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Your newsletter is obviously the main factor determining the impression your readers get of your professionalism.
But the way you present yourself to your readers (and others) outside of your newsletter also plays a role.
Dealing with readers and feedback
Your attitude to reader feedback should be to encourage it, read it, respond to it, learn from it, and act on it. It's one of the best ways to convert passive subscribers into active enthusiasts. Let's see why.
Why you want feedback
Reader feedback has two prime benefits. First, it gives you information you can use to improve your newsletter.
Your readers can:
- identify problems with your administrative support mechanisms.
- tell you what they like and don't like about your newsletter.
- suggest improvements in content and layout.
You can use this information to make your newsletter more professional, improve the value of your content and adapt the style and personality of your newsletter to better match your readership. In other words, the readers can tell you how to gain impact and influence.
Second, when your readers send you feedback, you've a wonderful opportunity to engage them in a two-way conversation. Quite apart from the additional information this might generate, it's another chance to develop that reader relationship...to encourage that feeling of connectedness between reader and publication.
Getting feedback
OK, so if feedback is so important, how do you go about getting it? Well, at the least, ensure there is a feedback email address (or link to a feedback form) in your newsletter and at your website.
Simply including a link or email address specifically for feedback brings an immediate benefit, since it communicates to readers that you're interested in their opinions.
If you can, have the email address go to an identified person, rather than some anonymous address. If the feedback address is something like "office@" or "service@" or "newsletter@" or "feedback@", then experience tells many readers that it's a waste of time sending email. Consider using name@ or at least saying "John Doe at office@".
Some people are worried about spam and prefer to drive feedback through an online form, rather than reveal an email address. Although this makes it more inconvenient for readers to communicate with you, you can still add a personal touch simply by indicating who will actually get the feedback.
If you really want feedback, though, you'll need to actively encourage it. You can simply ask for it directly in the body of your newsletter, perhaps in an introduction to the issue.
Vague requests for "feedback" usually go unheeded, so ask for specific feedback on a specific issue, such as whether readers agree with a commentary, or whether they can suggest a good web resource on a certain topic.
Use incentives to generate comments. Reward feedback with a free e-book or white paper, the chance to win a prize, free exposure in your newsletter, or similar.
Alternatively, invite feedback on a topic that interests the reader as much as the publisher, such as preferences regarding email format or newsletter content.
Compare for example:
"If you have any comments about the content of this newsletter, please write to me at XYZ"
with...
"We've thinking of dropping the "useful links" section in future issues. If you'd like to see it stay, do let me know at XYZ".
Readers are far more likely to respond to the second request for feedback, since they have a vested interest in doing so. Even if that feedback is inconclusive, it still makes any subsequent changes easier, since the readers feel they have been involved in the decision-making process.
Need more email marketing guidance? Try the email newsletter.