Category: writing advice

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

How to Write a Newsletter Article for Business Step-by-Step

by

Michelle Troutman

Knowing how to write an article for a business newsletter well can boost engagement, response rates, and brand awareness. Adding your brand voice and personality to the content will help your business e-newsletter stand out.

This article assumes:

  1. That you want to write a short e-newsletter article.
  2. That you know your target market.

Let’s walk through five steps, from potential topics (if you need one) to the writing process from start to finish. See the video below for key highlights.

Writing a newsletter can be time-consuming. If you don’t know how to make a newsletter article, consider my email marketing packages or get a free audit.

Table of Contents

How Do You Write an Article for a Company Newsletter?

How to Write an Article for a Business Newsletter: Quick Takeaways:

  1. Explore Your “Why” to Get to Your What: If you lack ideas, research any existing customer data or what’s trending, brainstorm, or try AI. To refine the topic, follow the different buyer’s journey stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision-Making.
  2. Finding the Format: Choose the right format for your article, such as an editor’s note, news item, or blog teaser. Keep the format simple and focused to save time and ease writing.
  3. Keeping It Interesting and Useful to Hook Readers: To help readers identify with you, tell a story based on one of your experiences. Tie it to a useful business lesson or insight, then elaborate.
  4. Getting Organized: Consider your article’s structure. When you write, follow common sense guidelines. If you use AI content, add your brand voice, style, and tone. How to write a newsletter article about an event: remember the 6 “W’s” and the “H.” For internal articles aspects like your audience, purpose, tone, and style.
  5. How to Write a Company Newsletter Article for Adoring Fans: Edit and proofread and check for scannability and accessibility.

For more highlights, catch the condensed version of this article.

1. Exploring Your “Why” to Get to Your “What”

Businesses usually send newsletters to get more leads. If you know why you’re sending the newsletter and have already decided on a theme for it, fit your article into that overall topic.

Otherwise, to find a topic for a one-article newsletter, brainstorm ideas, use article templates to form one, or consider telling a story. Or jump ahead and get organized to start writing.

To brainstorm topics, consider what will appeal to your readers. Look at any existing customer data, such as:

  • Sales records
  • Reviews
  • Website analytics
  • Social media metrics

What’s currently trending in your niche? Also, ponder what people tend to ask, complain, or rave about. If you’re still not sure what to feature, keyword research, questions on social media, and customer surveys can yield insights.

GatherContent suggests more ways to find audience-relevant content ideas.

Artificial intelligence software might save brainstorming time. Because of its current limitations, if you use it, check the results. Will the content connect with customers? It might have nothing to do with your target market or your goals. If you decide to use AI, the following advice can screen unsuitable topics.

Is a Newsletter an Article?

It can be.

Fenwick suggests an e-newsletter should average 300 or fewer words total, which can save time and maintain engagement. Constant Contact has found that 20 lines of text — or about 200 words — results in the highest click-through rate for many industries.

Many e-newsletters you get are probably longer. (Constant Contact concludes an e-newsletter should be “as long as it needs to be.”) One newsletter article that forms the entire email may also be at or near 300 words. Another option, for longer articles, is to post a summary with a link back to the full piece.

A diagram of the buyer's journey illustrated as a road from "Awareness" to "Purchase." This information can be helpful in learning how to write a short article for a newsletter.
A diagram of the buyer’s journey shown as a path from “Awareness” to “Purchase.” Courtesy of Vecteezy.

To enhance lead generation and narrow your topics, as HubSpot recommends, link your article goals to the different buyer’s journey stages: Awareness, Consideration, and Decision-Making.

  • Awareness: Introduce your business, staff, mission, and offerings. Highlight new products or events to familiarize customers with your brand.
  • Consideration: Customers are thinking about buying and comparing options. Provide information that helps them decide, like a “how-to” article showcasing a product or service.
  • Decision-Making: Customers are ready to buy. Show them the benefits of choosing your business to influence their decision and encourage them to contact you.

This method of content marketing subtly sells to customers through informing them about products and services.

