Marketers go to great lengths to build up captivating external newsletters.
You’re pulled in with every word, image and button.
Shouldn’t our internal communications be just as engaging?
Internal newsletters are a great tool for keeping all employees updated on company news, but they can serve your organization in other big ways. If executed properly, internal newsletters can turn your team into your company’s biggest fans.
And fans love to talk (or Tweet).
They're also great at it.
Leads developed through employee social media marketing are seven times more likely to convert than other leads. Seven times.
If you haven’t already included company newsletters in your internal communications strategy, now’s a great time to start! If you’re wondering how to write one that people actually read, this post is for you.
In this piece, we’ll explore newsletter topics and content ideas, writing tips to follow, ways to make your internal newsletters more engaging, plus every marketer’s favourite: tools to simplify and improve your internal newsletter processes.
Let’s dive in.
7 content ideas for your internal newsletter
An internal company newsletter is a tool for communicating with every single person in the organization. With all the content out there commanding people’s attention, the pressure’s on to make yours count.
Question is, what kind of content do your employees want to see?
To help get you started, we’ve rounded up some topics you can begin using in your company newsletters right away. Remember, to draw readers in you need to bring them value.
1. Employee highlights and company culture
Recognizing your awesome team members increases employee engagement and has a huge impact on morale. A study by Socialcast revealed that 69% of workers would work harder if they felt they’d be better recognized.
Show your employees you value them by highlighting their work and their wins, like these:
- Someone is crushing their goals
- A client was very happy with an employee’s work
- Somebody nailed a presentation
Your shout-outs don’t always have to be work-related either. A key to building authentic connections is to share human stories. So if someone taught themself a new recipe, go ahead and share that feat.
2. Department updates
Internal newsletters can foster communication between different departments. More often than not, each department is up to something cool, but others just don’t know about it yet. Updates like these keep your teams connected.
But how do you get all departments on board?
We get your hesitation. Collecting updates from a bunch of different teams can feel like pulling teeth.
This is where marketing tools can help.
You can use tools like Content Snare, which has a built-in feature that automatically reminds your colleagues that you need content from them.
3. Industry news
“The only irreplaceable capital an organization possesses is the knowledge and ability of its people. The productivity of that capital depends on how effectively people share their competence with those who can use it.” Andrew Carnegie
Empower your team with resources that keep them informed and up-to-date on the latest industry news. You can set up Google Alerts to monitor your industry or follow relevant news sources using an RSS reader.
4. Customer success stories
It feels amazing to know you’re doing impactful work. Show your teams how they’ve helped clients by highlighting customer success stories. If you can pull in testimonials, even better.
5. Company achievements
Was your company featured in top-tier media? Did you guys beat your quarterly revenue goals? Sharing noteworthy company achievements gives everyone reason to celebrate. Many will also appreciate the transparency.
6. Promote the company blog and social media
Keeping up with company social media and blog content can be hard work. Don’t let it go unnoticed. By letting your team members in on your post updates, you can gauge their reaction to what you’re putting out there. Try to inspire them to contribute and share your posts.
7. Upcoming events
Make everyone feel included and highlight upcoming events, from webinars to company get-togethers. Communicate with all departments to make sure you’re not missing anything.
A simple way to collect newsletter content
Collecting content from different teams can be a hassle. Streamline that process with Content Snare and organize all the documents you need for your newsletters in one intuitive platform.
How to write internal newsletters your team will actually read
Now you have ideas on what to include in your newsletters.
How do you write ones that people actually read?
We like to follow these rules:
1. Keep it simple and conversational
Sweet and simple is the name of the game. You don’t want to bombard your team with a wall of text. You don’t want to sound like a sales page either, so keep the marketing jargon out.
2. Define your tone and style
If you haven’t already, it’s a good idea to define your brand voice and finalize writing guidelines before starting your newsletters. Consistency is key!
3. Include a strong subject line
Have you ever gotten an email that you just had to open? A strong subject line will do that to you. Try to keep it within 6 to 10 words and remember to avoid clickbait. You’re trying to build an authentic connection with your team.
4. Inject some humour
Don’t throw in humour if it’s too off-brand or sounds forced. But generally, you can keep internal newsletters light and fun to read.
5. Organize the structure
Make your emails easy to follow by breaking them up with subheadings and bullet points. Use visuals to mark out sections. You can also use recurring sections so readers know what to expect. MassMutual does a good job of organizing their newsletter:
6. Build a copywriting process
You have the content ideas ready. Now onto the actual writing. For many, this is the hardest part. You can streamline your writing by building out a strong copy process from the get-go.
Tips for making your company newsletters extra engaging
Just like with marketing emails, you want people to actually enjoy receiving company newsletters. Keep these engagement tips in mind:
Remember the visuals:
- Keep your newsletter visually on-brand so readers know exactly who they’re coming from.
- Balance great copy with eye-catching imagery.
Include different mediums:
- Supplement copy with video when you can.
- Feature your company podcast if you have one.
Increase collaboration:
- Know your colleagues better with sections like Q&As or “a day in the life”.
- Internal communications is about fostering dialogue. An easy way to do that is through surveys. You can build your own using one of these form builders.
- Throw in contests and other fun surprises.
Define your email frequency:
- Try to stick to a calendar. Understandably, finding time to create newsletters can be a challenge for smaller businesses. If you can, aim for one every quarter.
Use tools to help you create amazing internal newsletters
You don’t want your newsletters to become yet another time-consuming task. This is where tools can lend a helping hand. We’ve outlined some of our favourites and why we love them.
Canva
Canva is an online graphic design platform.
What we love about it:
- Free (you can purchase plans to unlock additional items and features)
- Easy-to-use drag and drop features
- Tons of newsletter templates
- Free graphics and images
- Online storage capacity
Content Snare
Content Snare is a content collection tool.
What we love about it:
- Organizes documents and content in one platform
- Everything is shown on one page
- Easily view what content has been collected and what’s missing
- Request content with drag and drop feature
- Send automatic reminders
- Create custom workflows
Hemingway App
Hemingway App is an online writing and editing tool.
What we love about it:
- Simple and easy to use
- Scores readability
- Sidebar shows information on your copy including word count, characters reading time, hard-to-read sentences, passive voice use, etc.
- Distraction-free writing
Moosend
Moosend is an email marketing platform.
What we love about it:
- Free plan includes unlimited emails
- Scheduled delivery option
- Intuitive drag and drop feature
- 70+ fully customizable templates
- Tracks email analytics including opens and link clicks
Each year, automation software gets better at serving our needs and thankfully, there are plenty of tools to help with the process of writing your internal newsletters.
Give your internal communications an extra boost
Internal company newsletters present ample opportunities to keep everyone in the loop, increase employee engagement, promote collaboration and show your team you value them. Even better, if done properly, it can help nurture authentic connections with the people in your organization.
Don’t let that opportunity go to waste and start creating newsletters your team will love to read.
