There are at least eight key ingredients that go into writing, formatting and publishing an ezine, or electronic newsletter. The first one has to do with finding a clever yet clear and compelling title for your ezine.
Before you name your ezine, you must get clear about its purpose, the purpose of your business, and why you care. In our Quick-Start Ezine Guide, we suggest writing down two purpose statements:
- What is your business purpose? (Sell more products, get clients, for example)
- What is your “higher” purpose? (To provide the best products or services, to help others to achieve something, to make lives easier, etc.)
These two layers of purpose will connect your passion to the realism of making your business successful. By articulating your true values and your business goals you will discover more energy when it comes to writing your ezine.
This will help you find an appropriate name for your ezine. Ideally, like naming anything, your title should be clear, clever and compelling. However, never sacrifice clarity in order to be clever. You want readers to know what your ezine is about just by its name, if possible.
You also want your ezine's name to tie in with the name of your business, your website or your blog in some way. Of course, it can also depend on finding an available domain name. You will want to register a domain name for your ezine to protect it and so it does not get confused with another business.
One technique is to use the name of your business followed by Insights, or Updates, or even Ezine, News or Tips. Examples are Newsletter Nuggets, the ezine for Customized Newsletter Services, and Savvy eBiz Tips for The Blog Squad. Other useful words for naming an ezine are Perspectives, Opinions, and Notes.
Once you have a name and have registered the domain name, you may wish to have a newsletter banner or masthead created. Be sure to keep the colors and fonts you use for your website and blog for branding consistency. You only need this if you are going to publish an HTML or PDF newsletter (designed with images). Plain text newsletters do not have graphic images.
You also have the option of including a tag line after the title of your newsletter, a few words that clarifies the subject matter. Savvy eBiz Tips is “… smart ideas for using the Internet to get more clients and grow your biz.” Newsletter Nuggets is “…tips and tricks for writing great ezines and blogs.”