Get a Free Easy 5-Step Business E-Newsletter Template

2. Finding the Format: Another Way to Generate an Engaging Topic

Knowing your goal and the buyer’s journey stage leads to your subject matter. Narrowing down the subject refines the article template. The format may also frame the topic.

What’s a Business Newsletter Article Example?

Common newsletter article examples include:

An issue of the Howard Center e-newsletter featuring one article -- an example of how to write an article for a business newsletter.

The format of these articles is also simple, making them easier to write with little planning, saving you time and energy.

Examples of company newsletter articles include the Howard Center e-newsletter (pictured), which features one nearly 500-word article.

It’s among several good healthcare newsletters. Learn more in What Are The Best Health and Wellness Newsletters?

How to write a newsletter article sample from a law firm: The Law Office of Antoinette Bone: Estate Echos. This e-newsletter features one 400-word article aimed at fellow advisors or consultants.

Often, e-newsletters feature one main article, then snippets of text with links to more information.

Explore: writing a newsletter article template.

“Consider leveraging content curation. Not every piece of content needs to be created from scratch. Sharing relevant industry news, case studies, or insights from thought leaders can add value to your newsletter without the heavy lifting of original content creation. Tools like Feedly or Pocket can help you gather and organize relevant articles and information.”

Gabrielle Yap, Senior Editor, Carnivore Style

Curata reports that leading marketers use a mix of 65 percent created content and 25 percent curated content. Curation saves time (and money) and helps you keep producing engaging content consistently.

3. Keeping It Interesting and Useful to Hook Readers: Consider Storytelling

Remember that your piece should be useful, or in marketing terms, offer value. To help readers identify with you, tell a story. Michael Katz, who teaches professionals how to understand marketing, details his storytelling method effectively.

To find good stories, list interesting things you saw or experienced recently, such as a colorful rainbow or a fun trip. Tie one to a useful business lesson or insight connected to your expertise. Then describe the experience, elaborating on the lesson. Joey Havens of the accounting firm HORNE does this well.

“It can be helpful to use AI. One of the most effective ways to get people to engage with your e-newsletters is to personalize the content and ways you address the individual recipients. But this is very time consuming and difficult to do all on your own. AI can be used to create segmented lists and personalize messages in a fraction of the time.”

Dr. Jerry Friedman, Doctor of Dental Surgery, North Jersey Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery

Corporate Visions research shows that emails personalized to certain industries had 24 percent higher click-throughs and 50 percent more scheduled meetings. According to MailModo, AI can help you segment lists and personalize emails.

If you need inspiration, AI offers a head start. Directing it to tell a story for a newsletter in your industry will produce content to tailor to your business. You can even ask it to mimic other writers’ styles.

Edit the output because other people might tell the same story. And depending on your instructions, if the story doesn’t apply to your business, it will spin some fiction.

4. Getting Organized: Focusing on the Structure and Writing the Article Effectively

Many business newsletters feature around 300 to 500 words of content. Newsletter articles tend to be brief and pull text from other sources, like articles or landing pages.

Business customers can be too busy to spend ten minutes reading your newsletter. Consider the length wisely while you keep your audience and what you might know about them in mind.

AI software may shortcut outlining, especially if you seek inspiration. For example, ChatGPT 3.5 created the outline below for this article.

If you’re weighing whether AI could help you, compare ChatGPT’s outline to the structure of this post, which I wrote without AI. If I had given it a more specific prompt, ChatGPT might have taken a more creative approach.

ChatGPT’s outline for a piece about writing a newsletter article. Some parts of it are similar in structure to this article, but I didn’t use its outline to create it.

AI-generated content tends to state the obvious and sometimes lacks depth or interesting takes on a subject. Your unique perspective, tone, and style create distinctive writing. Double-check any facts or sources AI-created copy references and edit as necessary.

When you structure your piece, if it’s a “listicle,” number each step to simplify the format and scannability. Otherwise, as Chamaileon suggests, consider the basic AIDA (Attention, Interest, Desire, and Action) format.

As you write, heed the guidelines from the AMA Handbook of Business Writing.

