How to Write a Technical Newsletter
A technical newsletter can help your business build a reputation in your industry as thought leaders and subject matter experts. While your topic of interest may be highly technical, the goal should be to translate that dense material into highly engaging and easy-to-understand content. Develop a technology newsletter template for your business to help your company create readable newsletter content each month.
Before you start writing your technical newsletter, create a strategy that aligns with your company goals. What do you want your technical newsletter to accomplish? Some examples of possible goals include:
- Nurture leads and prospects into making a purchase
- Educate consumers on how to solve their problems
- Inform readers about industry news and advancements
- Promote company products and services
Once you have an understanding of the main goals of your newsletter, it will be easier to figure out what kind of content to write for your audience.
The kind of language you use in your newsletter will depend on who your target audience is. Does your audience have a technical background? Do they understand technical language and industry terminology? Remember that although the topic of your newsletter may be technical, your audience might not share your technical expertise. Your audience may subscribe to your newsletter because they want to learn more about the topic.
Always try to keep highly technical terms to a minimum. Avoid using jargon that only those in the industry would understand. Use everyday language where possible to replace highly complex words. You may also want to segment your technical newsletter audience into specific groups and tailor your content to them. Groups may include prospects, customers and industry experts, for example.
One of the mistakes that many companies make when writing technical newsletters is to make all the content about themselves. Inward-looking content from businesses can be a turnoff for many prospects and customers. While it’s important to include some information about your business in your newsletter, every article and feature should not be about your products and services.
Instead of focusing only on your company’s products and services in your technical newsletter, branch out to include a range of topics your audience is interested in.
If you want readers to pay attention to your technical newsletter, it’s vital to provide them with information they find useful. When conducting your audience research, look into what kinds of information they need as related to your industry. Help them answer questions they may already be asking. This shows your audience that your business is highly informed in your industry.
Some information technology newsletter ideas for content include:
- Interviews with industry experts
- How-to articles for common problems
- White papers on trending industry topics
- Industry stories on new technology
- Product features with benefits
Give your readers variety in every issue so that they always have something interesting to read. If you’re only providing one kind of content, it can get monotonous for your audience.
The formatting of your technical newsletter is as important as the content you write in it. Many businesses send out email newsletters instead of hard copy ones. If you also choose to go this route, remember that a lot of people read on their phones. It’s important to ensure your newsletter is in a mobile-friendly design with large call to action buttons that are easy to see and click on a small screen.
Above all, keep your technical newsletter short and direct. With an overabundance of information available, people don’t have hours to spend reading a company newsletter. Provide your readers with highlights they need to know that they can read within a couple of minutes.