One question I hear every week from our customers is “What should I actually put in my internal newsletter? Now I had my own suspicions on what would be most effective, but I wanted to share some objective suggestions. So I asked.
I asked the folks who would know better than anyone: Our must successful customers. And wouldn’t you know it? I learned some things. (I’m not surprised. They’re a savvy bunch.) So I’m here to share those learnings with you today.
After polling the folks from across our customer base, I found that the successful internal newsletter programs have four essential elements in common.
- 🧠They share what’s top of mind.
This part that requires the most work, but is actually the simplest part. As a leader, just sharing what is on your mind for this week can help to rally everyone around a common purpose. Limit the focus to a paragraph or two to get everyone focused, and started off in the right frame of mind.
- 📚 They share what they learn.
As we navigate our worlds, we continuously learn. It is incumbent on all of us to share that knowledge with each other. Collect those links along the way and share the articles, videos, and listens that taught you something this week.
- 🦾 They showcase their teams.
When you have your team all rallying around a common purpose, you tend to maintain forward momentum. Take a moment each week to share progress, wins, and milestones at the departmental level.
- 👂 They ask for feedback.
No one Iikes to be blasted. In the days of distributed work, it’s even more important to maintain entry points for those accidental or impromptu conversations to be started. Encourage feedback or replies to your emails to keep your team engaged.
Sharing your thoughts, learnings, shoutouts, and asking for feedback are all parts of every great leader’s toolkit.
In the coming days, I’ll share more about how you can harness your existing behavior and daily habits – so that when it comes time to send your newsletter, it will already be ready to go!
P.S. Are there more? What else should I know? Hit me up on Twitter @chrishandyblog to discuss. There actually is a “Fifth Element”. I’ll tell you about that soon.