(Part 1 of 2)

You’re frantically searching the web for ideas for your next e-Newsletter and you have no trouble finding a plethora of tips and advice—run a case study, take a survey, offer actionable tips, respond to readers’ questions—the only problem is, you’ve heard it, seen it, and done it all before. Your e-Newsletter looks exactly like last month’s issue and your readers are bored. What’s an e-Marketing Director to do? Before you tear your hair out and chuck your computer out the window, consider trying one of these alternative content ideas:

1. Round-Robin Interview: Yes, interviews are a great way to liven up your e-Newsletter and break through the doldrums of article-after-article in your field—but instead of focusing on just one industry expert’s responses to your questions, why not pose an interesting question to five industry leaders in the same field. This brings together multiple perspectives for your readers. You can take it a step further and have the same interviewees comment on their peers’ responses—or your e-Newsletter staff can play that role by pointing out the interesting differences in the responses and analyzing them to conclude the piece.  This technique also has the added benefit of minimal time commitment from your interviewees, which makes it much more likely for you to get a “yes” when attempting to gather responses from busy industry leaders.

2. Reader-Generated Content Contest: Why not take two fairly standard e-Newsletter content areas and combine them for an interesting twist. Reader-generated content (whether questions, anecdotes, tips, or case studies) is a way to keep fresh ideas flowing into your e-Newsletter, while staying reader-focused. Normally, you might run into the obstacle of not receiving enough reader-generated material—or at least not enough quality reader-generated material. Successful, clever people are usually busy people—probably too busy to take the time to respond to your e-Newsletter request for questions or topics, unless there’s a contest involved. Offer a prize or freebee related to your industry. The contest aspect will increase both the number and quality of your entries. Choose a specific area or question which you think will be of interest to your readers; is there a particularly tricky problem in your industry that readers might have creative solutions to? Then you can run the “top ten” submitted responses and ask readers to vote for their favorite entry. It’s no coincidence that some of the most popular shows on television have viewers voting; people love to put their two-cents in. This content-contest can generate a multi-issue piece and up reader involvement in your e-Newsletter.

3. Mission Impossible: Most case studies we see highlight the success stories. Corporations, vendors, and their clients rarely want to tell you about their failures—but this is a great area to exploit for learning what not to do and figuring out how to do it right. Have you seen the Food Network’s highly successful Restaurant Impossible? Who doesn’t love a rags-to-riches turn-around story? If you can focus on someone in your industry who is struggling, profile their struggle, and put them in touch with people who can help turn things around for their business or problem area, this makes for compelling content.

4. Event Reviews: Most industries have a variety of events competing for your readers’ time and money. Events are often publicized in e-Newsletters, but how are reader’s really going to know what goes on at these events and which ones are really worth their time? If someone on your staff is not personally attending all of the major events in your industry, draw on your network of colleagues to get the inside scoop on the event scene in your industry. Try to avoid turning this into a mere sales pitch for the event or a scathing critique—rather, focus on what each event has to offer and what makes each event unique while incorporating both pros and cons in your review. Direct quotations from former attendees will add authenticity to this type of piece. This works best when tying together comments from last year’s events with previews of up-coming events.

5. Step-by-Step How-to Videos: Advice and tips can only go so far, but in this age where your 7-year-old can easily produce quality video clips why not offer your readers some guided video how-to’s? Is there a great Facebook app they could be utilizing or other free software you’ve come across, or an exciting and easy DIY idea that would interest your readers? You don’t need to get fancy for an e-Newsletter video. These days, even with a basic built-in camera and mic on your computer you can make a decent video clip, upload it to You Tube, and embed it in your e-Newsletter.

Read ideas 6-10 in Part Two in next month’s issue…

Check out these other articles that ran in the February 2012 Vitamin e! Newsletter:

eDistribution: Email Deliverability Tips and Myths (Part 1 of 2)

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/?p=392

e-Spot: Is Your Facebook Page Configured to Capture e-Newsletter Opt-in Forms?

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/?p=426

Carl’s Capsules:

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/?p=420

e-Newsletter of the Month: Get Your Thrills at Thrillist.com

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/?p=431

(R)e-run of the Month: Top 6 Email Conversion Mistakes

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/?=414

e-toons:

http://blog.nichemediahq.com/?p=443