In this week’s Friday guest post Djanira Cortesão shares her expertise and gives practical advice to coaches about what to include in your email newsletter.

What to include in your email newsletter

By Djanira Cortesão

I strongly believe a newsletter is one of the best tools coaches can use to build a solid customer base and grow a sense of community around their business.

In my experience working coaches, I’ve seen the positive results that come from sending a quality newsletter filled with useful information and tips.

Once you get the hang of it, sending a newsletter is simple. And the return on investment for the time and effort you put into preparing a newsletter will pay off.

However, many brilliant and talented people just like you have fears and anxieties associated with trying something new. When it comes to marketing, a lot of coaches are apprehensive about what to say. If this is how you feel, you are not alone.

At the most basic level, you might be asking yourself what kind of information to include in your newsletter.

The short truth is your newsletter can be super-simple and straight forward. It doesn’t have to be fancy or complicated. In fact, it’s best if it isn’t fancy or complicated. I suggest writing a simple one-page resource of news, advice and your latest offers each month.

But although it truly is that simple, to get the best results, I recommend that you think strategically about what to include in your newsletter.

Here are some points to think about:

Make it Friendly With a Personal Touch

While you obviously do not want to divulge the sordid details of your personal life (please don’t), share a short personal note that reveals a bit of your personality.

Keep it brief – just long enough for your readers to glimpse a side of you that is not strictly business. Let your subscribers see you are a genuine person they can get to know, like, and trust.

Keep the language fairly casual and personable. Strive to convey that you are a knowledgeable professional who is easily approachable. You want them to approach you, so they can hire you, not revere you from a distance. In other words, avoid sounding stuffy.

Cover Relevant Topics

The information you share should be information your subscribers can actually use. Include a featured article or a list of tips that addresses a common problem for your customer base.

If you write content that gets results for your readers, you will also begin to experience results for your own business.

To determine what is relevant, look around your industry. Look at what other coaches are writing about, participate in social media and message boards, or even survey your clients and subscribers to find out directly what they want you to cover. Your newsletter should speak specifically to their wants and needs.

Make sure the topics are relevant to your business goals as well. If you have an upcoming offering, gear your content toward that offering. Also, list your recent blog posts, articles, or press releases, and announce upcoming appearances and events.

Additional Tips

Simple newsletters often perform very well, but if you have your heart set on a more elaborate publication, there are a number of popular elements you can include.

You may choose to feature a direct offer of one of your services or products, spotlight a client, vendor, or one of your readers, add audio or video clips, recommended products or services that you use, include polls or surveys, or run a contest.

Remember, the idea behind sending a newsletter is to keep people interested in you as a service provider. Your newsletter is a marketing technique that builds your reputation and establishes you within a community of people who can benefit from your services and expertise. Keep this in mind, and the content will practically write itself.

About the Author/Further Resources

Djanira Cortesão helps extraordinary service providers reach their ideal clients, unlock hidden revenue streams and grow their businesses organically. She offers group marketing workshops and 1-on-1 marketing mentoring, as well as insightful marketing newsletters and articles. Design a life of abundance with Djanira — online at: DjaniraCortesao.com and @djaniracortesao.