'Deciding How or Where to Publish Your Newsletter'

'Deciding How or Where to Publish Your Newsletter'


It used to be that printing was really the only option when it came to producing your newsletter. But now there are some clear choices:

• Printing
• Internet
• Email
• Other electronic means (like CD Rom, DVD, etc).

The Internet provides a tempting and cost-effective alternative as an answer to both producing and distributing your newsletter. But there are some important factors you should take into account.


PRINTING - THE ADVANTAGES
If you're looking to create sheer impact then there's no doubt that a printed newsletter still has a significant edge over publishing on the Internet. The fact that a printed newsletter is real; you can pick it up and feel the quality of the paper, along with its weight, texture and colors, does ensure a longer lasting impact on your reader.

• A printed newsletter is more portable than an Internet version.

• You can read it literally anywhere; plane, train or even in your bath.

• It requires no electricity or special equipment.

• Paper is more comfortable to read from than is a computer screen.


Think of printing this way. Despite the Internet now being very firmly established with high levels of access in both the home and work, and considering that many newspapers publish themselves completely free of charge online, newspaper sales globally have barely been affected.

This is because it is just easier to read a paper over your morning waffles or cereal, than it is to be hunched over your computer screen reading the news online.

PRINTING - THE DISADVANTAGES
There are three key disadvantages of a printed newsletter:

• The cost of the Print
Whether you intend to photocopy your newsletter or go for a better quality printed version, there will almost always be some costs attached to the actual production of a printed newsletter.

• The cost of Distribution
How are you going to distribute your newsletter? If it is by postal service then you need to factor this into your budget. Or maybe you'll hand it out personally, over the counter or in some other way that doesn't add to your expenses.

• Timescale delay with Print
From the moment you provide your printer with the final artwork there will be a pause before you receive the newsletter back. How long? This will depend on the complexity of your printing.

INTERNET OR EMAIL NEWSLETTERS

An Internet published newsletter can take a number of forms:

• This can be in HTML (that's regular web pages).

• PDF's (Portable Document Format). This format can be read on screen, but is frequently intended to be printed out.

• By Email to be sent directly to a subscribers list for your newsletter. This can be as regular plan (ASCI) text or the email can be made to look like a web page (in other words an email can actually contain HTML code).

• Your newsletter can be a combination between an email and a web page! This can be an interesting format as the reader would typically see a headline and read a summary or lead in paragraph of an article, before clicking on a link which takes the viewer to the full article online.


GOOD FOR YOUR POCKETBOOK
The greatest advantage of an online newsletter - in any of the forms above - is that it is virtually free to publish (though not quite, you will have some Internet Service Provider costs). Interestingly this actually turns out to be the greatest
draw-back of an online newsletter too. Because they are so cheap to produce, there tend to be a lot of them. As a result it becomes harder for the reader to select 'quality' newsletters over something akin to junk or Spam mail.


LESS IMPACT MAYBE, BUT EASIER DISTRIBUTION...
As we've already discussed, an online newsletter doesn't have the impact of the printed version. But it does have some obvious distribution advantages over a printed version of the newsletter.

Suppose that you're publishing your newsletter and sending it out to your membership (customers, potential customers, potential members…fill in the blank).

Where do you actually send it?

In most cases to their home or to their work.

But what if they're not at home or work? One great advantage of email and internet based newsletters is that the recipient can typically pick up their email from anywhere in the world. This means they can read your newsletter from anywhere in the world too! And when it comes to time sensitivity, you really can't beat the online world. It's instant. Or at least as instant as the regularity with which your reader checks their email or browses to your newsletter website.


FACTORS HELPING YOU DECIDE WHETHER TO PUBLISH IN PRINT OR ON THE NET.

You've probably already developed a good sense as to whether you plan to publish in real life or online, but just in case you're still in two minds, here's a quick check list:

• Budgets - if they are very tight then the Internet is your best bet.

• Impact - if you've just got to have stunning impact, then printing is always going to win out.

• Portability - Both printing and Internet versions have their advantages here. Paper is generally more portable, but the Internet has faster global reach.

by Michael Green