Author: Michelle Troutman

Michelle Troutman has spent more than a decade crafting attention-getting newsletters and other content for service providers. She specializes in creating standout e-newsletters for law firms and economic development organizations. Her marketing and business administration background and education enhance clear and persuasive copy that speaks to the right clients. Through features in publications like "Attorney at Work" and "Law Fuel," and her e-newsletter and YouTube channel, she inspires service professionals to create engaging content. She enjoys helping businesses that sell their expertise reach their ideal customers.

business communication, business newsletters, business writing, newsletter advice, newsletter marketing, newsletter tips, newsletter writing, writing a newsletter

5 Elements of Effective Newsletters for Business

DISCLAIMER: The following emails — as examples of effective newsletters — don’t necessarily reflect my beliefs. I’m not affiliated with their creators, either. I simply admire their work and present it for educational purposes only.

1. Brevity – I subscribe (pardon the pun) to the notion that people don’t like to scroll much for information. The average e-newsletter should be less than 1,000 words. Just tell us what we need to know.

Example: The Conservation Law Foundation E-News

The CLF does well at consistently featuring short content that supports their mission. News items with catchy headlines at the top link to more info at their website to drive more traffic to it. It’s enough to incite action among liberals and conservatives alike.

Because the CLF doesn’t tell the reader everything, the reader becomes curious enough to click on the links for more info. An effective “call-to-action” for donations is at the bottom of each e-newsletter.

2. Error-free – Nobody’s perfect. Mistakes happen in all types of content.

Example: MICS UNICEF Newsletters

The MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys) UNICEF newsletter regularly features clean, tight copy written in British English to give readers the results of surveys of children and women that the organization has conducted in over 100 countries.

3. Engaging – Your content must be interesting and useful for your audience to keep them reading and subscribing. The copy shouldn’t blatantly be an advertisement. That’s not always easy.

Example: MaineHealth Health Matters e-Newsletter

The MaineHealth e-newsletter truly informs, with healthful recipes, links to health tips and videos, and news everyone can use.

4. Organization – How content is presented — the text alongside the graphics — really affects how we absorb information in effective newsletters. If it’s well-formatted, everyone finds it easy to scan quickly.

Example: MaineGeneral HealtheMatters

MaineGeneral Health is one of my healthcare providers, so I subscribe to their newsletter. They present their information in a visually appealing way while projecting a positive image of their organization to build trust to keep patients and get donations. Donors can give money with one simple, easy-to-find click.

5. Originality – No one wants to read a “McNewsletter” that’s available elsewhere. Effective newsletters make reading a uniquely enjoyable experience.

Example: The Maine Humanities Council compiles their intellectual, thought-provoking content, such as news about upcoming events and poems by poet laureate Gary Lawless, with flair in “Notes from an Open Book.”

Need help with your newsletter? Contact me for a free e-news audit today! No strings attached. Just good, solid advice to help you increase profits and get more leads.

editing, editing your writing, errors, mistakes, proofreading, Uncategorized

Common Online Content Errors: Examples

The good thing about mistakes in online copy is that if you control the publishing platform (blog posts, newsletters, social media), they’re fairly easy to fix. But, that’s no excuse to make them. 🙂 These are some of the ones I see most often, with corrections.

1. wrong tense

Example: We’re double-checking our verbs so that we’re ensuring they’re correct.
Revised: We double-check our verbs to ensure they’re correct.

2. unnecessary punctuation

Example: Everything that could go wrong, seems to go wrong.
Revised: Everything that could go wrong seems to go wrong.

3. No punctuation when punctuation is necessary.

Example: The marigold like the zinnia is an annual flowering plant.
Revised: The marigold, like the zinnia, is an annual flowering plant.

4. misspelled words

Examples: Explicatives are considered foul language.
Revised: Expletives are considered foul language.

5. missing words

Example: There seem to questions about proper lifting techniques.
Revised: There seem to be questions about proper lifting techniques.

Which mistakes do you tend to make?

For help with these and other online content dilemmas, download my free ebook, 5 Common Online Content Problems Solved!.

