Can’t
Find Good Newsletter Items
Here are 29 good places to look
By Robert W. Bly
Coming up with good story ideas is one of the
toughest tasks in publishing a company newsletter. Here's a checklist of story
sources to stimulate editorial thinking and help identify topics with high
reader interest that help to promote the company.
1.
Product stories: New products;
improvements to existing products; new models; new accessories; new options;
and new applications.
2.
News: Joint ventures; mergers
and acquisitions; new divisions formed; new departments; other company news.
Also, industry news and analyses of event and trends.
3.
Tips: Tips on product selection,
installation, maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting.
4.
How-To articles: Similar to
tips, but with more detailed instructions. Examples: How to use the product;
how to design a system; how to select the right type or model.
5.
Previews and reports: Write-ups
of special events such as trade shows, conferences, sales meetings, seminars,
presentations, and press conferences.
6.
Case histories: Either in-depth
or brief, reporting product application successes stories, service successes,
etc.
7.
People: Company promotions, new
hires, transfers, awards, anniversaries, employee profiles, customer profiles,
human interest stories (unusual jobs, hobbies, etc.).
8.
Milestones: e.g., "1,000th
unit shipped," "Sales reach $1 million mark," "Division
celebrates 10th anniversary," etc.
9.
Sales news: New customers; bids
accepted; contracts renewed; satisfied customer reports.
10.
Research and development: New
products; new technologies; new patents; technology awards; inventions;
innovations; and breakthroughs.
11.
Publications: New brochures
available; new ad campaigns; technical papers presented; reprints available;
new or updated manuals; announcements of other recently published literature.
12.
Explanatory articles: How a
product works; industry overviews; background information on applications and
technologies.
13.
Customer stories: Interviews
with customers; photos; customer news and profiles; guest articles by customers
about their industries, applications, and positive experiences with the
vendor's product or service.
14.
Financial news: Quarterly and
annual report highlights; presentations to financial analysts; earnings and
dividend news; etc.
15.
Photos with captions: People;
facilities; products; events.
16.
Columns: President's letter;
letters to the editor; guest columns; regular features such as
"Q&A" of "Tech Talk."
17.
Excerpts, reprints, or condensed
versions of: Press releases; executive speeches; journal articles; technical
papers; company seminars; etc.
18.
Quality control stories: Quality
circles; employee suggestion programs; new quality assurance methods; success
rates; case histories.
19.
Productivity stories: New
programs; methods and systems to cut waste and boost efficiency.
20.
Manufacturing stories: New
techniques; equipment; raw materials; production line successes; detailed
explanations of manufacturing processes; etc.
21.
Community affairs: Fund raisers;
special events; support for the arts; scholarship programs; social
responsibility programs; environmental programs; employee and corporate
participation in local/regional/national events.
22.
Data processing stories: New
computer hardware and software systems; improved data processing and its
benefits to customers; new data processing applications; explanations of how
systems serve customers.
23.
Overseas activities: Reports on
the company's international activities; profiles of facilities, people,
markets, etc.
24.
Service: Background on company
service facilities; case histories of outstanding service activities; new
services for customers; new hotlines; etc.
25.
History: Articles of company,
industry, product, community history.
26.
Human resources: Company benefit
programs; announcement of new benefits and training and how they improve
service to customers; explanations of company policies.
27.
Interviews: With company key
employees, engineers, service personnel, etc.; with customers; with suppliers
(to illustrate the quality of materials going into your company's products).
28.
Forums: Top managers answer
customer complaints and concerns; service managers discuss customer needs;
customers share their favorable experiences with company products/ services.
29.
Gimmicks: Contents; quizzes;
puzzles; games; cartoons.