The Surviving Small Press: Starting a Newsletter

by Tom Person
Reprinted from Laughing Bear Newsletter #128, Copyright © 2001 by Laughing Bear Press

I've heard from numerous people who want to start newsletters. They range from non-profit and business letters to politics and family. So here are some pointers that will apply to anyone who wants to publish a newsletter.

You need three things for a good newsletter: content, readers, and design. Unfortunately new publishers tend to focus on design foremost. Really that needs to be the last consideration. It doesn't matter what a newsletter looks like, as long as it is legible, if the content is valuable. However, no matter how much money and time is put into designing and printing a beautiful newsletter, it will be a failure if it doesn't deliver what readers need.

Some newsletter newbies are concerned with the competition. But a good newsletter is unique. The newsletter editor takes information from every source possible and then analyzes it, digests it, applies their own experience and opinions, and writes articles that give readers a view of the subject that they can't get anywhere else.

Naturally, everyone starting a newsletter isn't already an expert in their field, but that is the goal to work toward. A young man asked how he should go about starting a newsletter on Chicago politics. I told him to hang out at city hall, attend council meetings, and get to know the politicians. If he shows genuine interest and a willingness to learn, he should be up to his knees in articles and interviews in no time. And he'll be well on his way to being a recognized expert.

One talent the newsletter editor needs to nurture is the care and handling of sources. You do need to keep information coming, but you've got to be fair and honest above all. You'll lose readers if it appears you are fawning over a source, and no one will talk to you if you trash them. So, you've got to be fair. If someone tells you something, try to corroborate the information. No one can fault you if what you say is true. Your first responsibility is to your readers.

It doesn't matter how good the newsletter is if no one reads it. Newsletters sell by word of mouth. Of course, it helps to have a best selling book related to the letter, and many letters are tied to books, but short of that, the best way to build a reputation is to get people you write about to read your newsletter. A proportion of the circulation of any periodical is sent gratis to people in the same field. With luck, they'll mention it to their peers and people they influence.

A web site can also attract subscribers while adding value to your newsletter. You can offer samples, sell subscriptions, and reprint articles. From my own experience, nothing has come close to my web site for drawing attention to my letter.

If you are doing a newsletter for a company or organization, the readership is built in, but if you want it to be more than window dressing for the organization, you will still have to send out copies to possible sources. In this situation you'll probably have less say in the content of the newsletter, but if you don't do what you can to make it useful you'll get bored and so will your readers. You'll end up as expendable as the newsletter.

Beware prepackaged content. There are companies that make good money providing generic articles. The articles are bland, usually out of date, and recognizable for what they are. Why pay to make yourself look bad? Anything you write will at least be free. That isn't to say you can't feature a freelance writer now and then if they have something to say, but the newsletter is your voice and that's what your readers expect.

The final consideration is design. Keep it simple, and watch your budget. You can always change the format later, if you want. In the meantime, keep in mind that people read newsletters for information, not for how they look. As a rule, the more elaborate the design, the more useless the newsletter. A slick design can make it look like you are more interested in form than content.

All you need to start a newsletter is a subject and a word processor. You'll need to register your company name with your county or city to protect it. A DBA (Doing Business As) permit usually costs less than $20, but the requirements vary from state to state.

You should get an ISSN (International Standard Serial Number). You can apply for one for free at http://lcweb.loc.gov/issn. The ISSN is used by libraries and other agencies for cataloging, it is usually required to get listed in directories, and it adds a touch of legitimacy to your letter.

Aside from that, you just need a healthy dose of curiosity, research and communication skills, and the commitment to stick with it. It will take time to build your expertise and skills, not to mention your circulation. It takes time to build trust.