MANAGE & LEAD MARKETING
DITCH THE GENERIC NEWSLETTER
CURATED CONTENT IS WHERE IT ’ S AT , AND IT ’ S EASIER THAN YOU THINK
By : Carl Maerz
Back in the day , the newsletter was used by businesses to keep their shareholders up to date on progress between annual meetings . The end goal was for businesses to put their spin on company news as a way of driving up their share price . And it worked pretty well . Newsletter distribution expanded to important clients , public officials , or anyone else the business felt inclined to influence with its content .
Then the Internet happened .
It made sense to use email to quickly and cheaply reach a bunch of clients all at once . What used to be reserved for shareholders and client dignitaries was now available to the average Joe with an email address . In this way , newsletters shifted and became general relationshipbuilding communications and follow-up purchase campaigns . Other industries , like retail , started sending newsletters . Before long , pretty much anything qualified someone to receive a business ’ s newsletter — like having visited its website , for instance . That ’ s when people lost interest in them altogether .
Today , newsletters are mostly just one of the many emails we delete each morning . Some even call it a human microevolution — our ability to scan data lists and sort relevant from effortlessly , you guessed it , junk mail .
If newsletters seldom get opened , and the content is only occasionally valuable , are they still worth sending ? There are plenty of industries where it would make sense for a business to send its clients a newsletter . Yes , including insurance . But the reality is : Newsletters have largely lost their reputation , as they ’ re now grouped side by
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