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5 Ways to Focus on Writing

1. Distractions – Kids could be playing, neighbors could be blaring loud tunes, or your roof could be leaking. Whatever the disturbance, you need to get your writing done. Period. To focus on writing, silence the sounds, move to another location, if possible, or try earplugs, music, or white noise to drown them out.

2. Obsessions – Maybe your inbox calls to you every five minutes. Perhaps the Facebook page on your desktop caught your eye. Or, you feel the urge to snack whenever you even think of writing. Lead yourself not into temptation — even for just five minutes — to get some prose on the page.

3. Excuses – Sometimes, if we tend to procrastinate, we blame other things for our lack of accomplishment. Whether or not the dog truly ate your homework, you have to look yourself in the mirror and face that you didn’t get it done. Don’t let excuses get in the way.

4. Problems – We all have them. There’s always someone who’s worse off than you are. If you don’t let obstacles prevent you from moving forward, you’ll start to get things done and clear the path to success.

5. Concentration – Sometimes, we just can’t focus on writing. If you’re struggling to finish a piece, writing in five-minute bursts can ease the way to the end.

Quotes

“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind.” ~ Ayn Rand

“I focus on the writing and let the rest of the process take care of itself. I’ve learned to trust my own instincts and I’ve also learned to take risks.” ~ Sue Grafton

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

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5 More Ways to Organize Your Writing

1. Bullet points — They make scanning for essential information easier.

Example:

Foods that will help lower your cholesterol include:

fruits: berries, bananas, grapes, apples, pears, citrus, tomatoes
beans
vegetables: avocados, carrots, okra, potatoes, eggplant, kale, broccoli, cauliflower
grains: oats, barley
nuts

2. Headings and subheadings — Headings are another great way to break up large sections of text to make it more scannable. Subheadings can also describe main points within those sections.

3. Sidebars or textboxes — If you have enough information related to a topic that doesn’t fit within the main article, this is a helpful way to show it.

Example: In my profile of positive psychology coach Laurie Curtis and her business, CurtisEase, I added a sidebar which summed up “8 Things to Do to Stay Positive.”

4. Numbered lists (like this one) — They’re a good alternative to bullet points.

5. Columns — These work well in documents to present large blocks of text in a more appealing format, with headings and visuals, as necessary.

Example: This company newsletter features information separated into two columns.

The Classy Writing Blog

Five Articles That Are Easy to Create

“These types of articles can be short enough to make your writing life easier, especially if you need inspiration just before a deadline….” Read more.

Quotes

“You don’t have to be perfect to be organized.” ~ Monika Kristofferson

“Ironically, ‘making it look easy’ comes down to learning discipline. You have to make yourself follow the path of an organized writer until it becomes second nature, until you can’t imagine writing any other way.” ~ David A. Fryxell, Write Faster, Write Better

Comments? Suggestions? Need help? Feel free to contact me.

Michelle Troutman
classywriting.com

writing, writing advice

Five Articles That Are Easy to Create

These types of articles can be short enough to make your writing life easier, especially if you need inspiration just before a deadline.

1. Lists – Like this one! Sometimes referred to as “listicles,” you need at least three to five items for a decent list.

2. “How To” – Again, this type of article is usually specific, which often means your piece won’t be overlong (“How to Kill Fungus Gnats,” “How to Save $10 a Day”). And, you can make it into a list to reduce the word count.

3. Infographics – Aptly named, interesting information presented as an illustration looks appealing, and suits social media and blog posts, however, these can work well in print articles, too. You can easily convert a “how-to” into this format.

Example: How Does Rent to Own Work? Facts and statistics on a topic also work well within this framework, as do histories and timelines. You don’t need to be a designer, but some sense of design helps, however, you can use an infographic generator instead.

4. Essays/Opinions/Blog Posts – They’re often based on personal experiences, which require little to no research. I usually feature this type of blog post, but this one is different. 🙂

5. Q&As – Question and answer format articles, such as FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) and interviews are good examples of this style, which makes them easy to compile.

Example: The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) Frequently Asked Questions and Answers

These are among the easiest types of content to create quickly. Have more suggestions? Feel free to post.

And if you find creating content tough and lack time, read my free ebook, 14 Ways to Write More in Less Time.