There are lots of newsletters on the internet: eNewsletter are the growing form of communication and nowadays getting very common and web page newsletters are gaining popularity. However, a lot of newsletters (particularly eNewsletter) have serious problems:

• They're long
• They're not organized
• They're difficult to read

Remember, an eNewsletter of any kind is most likely going to be viewed on a computer screen. That means a little space to read and users don't want to strain their eyes, nor their brains. So they need to be able to go through the eNewsletter and get to the important stuff right away. Most of them simply delete many of the newsletters they receive, even if they would be valuable, because they can't get a good idea of what's in it.

The two basic newsletters: HTML and plain text

eNewsletter are now becoming very common on the web, and increasingly are taking the place of plain text newsletters in emails. They tend to have a few graphics, hyperlinks, and more complicated layouts than those of plain text newsletters.

What not to do in a newsletter.

Here are few important points to avoid in HTML newsletters:

1. Avoid sending long articles
2. Don’t make it look like a newspaper
3. Keep it focused
4. Make it for adults not kids
   

Avoid sending long articles

Newsletter authors will have to use their understanding when it comes to article length. Long articles, more than a few hundred words, are basically useless. Most of the authors push their content out of the visible display area, and are hard to read.

Don’t make it look like a newspaper (Multicolumn layouts)

Just as on web sites, multicolumn layouts are hard to follow, and take a long time to open in some email programs. Make your article fit into one column, so make it short and sweet: it's a newsletter, not a newspaper.

Keep it focused

Unrelated, or out-of-context, links have no place in HTML newsletters. Most people frequently receive email newsletters that have line after line of links, trying to expose them to everything under the sun. That’s where they stop reading. Users have no need for that: a newsletter is not a website. Newsletter authors are better off inserting a context-sensitive link and gently guiding users to a website that incrementally exposes the reader to more relevant information.

Make it for adults not kids

Again, you have to use your understanding and judgment in deciding which images are useful and which aren't. A small logo might be fine, in addition to a relevant graph or pertinent photo. However, the total number of photos should not exceed 3-5. Images take a long time to load, especially in email clients.

What to do in a newsletter.

eNewsletter are more effective than plain text newsletters, and than paper newsletters. The interactivity afforded by hypertext is invaluable and allows newsletter authors trim their works and make them readable.

Here are some things to do in eNewsletter:

1. Keep writing simple and to-the-point
2. Use links extensively
3. Use short human-generated summaries and tables of contents
4. Use bulleted lists
5. Use hierarchical elements

These guidelines are fairly straightforward, but important nonetheless. Like all online writing, newsletters should be simple and to-the-point. Consider how many emails or other snippets of text the user is likely to read in one day, and remember that they are going to want substance, and quickly.

By Alex Fishbone

GreenCode Technologies, Inc.

(954) 840-8068