staff or contributed by an employee that highlights a department’s accomplishments or other executive spotlight is an important part of the newsletter. People want to know who they are working with and who they are working for.
A company newsletter doesn’t have to be dull and lifeless. If it is a printed newsletter, be sure to have one or two color pages (if the entire publication is not in color). If the newsletter is online, make it accessible to everyone either in PDF format or on a company blog.
The most important thing to remember is to make sure it is consistently published. Give your employees something to look forward to and increase the morale and excitement about working for your company.
Is your corporation’s newsletter, e-newsletter, or blog dull and lifeless? Can’t get anyone to read it? Are you interested creating a publication that will keep them coming back for more? Samantha Gregory offers advice and suggests solution that may be right for you. She also writes technical documentation for high tech industries and businesses. Request a conversation or a quote for your company newsletter or e-newsletter.