How to Write a Short Article for a Business Newsletter

How to Write a Good Newsletter Article From Start to Finish: Key Takeaways

  • The beginning: How will you build attention?
  • The middle: How will you keep it?
  • The end: How will you inspire people to act?

The beginning: your opening sentence or paragraph — how will you build attention? Get to the point powerfully. State an interesting fact, quote someone, or take us into the middle of a scene.

  1. Example #1: Information articles: This Sundvick Legacy Center newsletter features a short editor’s note. It starts with the fact that October is National Estate Planning Month and leads into a paragraph about why it’s a good time to consider estate planning.
  2. Example #2: Storytelling: Set the stage. In this newsletter, Joey Havens begins with a description of a “blue and white object laying just in front of me” in a hotel lobby.

The middle: how will you build on the interest and desire you’ve generated at the start? Add what readers should know next to encourage them to read on. Use transitions to tie ideas or paragraphs together smoothly.

  1. Example #1: Informational articles: The Sundvick Legacy Center note leads into a statistic. They then build on that statement: “That means creating a comprehensive plan tailored for you and your family…”
  2. Example #2: Storytelling: Joey signals he has reached the middle of the piece by transitioning into what he mistook the object for and what it was.

The end: how will you inspire people to act? Summarize any key points. If your goal is to gain feedback, ask a question.

Use a call-to-action (CTA) to entice readers to contact you or to visit a blog or a landing page. Each year, email service provider MailModo publishes its State of Email report, which surveys more than 150 email experts. Their 2023 report states that CTAs with action verbs or featured offers were most effective for them. If you’re not promoting anything, close with a simple “farewell.”

  1. Example #1: Informational articles: The Sundvick newsletter note urges readers to take action before another year passes. They then encourage readers to schedule a consultation.
  2. Example #2: Storytelling: Joey ends his story by emphasizing that if we can’t see problems clearly, they can look bigger than they are. It’s better to wait to consider them with a fresh perspective.

Whether you start in the middle, write the end first or the beginning last, just write. You also don’t have to create your headline first; some writers save it for last. Whatever you do, don’t judge your writing. Listening to your inner critic can stifle your writing; you could start to read what you’ve written and begin editing, which is a “no-no.”

Why? Because often it’s better to let your words rest or to “sleep on them” and return with a clearer view later. It’s like buying a cut-glass vase and seeing when you brought it home that it’s chipped. The flaws may become clearer later when you’ve rested your mind and can examine your work thoroughly.

"5 Ways to Write a Good Newsletter Article" infographic that shows how to write an article for a newsletter.

What’s a Business Newsletter Article Example by AI?

This is part of 5 Ways to Write With Style, an article I asked Google’s Gemini to write. I didn’t use its content in the article.

Its style differs from mine. I’m less enthusiastic, for starters. 🙂

5 Ways to Write with Style and Captivate Your Audience (Like a Boss!)

Ever feel like your business writing falls flat? You’re not alone. Many business owners struggle to craft content that’s both informative and engaging. But fear not, fellow entrepreneur!

Here are 5 powerful ways to inject style into your writing and turn those website visitors into loyal customers:

The piece is informative, however, the advice is found in similar articles. I aimed to find aspects of writing business owners might not always consider.

“You can’t go wrong by providing value to your readers. If you know your readers well and you have expertise that can help them solve some of their common problems, email newsletters are a great place to share that expertise. But make sure to provide content that is truly unique and informative. You want to make sure you’re offering value and not adding to the clutter.”

Kathy Bryan, EVP/Head of marketing, Electives

Though AI can write an article draft, it could produce a bland one that is a mismatch for you or your business. If you use AI content, as MarTech and SEMRush suggest, check facts or sources and edit it to suit your brand voice, style, and tone.

How to Write a Newsletter Article About an Event Template

When you describe an event, keep in mind :

  1. The six W’s:
    • who
    • what
    • when
    • where
    • why
    • wrap-up
  2. The H (“how”).

How Do You Write a Newsletter Article About an Event?

An issue of "The Dispatch" featuring a write up about TwitchCon Paris -- how to write a newsletter article about an event sample.

