This Weeks Tip 

For this month’s tips, ForMinistry will be examining the best practices for sending email newsletters.

Write one-to-one, not one-to-many

Many people assume that because their email newsletter isgoing out to hundreds (or thousands) of people that they need to assume a formal tone.  In reality, though, email is a very personal medium.  Always write as though you’re writing to one person who will be reading this, rather than addressing hundreds of people.  For example, it’s better tosay, “Have you ever wondered about the best way to invite your neighbor to Friday Night Live?  Here are some tips...”than “We’ve noticed that many people have questions about how to best invite friends to outreach events.  Here are sometips...”  Of course, both versions are all right, but more personal is always better.

Also, you’ll want to customize the general emails that are related to your list.  Most email software comes with generic confirmation messages and welcome messages (the messages thatgo out after someone confirms their subscription).  Customize these for your newsletter.  Make them friendly and give them a little personality.