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• Text writing - Newsletters, web text and News Releases

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The information on these pages is meant for informational purposes only. Anyone contemplating starting a business should be aware that laws and regulations differ from place to place and year to year. To insure that your business will/is operating within legal limits of the physical area in which you operate, or on the Internet, we strongly urge you to consult an attorney, a tax specialist, and your insurance agent. Opinions stated in articles on these pages are the personal opinions of the writers, and not to be considered a guarantee of success in a business venture or as definitive expert opinions. Creative Enterprises is not responsible for any financial loss incurred in business start-up ventures or through personal dealings with any of our member businesses. Individual members are responsible for their own operations and business decisons, and are liable for their own customer service and satisfaction. Entrepreneurs are responsible for researching any business opportunities, possible expenditures associated with thoseopportunities, and legal and tax requirements. Purchases of products or programs offered through links on this site are the responsibility of the buyer alone. Although we do our best to confirm the legitimacy of products and vendors, buyers are responsible for and strongly encouraged to do their own investigation before making purchases. All information, graphics, text, and design elements on this site are the intellectual property of Creative Enterprises unless otherwise stated.

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Creating Newsletters

Before you start sending out newsletters to grab attention for your web site, read these articles and put a little thought into what you want to say in that newsletter, AND what you want the newsletter to say about YOU and your company.

Make Your Newsletter "Say Something!"

© Carol Auclair Daly

We probably get 20 e-zines or newsletters a month. Some of them are excellent. But most of them bother me; and I've started cancelling them recently. We all need to advertise to survive — no question about that. But when the message of the newsletter is completely lost because of the glut of advertising, something's wrong. And it's really wrong, if the message of the newsletter IS the advertising. Where I come from, we call that junk mail.

If you want to create a newsletter for your site, make sure you give your readers something — facts, relevant stories, ideas, thought-provoking quotes, maybe even a joke or two. It stands to reason that in writing articles, you will gravitate toward subject matter that reflects your own business — after all, that's what you are interested in, and the whole point of being in business. But no one wants to receive a collection of ads in their e-mail on any regular basis.

There are those who would have you believe that no one will read newsletters or web pages of information anymore — that we've all become so impatient and busy that we can't handle it — that in this computer age, anything more than 2 or 3 sentences culminating in point and click is just too much. Baloney! My own e-mail tells me otherwise. We've had many great comments and compliments from people who say they can't believe how much information we provide — and how good it is to get personal and thorough responses to their questions. People want -- CRAVE -- good information. Give it to them, and make a friend for life.

Don't give up on the idea of people reading. Give your readers something to read — let the decision to read all of it or some of it be their own

Carol Auclair Daly is the owner of The Creative Enterprises Network, www.creativethought.com, a "working" community for home and small business owners.

Numbers, Numbers, Numbers!

© Carol Auclair Daly

"My newsletter goes out to 2,000 people a month." "Mine goes out to 5,000 a month." How often have you heard these little numbers games repeated? Forget the numbers! Unless you're planning on selling advertising for big bucks, the numbers game is a huge expenditure of time and effort. Myself, I spend little time on this little exercise.

You need to decide your motivation for beginning a newsletter. If it is your intent to make your publication your prime income producer, then YES you need to chase those numbers. Build your circulation with every ethical means possible, and "kiss up" to those advertisers shamelessly, because when it comes to advertising dollars, the game is all about numbers.

But if you're like a majority of the small business owners I've met online, your prime motivation is not about attracting big advertising money. It's about your passion for the work you do. It's about sharing your talents and skills with those who need or want to learn. It's maybe even about creating a following for your web site -- bringing your visitors back to the site to see what's new. But it's not about advertising money.

If that's the case, you don't need to be playing the numbers game. Relieve yourself of that one stress factor today. Let people sign up for your newsletter as they will, and ask them to forward it on to friends who they feel would be interested in the subject matter. Put a prominent spot on your site for sign-up, and then stop worrying about it. Fifty readers who love what you provide for them in an informative, well-done newsletter will be the best advertising you can get -- word-of-mouth advertising. Two thousand who may or may not even bother to open your ezine or print newsletter before discarding it, aren't talking to anyone about you.

"To thine own self be true" -- know your motivation and go with your instincts. Not everyone enjoys playing the numbers game, or needs to. Selling advertising is only one way to make money with your business, and it's not an absolute necessity. Make your newsletter an expression of who you are and what your business is all about. If you do that well, people who are interested will find you in good time.

Carol Auclair Daly is the owner of The Creative Enterprises Network, www.creativethought.com, a "working" community for home and small business owners.

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