When you summarize an event, use a similar structure. Add quotes from the hosts, organizers, or attendees, along with the agenda and what you learned. Here’s a sample.

Reframe it as a “how-to,” highlight key takeaways, or try a first-person perspective.

Adding photos with captions helps readers visualize the event.

Encourage readers to attend future events and offer incentives like exclusive content or “early bird” discounts. Provide more information related to the event topic, like research or speakers’ websites.

How Do I Write an Internal Newsletter Article?

The steps for how to write an internal newsletter article are similar to those outlined above, yet focus more on your co-workers as the audience. Many of the topics to cover are like those in a newsletter for clients: news and announcements, upcoming events, co-worker/employee profiles, etc.

How to Write a Newsletter Article for Work: Points to Consider

FeatureInternal NewsletterCustomer-Facing Newsletter
Target AudienceEmployeesPotential Customers
PurposeInform, Engage, MotivateGenerate Leads, Promote Services
Tone and StyleInformal, ConversationalProfessional, Informative, Engaging
ContentCompany News, Achievements, EventsIndustry Trends, Case Studies, Resources
Call-to-ActionParticipate, Complete, Provide FeedbackLearn More, Download, Schedule Consultation
How to write a company newsletter article: what to consider.

More Resources:

5. Preparing Your Newsletter Article for Adoring Fans

When you plan or edit your piece, consider these points:

  1. Scannability and Accessibility: Slice concepts into smaller parts for easier skimming with bullet points or numbers. Add images to break up text and make it more visually appealing. Ensure your content flows logically. Also, consider accessibility for people with disabilities: use short words, sentences, and paragraphs without jargon.
  2. Editing and Proofreading: polish your newsletter so it looks professional. Some ways to do that include printing it and reading it aloud and having others check it.

Harvard University Graduate School of Education offers more Email Newsletter Best Practices to help you create and prepare your messages for sending.

Now that you know how to write an article for a business newsletter, if your words are flowing, it will almost write itself. And when your masterpiece is ready, add it to your latest newsletter and share it on social media and elsewhere.

To stop stressing and start impressing everyone with your messages, get my free Easy 5-Step Business E-Newsletter Template.

  • First published: April 3, 2023
  • Last updated: June 11, 2024

seo, writing a blog, writing advice, writing for accessibility, writing for readability

5 Modern Ways to Write for SEO for Business

1. Choose your keywords carefully – To write for SEO for business, gone are the days of targeting one or two words. Now, with more competition, long-tail phrases (generally three to five words) give you an edge.

Popular key phrases show where searchers are at in the buyer’s journey and help you plan content around them. For instance, “How to” phrases show the searcher is in the consideration phase — between “awareness” and “decision-making” — and they want to solve a problem.

Beyond web pages, consider your keywords for social and video platforms such as YouTube, which rely on them in titles and descriptions.

Hashtags in social media posts help searchers find them on those platforms. LinkedIn shows the number of followers for certain keywords, and lists of popular social media hashtags are available. To reach a wider audience, mix general and specific hashtags. The number of keywords that affect social media post algorithms varies, so experiment.

To help screen readers pronounce words correctly, write multi-word hashtags in CamelCase.

2. Focus on placement – The title and the top of a web page or a blog post are often the best places for your keywords. (HubSpot suggests you keep titles under 60 characters.)

But have you considered the format of your piece? A clear structure with descriptive keywords, especially in your primary heading, eases navigation and can improve engagement, accessibility, and rankings. Analyze pages that rank for your targeted keywords to decide on the format, such as a list or an article with subheadings.

3. E-A-T: Expanded Edition – Google’s E-A-T is now E-E-A-T, which stands for experience, expertise, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness. Search algorithms change regularly, however, this aspect has become more important as Google seeks to filter low-value content.

To rank pages higher and build authority, credit and link back to credible sources you used to answer questions and solve problems. And preferably, have experience with the topic.

Compare the content of similar pages with your keywords and decide which information to add to make it more complete.

4. Writing meta tags – These short web page summaries appear in search engine results. If you write them well, they will persuade searchers to visit your pages. They also appear on social media when you post links.

