For a lot of people, the foray into running their own business can send them into a state of panic when it comes to the tasks they are not familiar with.  Writing a newsletter seems to be one of the biggest roadblocks that business owners face.

I often hear “but I don’t know what to write!” as a reason for not sending a newsletter.

These are two of the easiest problems to overcome.   When it comes to content for your newsletter – the internet becomes your best friend.  Put yourself in the shoes of your client/customer – what would you want to see in your Inbox each week/fortnight/month.   The old saying “do unto others as you would have done unto you” is never truer than when it comes to receiving emails.

Make your content relevant to your site and therefore your target market.  If you sell baby clothes for example, look for articles that give you tips on caring for designer baby wear or how to best use a modern cloth nappy.  As long as you give credit to the Article writer and use their bio box then you can include these items in your newsletter.

Reflect on your own experiences with a product, share what you like and don’t like about the product.  Get friends to review a product and add the review to your newsletter.

Sites like You Tube are fantastic for How to videos?  Perhaps your site focuses on furniture; search You Tube for a video on how to look after timber furniture – there is a video on almost every topic imaginable.  Use the link provided and share it with your database.

Add a weekly special or competition and all of a sudden your newsletter or ezine becomes interactive and has your customer taking part.

Showcase a guest Author – ask someone from a complimentary business if they would like to write a piece for your newsletter.  This gives you good content and gives them the respect of being a published author which builds their credibility with your market.  This is a great way to build each other’s credibility without any costs involved.

Without actually having to write too much content yourself, you can easily create a sought after Ezine/Newsletter.  Drawing on the skills of others is a great way to boost your newsletter.  Remember; do not copy someone else’s work unless you give them credit for it.  Instead, take the good points and create your own article or paragraph.  Sign up to other Ezines that fit your target market and see what your competitors are doing.  Look for what you like and dislike about their Ezines and use that as a basis for building yours into a better, more informative newsletter.