Why no one is reading your newsletter.

If your newsletter isn’t getting the reaction you’re hoping for, there could be several thousand reasons why. Most of these reasons stem from a common problem: the readers just don’t like the content. And this could be because you are making one of these five mistakes.

1.Your newsletter isn’t helpful.
This is huge. There are people who will sign up for a newsletter in a specific subject they are interested in hoping to read useful articles, but instead will receive nothing but promotional junk. Of course you should already know that endless self-promotion does not sit well with readers and you should never make every newsletter into a pitch. The content must be helpful or subscribers will not read it. Yet it is difficult to not lapse into self promotion. The author will sit down with the intention of writing something helpful but instead opt for the easier route of promotional ideas rather than writing another article. The default becomes self-promotion since it was easier, and the author may not see it as being unhelpful to their readers, but the readers will certainly view it that way.

2.Your voice isn’t persuasive.
Voice counts for a lot, though it isn’t everything. Putting someone’s feelings down on paper does not come across the same way as speaking to them in person would. The tone gets lost in writing. Artists, singers, and even writers have signature voices. You need to make your own voice genuine. A great way to find you voice is to call a friend on Skype. Have them ask you questions about subjects you’ll be writing about in the newsletter, and then just speak naturally, transcribing every word you say. Though it may be a tedious way to write, it will sound natural and attractive to readers. Plus, it’s faster than pouring your heart into a newsletter that takes days to write, only to have no one be interested in reading it because it lacks voice. However, voice does matter, but tone is not everything.
3.You’re not telling stories.
As humans, we love hearing stories from an early age. So why do we think that a newsletter full of perfectly ordered and structured articles will be engaging? Tell stories about your experiences in your industry and the clients you’ve come across. Everyone likes a good story full of color and drama. Plus, just like any great childhood tale, you can end with a moral lesson. Enlighten your readers on what you learned from the situation presented and display what others could learn also.
4.You have an unenthusiastic call to action.
Let us say you have a lesson to fill this week. Your newsletter is going to ask readers to write back or comment. If you need that customer to reply, you have to ask them to, not trust that they will. Be clear in what you want them to do, simply saying “Please respond” is indistinct. State plainly what you want your customers to do, such as adding a “click here” link with a reason why you want them to click through. If you want personal commentary, add a link with “just click to reply to email me back”. If you want them to purchase something, make it apparent. Most people hope that their readers will respond on their own when in fact many do not because they’re not clear in how you want them to reply. Give them a little bump in the right direction, but make sure you’re not a stranger to them; otherwise all of this is pointless.

5.You’re not consistent.
If someone wants to tune into the evening news, they know that all they have to do is switch on the television at 6pm. No matter where you are, most likely the same old news will be playing. It’s consistent. Great deals of newsletters are not. A publishing schedule is very important. Guarantee to your readers that they will have a newsletter from you once a month, or once a week- whatever it may be. Newsletters are doing your dirty work for you so they cannot take a vacation or have sick days. You cannot send newsletters out to clients whenever you feel like and hope to have a positive response. Your newsletter will be a stranger to them. The replies are directly related to the frequency that they go out. If you mess this point up, the other four tips won’t even matter.

So, in conclusion:
• Your newsletter has to be functional and not full of self-promotion.
• Tone is important. Record yourself talking if you need to in order to capture your own unique voice.
• Use stories if you are having trouble with structure.
• Do not be feeble about promotion- give a clear message on what you want your customers to do.
• If you do not want your readers to overlook who you are, make sure you have consistency with your newsletters.
Newsletters are hard work, but unless you are getting the response you want, there is no point in writing them. Try and steer clear of these five mistakes when constructing your newsletter and you should be on your way to great responses.