HubSpot suggests they contain one to two keywords, describe the page content exactly, and be at least 155 to 160 characters long. Write one or two clear, descriptive sentences. Moz’s Title Tag Preview Tool and The Digital xx’s Title Tags blog offer helpful advice.

Example: Quality Behavioral Health: “Quality Behavioral Health offers counseling and medication management in Warwick. Call today for help with anxiety, depression, ADD, ADHD, and more.”

5. Describing link text – “Click here” is clear for navigation, but it’s not enticing, nor does it aid a page’s search ranking. It also fails to meet Web Content Accessibility Standards for people with disabilities.

Instead, hyperlink to a phrase of at least three words, when possible, that describes the content you link to. To write for SEO and gain more business, add a benefit to the text to encourage clicks.

Example: Shop the holiday gift guide for the perfect present.

An experienced SEO writer who keeps up with the latest trends can help your content “click” with your target audience.

BUILD CONTENT AUTHORITY

How do you write for SEO? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“On-page SEO is no longer satisfied by raw keyword use. Matching keywords to searcher intent is critical.” ~ Rand Fishkin

“My rule of thumb is build a site for a user, not a spider.” ~ Dave Naylor

  • Published: March 7, 2023
  • Last updated: September 19, 2024

branding, language, language usage, language use, messages, writing advice

5 Steps to Consistent Brand Messaging, Language, and Style

1. Check your mission statement – Ask yourself some questions to explore your brand messaging, language, and style: Why are you in business? What are your core values? What’s your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)? If you have one, borrow keywords from your mission statement. Otherwise, follow the next step and create one through finding your “why” to keep your brand messaging, language, and style consistent.

2. Make it personal – Who do you want to reach? Think of the people you want to appeal to when you write your content, their problems, or what might keep them awake. In the process, you could have a story to tell. Add keywords and descriptions from it to your tagline, your website or blog copy, social media, press releases, and other marketing materials.

3. Find your voice – What kind of tone or mood do you want to convey in your marketing? What voice will you use to speak to your ideal customers? What kind of personality do you want to project? And does it align with your mission statement and values? Thinking about these aspects can help you arrive at more specific wording that can increase your brand recognition and form your overall messaging.

Example: In a brief video, Michael Monteforte, Jr. of Monteforte Law P.C. tells potential clients what motivated him to pursue estate planning, how he works with clients, and helps them. Also on their “About Us” page, the firm effectively explains what separates it from others; many firms don’t differentiate themselves from their competitors well. Michael comes across as a plain-spoken, clear communicator who cares about finding the right solutions for his clients.

4. Create a company style guide – It can help you clarify your wording, punctuation, email formatting, and other content, which can guide you or any employees. It may also set your design standards, from the logos and fonts to the colors you use. Update it regularly.

5. Enforce company communication policies – Once your style guide is in place, include it as part of an overall communications policy to ensure all your messaging stays on brand. Don’t stray from your talking points, which form the image you want to project. Do regular content or messaging audits. Your communications policy may also outline strategies for responding to a crisis.

Need help with your messaging to build your image and boost your success? Consider a free business writing coaching consultation.

BOOK A COACHING SESSION

How do *you* keep your brand messaging consistent? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Define what your brand stands for, its core values and tone of voice, and then communicate consistently in those terms.” ~ Simon Mainwaring

“If you don’t give the market the story to talk about, they’ll define your brand’s story for you.” ~ David Brier

Published Feb. 7, 2023

writing advice, writing apps, writing better, writing tools

5 Writing Apps to Improve Your Content

1. Relatedwords.org – If you need the right word, a more specific term, or a synonym, this is among the writing apps that will find related terms for you. It works as an electronic thesaurus or a word association generator.

For example, the top results for the word “energy”:

  • Kinetic energy
  • Work
  • Radiant energy
  • Vitality
  • Electricity

And the word lists can run long. You may click on each for a definition with the option to find more related words. They can help you compile article topics and outlines.

