Employee newsletters have come a long way. Gone are the days of distributing the paper copy, to be sure. With Intranets, email, and messaging platforms, the delivery has certainly progressed. However, one aspect still rings true. Content is key and this company-wide communication remains relevant in today’s workplace.
Here are a few tips to make your employee newsletter effective, engaging and something your team looks forward to.
- Write to One Person
Whether your organization employs thousands, hundreds, dozens or less, stylistically write to one person. Using the pronoun “You” is more personal and will naturally feel more interesting.
- Write in the First Person
Using the pronouns “Us, we, me and I” is more engaging, personalized and more sincere. These words make the reader feel more involved and connected to your business.
- Avoid Jargon
Jargon can be confusing and with all of the acronyms / abbreviations these days, your readers may think, “IDK what they’re talking about.”
- Shorten Sentences
The longer your sentence, the harder it is to read. Try to limit sentences to one thought. Your content will be easier to understand and read.
- Keep it Simple
If your sentences are stacked together in one large paragraph, it is less appealing to read and can intimidate the reader by appearing too complex.
Give your sentences and paragraphs plenty of white space. It will help your writing stand out, increase readability, and feel more enticing to the reader.
- Remove Non-Essential Information
Keep communications concise and to the point. If you over-write you will lose audience attention. Sentences should contain real information and have a purpose.
- Care
Your newsletter content must be sincere, authentic, and designed for the employees. Know who you’re writing for and what you’re writing about. Keep content interesting and articulate why this information is important for the employee to know.
- Focus
The readers, your employees, are the focus. Messaging should focus on what they want to hear and what they need to know.
Ask yourself, “Will my employees care about this?”
If not, find a way to reframe the information so your employees see the relevance.
- Be Realistic
If you wouldn’t say it verbally, don’t write it. In other words, if what you’ve written would not be words that would be said in a conversation, don’t write it down.
- Edit
Read your writing outload. If it sounds weird or like it’s too much, it’s going to feel the same way to your audience. It is also important to have a colleague read and edit your work. A fresh set of eyes may catch something spellcheck missed.