Mailings

Creating a newsletter?

An email newsletter can be a useful means of strengthening ties with particular target audiences. To create a successful newsletter, try to keep the following tips and editing guidelines in mind:

• Decide on your exact target audience carefully and think about your readers’ needs. Think about what a reader might like to know: upcoming guest lectures, activities, research results, publications, etc. 
  
  
• Only launch an email newsletter if you can offer a sufficiently varied and useful selection of news items to your subscribers. 
  
  
• Don’t overload your newsletter with information. Pique your readers’ interest and direct them to relevant pages on your website. This way, your email newsletter can play an important role in promoting your website.​

• Limit every newsletter to 6 or 7 items. 
  
  
• Make sure the news items are concise, to the point and appealing. Provide links to further information. 
  
  
• Editing an email newsletter requires the same attention to detail as editing printed materials. 
  
  
• Think about what your target audience needs or wants to read instead of what you want to share. 
  
  
• The visual aspect is very important. Each news item should be accompanied by a good picture. 
  
  
• Avoid using ‘spam’ language. Don’t use the word ‘free’ too much, don’t put everything in capital letters, don’t use too many colours in your text, don’t use exclamation marks, and avoid words like ‘credit’, ‘viagra’, ‘drugs’ and ‘porn’. 
  Read all of the ICT Department’s anti-spam tips on Pintra (Dutch). 

• The invitation should be short, clear and appealing. Pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. 
  
  
• Try to make sure the information you include in your invitation will not be affected by changes. Save times, rooms and detailed programmes of events for the website. Include a link to your website for this kind of practical info. That way, you’ll make sure your subscribers don’t use out-of-date info and you’ll encourage them to use your website. 
  
  
• The invitation should get straight to the point. Make it clear what it’s about in the title and a short introduction, and don’t start with a never-ending list of organisers. 
  
  
• Keep the number of separate invitations you send to a minimum. Less is more – information overload leads to irritation. Make maximum use of existing newsletters. 
  
  
• Avoid save-the-dates and focus on communicating about an event once the content and practical info is complete and available on the website. Avoid sending invitations if the recipients can’t yet register or find further info about the programme, time, location and so on. 
  
  
• Don’t send large images or attachments with your email – this clogs up the servers and recipients’ mailboxes.