2. Ludwig.guru – This app shows how to use a word or phrase properly in a sentence and offers definitions and alternate terms. It works in other languages, too, such as Latin. And you can even find out which terms are popular to get a better sense of common usage. For example, “Take a shower” is used 80 percent of the time versus “have a shower” at 20 percent. The premium version gives you unlimited queries and more search results, together with an advanced filter library. Desktop or mobile versions are available.

3. Headline Generator – This tool by Content Row will create headlines based on one word. It scores their quality on a 1-100 scale and can analyze them for their strengths (their word count, whether it’s positive, negative, or neutral) and for improvement. It also filters the results by category, including whether a headline qualifies as “clickbait.” Other tools in the kit include lists of trending topics, a word counter, and a title case converter. To make headlines and use the editor, you must register for free.

4. Wave Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool – This browser add-on helps you find which parts of a document are missing alt text, which can affect whether people with disabilities can understand it. It also analyzes design elements, including contrasting colors, font sizes, and navigational structure. It covers many of the common Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). You can also enter a website address for analysis.

5. Searchresponse.io – This tool offers results based on terms you search for to reveal what people ask in search engines, their related searches, and keywords. It’s like a combo of Google, Google Ads’ Keyword Planner, and answerthepublic.com. Under the free plan, searches are limited. Other apps, like Ahrefs and BuzzSumo, go one step further and veer into content analysis for engagement based on search terms. But this app helps you gauge your options and the level of interest in a topic, especially for Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

Have you tried every tool and are still unhappy with your writing? Get help turning your gibberish into everyday English.

BOOK A FREE COACHING SESSION

What are your favorite writing tools? Feel free to comment below.

Quotes

“Having a set of writing tools helps when you get lost in your writing process. And we all get lost sometimes.” ~ Leigh Shulman

“You have certain writing tools but generally creating something from nothing makes one quite mad and Cynthia and I are quite mad, you know.” ~ Barry Mann

Published December 6, 2022

writing for accessibility, writing for readability

5 Ways to Write for Accessibility and Readability

1. Images – Create clear descriptions or “alternative text” for them in web pages, blog and social media posts, and e-newsletters to aid the visually or cognitively impaired. Add as much detail as possible within any limits on the number of characters. Alt text, however, isn’t the place for a link, a source citation, or more information irrelevant to the graphic featured. Write for accessibility — remove phrases like “image of” or “picture of” and get to the description in a complete sentence. MailChimp suggests avoiding images entirely if you can convey the same information in writing.

Example: NASA won praise for its 126-word alt text in a Twitter post featuring a photo of the early universe taken with the James Webb telescope. It begins: “The background of space is black. Thousands of galaxies appear all across the view. Their shapes and colors vary.” Yours don’t have to be that long, but they should be long enough to create a picture in someone’s mind.

2. Hashtags – Perkins Access suggests you capitalize the first letter in each word in a hashtag to help screen reading software pronounce it correctly.

Example: #EmailMarketing instead of #emailmarketing

3. Email headlines – Subject lines with specific wording can reveal the reason for and the topic of your message.

Example: Picked for you: light wash jeans (Levis®)

4. Links – Avoid the phrases “click here” or “learn more” in favor of words that describe the purpose of the link. Adding a benefit can influence clicks.

Example: Read more about planting healthy petunias.

5. Overall – When you write for accessibility, consider the entire language and structure of your piece. Is the wording clear and easy to understand, free of jargon and slang? If someone can’t see colors, images, or video, is the message still clear? Can someone skim the document and absorb everything?

Depending on their settings, some screen readers might not interpret punctuation correctly. For clearer sentences, punctuate properly. An “Oxford” or “serial” comma distinguishes items in a series (example: grapes, apples, and bananas).

Need help improving your content? A “makeover” can boost your engagement and help you get the right leads.

POLISH YOUR WRITING FOR BETTER RESULTS

How do you write for accessibility? Feel free to comment further below.

Quotes

“I do not care much about speaking in some jargon that perpetuates inaccessibility.” ~ Malebo Sephodi

“You might ‘know’ the person you’re writing to is not disabled. But you cannot guarantee your email will not be sent on to someone who is. Being inclusive from the start removes the risk.” ~ Elisabeth Ward

Published November 1, 2022