Newsletter Types and Topics

We produce newsletters that fall into three broad categories:

  • Employee Newsletters
  • Customer Newsletters
  • Thematic Newsletters

Each has a different purpose, with articles that vary in style and scope.

Employee Newsletters

Employee newsletters keep your staff engaged with the company and up-to-date on its goals, activities and achievements. They help bridge the information gap between senior management and front-line workers. Being mentioned in the newsletter's pages gives employees a sense of pride and belonging with the company.

Research indicates, and most managers realize, that effective employee communications build loyal workforces and improve the company's performance.

According to the 2007/2008 Communications ROI Study by Watson Wyatt, a global human resources and financial consulting firm:

"Companies with the most effective employee communication programs provided a 91 percent total return to shareholders from 2002 to 2006, compared with 62 percent for firms that communicated least effectively.

"Moreover, a significant improvement in communication effectiveness is associated with a 15.7 percent increase in market value."

Topics for employee newsletters can range from awards won to customer acquisition to interviews with senior executives.

Customer Newsletters

Customer newsletters keep your company visible on your customers' radar, establish your credibility and stimulate loyalty. They provide a means to tell your customers what's new about your business and to educate them on developments in the industry.

Although a customer newsletter is a marketing communications piece, we avoid using promotional language in its stories. We write your newsletter so it remains true to its mission of being a NEWSletter and delivers the facts in an objective and journalistic — yet interesting — manner.

Topics for customer newsletters can include case studies, new product introductions, product usage tips and trade show reports.

Thematic Newsletters

Thematic newsletters cover a single theme or subject area, such as sales, helicopters, cardiovascular health, gardening, web design or nanotechnology.

The audience for a thematic newsletter has a broad interest in its subject. Stories and articles usually delve into detail, use appropriate jargon and present information not readily available in popular media.

Thematic newsletters may be sent by companies to their customers or sold by organizations via subscriptions. Content can vary from short, breezy articles to lengthy features that have the rigor of scientific papers.

Many companies demonstrate their thought leadership by issuing thematic newsletters that detail their current research.

If you need a steady flow of story ideas for any type of newsletter, we'll brainstorm topics with you.

Newsletter Stories or Articles?

Should your newsletter consist of stories or articles?

A story, or news story, is a narrative account of events. It is told in a straightforward style without advice or editorial comment.

Everybody loves a story. Whenever possible, we try to report the news in story form.

An article explains, describes or gives advice on a topic. It is usually written in an expository style.

Some newsletter pieces combine both formats, starting out with a story opening and then shifting to an article structure.

Ultimately, the format we use for a particular piece will be the one that conveys information in the clearest, most interesting and most efficient manner.

Variations in Style and Scope

Access Communications writes stories on a given topic with different slants for different audiences. For example, a new product introduction story for an employee newsletter may go into details on the personnel who worked on the product design and launch, whether they won any internal awards, how the product benefits customers and its expected sales.

The same story in a customer newsletter may give information on how to use the product, its availability, why the company introduced the product, what its expected benefits are, ordering information and customer service procedures.

Variations in story angles are sometimes amplified by graphical treatments. For example, employee newsletters might have a more informal look than customer newsletters.

Access Communications uses copy and design styles consistent with your taste and communication goals.