Tip Box: Have you considered an E-mail Newsletter?

E-mail newsletters are a growing trend in business. Not only does it save printing and postage costs, it also saves time and circulates information immediately to your target audience. Follow these guidelines to make your e-newsletter a successful communications tool.

August, 2003 -- E-mail newsletters are a growing trend in business. Not only does it save printing and postage costs, it also saves time and circulates information immediately to your target audience. Follow these guidelines to make your e-newsletter a successful communications tool.

Decide to offer HTML or text versions. Perhaps offer both options at sign-up.

Make the subscription process quick and easy. Don't ask for too much information. The best sign-up forms require only an e-mail address and a confirmation response.

Provide a privacy policy and tell subscribers how their e-mail address will be used. Use it only for the newsletter.

Create a regular circulation schedule and stick to it. If your publication is circulated monthly then do it on the same day each month.

Research again tell us to keep it short and simple. Too much clutter and the reader will move on.

Test each edition on different operating systems and software. Some newsletters will display differently in Windows or Macintosh and they will also appearance different in Outlook, AOL or Yahoo! mail services.

Make it easy to unsubscribe. Offer a link at the bottom of each edition. Upon click, immediately remove the individual. Don't make them wait.

-- Jason Mudd & Associates Public Relations and Marketing
www.jasonmudd.com