88. This is on average the amount of emails employees receive every day.
Sharing company news, reinforcing company culture between offices, or maintaining a strong collaboration between employees in the new hybrid world … company newsletters have many benefits.
But in an inbox flooded by vendor outreach and long email threads, how can you ensure your company newsletter will be read?
In this article, we’ll cover our best tips, ideas, and examples for you to produce stellar internal newsletters that employees will actually read.
Let’s dive in!
What Is an Internal Company Newsletter?
An internal company newsletter is usually an electronic form for employees filled with important company information, updates, milestones, and other employee-engaging content. They are typically sent out via email for the convenience of both the employee and employer.
Internal company newsletters are the perfect way to boost your company engagement and form bonds with your employees through internal communication. They are also proven to be more effective in employee work performance. That is if they’re interesting enough to read. Targeting your audience (in this case, your employees) is key to making sure they are being read.
Benefits of an Internal Newsletter
Knowing how beneficial internal company newsletters are is crucial before jumping ahead. These company newsletters need great structure to be valuable and worthwhile.
There are many benefits to having an internal company newsletter. From employee alignment to delivering global news, they can help businesses in so many aspects that build positive work environments.
Some examples include:
- reinforcing company culture
- building relationships
- providing resources
Let’s jump right into it.
Reinforces company culture
With 40% of people saying they feel isolated at work, company culture is a big deal, especially if you want to take care of your business along with your employees. Internal newsletters can reinforce company culture, reminding employees about company values, expectations, and overall functioning as a team.
When thinking about what to share, try to make sure your content is inclusive, meaning any employee reading it will be able to understand your content and feel a connection to it.
Creates company-to-employee relationships
From shared values to business objectives, employers should always remind their team how vital their work is to the company.
Making sure that positive relationships are being built ensures continued productivity and a happy work environment.
Provides resources for employees
Create value in your company newsletters such as providing resources for your team. This can help encourage them to grow, broaden their skills, and connect with them on a personal level.
Studies say that the lack of resources in the work environment can cause complications in work performance. Helping your team to better their skills, health, and well-being gives your team purpose and value.
Here are some examples of resources you can include in your newsletter:
- Educational articles/blog posts that relate to their field of work
- Quick, healthy family-friendly recipes
- Diversity and Inclusion content
- Mental health/Yoga/Breathing Exercises
- Events happening in the area
Best Ideas and Examples of Internal Company Newsletters
Now that you know the main goals your newsletter should achieve, let’s have a look at some of the key elements to include in your content. Use these internal communication ideas and internal communication video examples to your advantage!
1. Use engaging subject lines
The average open rate for newsletters is 21%, which means that if your subject line isn’t interesting enough you can expect the newsletter to go unopened. The subject line is the first piece of the newsletter your employees will see. Make sure you use fun, engaging subject lines so they’ll want to read more.
Use attention-grabbing words and incorporate them into your newsletter’s subject lines. Be unique and include things such as:
- First names
- Emojis
- Slang words
- Personalization
- Minimal word count
While you want to entice your team to open the email, when thinking about the subject line, make sure you’re clear about the content of what you're sharing. You want your employees to be able to go back to the email should they need it.
2. Implement templates that are compatible with all sorts of devices
Since you can’t be sure where your employees will be when they’ll receive your email, make sure that the formatting for your company newsletters is compatible with both desktop and handheld devices. Doing so helps your newsletter to look appealing and easy to navigate.
3. Include everyone, especially the newbies
When you onboard new employees you should be sure to acknowledge them. Something as simple as introducing them in your newsletter after they’re hired can give them confidence in their new work environment. How about sharing a little video of the new hires presenting themselves?
Mentioning your employees in your internal business newsletters helps make them feel acknowledged and encourages them to open these newsletters more often just to see if they’re mentioned.
4. Utilize listicles
Everyone loves lists, they’re what make articles and blog posts easily digestible.
Listicles are good for people who want:
- An easy read
- Quick information
- To skim through
If you’re looking at adding them to your internal newsletter, how about mentioning “5 fun facts about a team” or reminding your broader team of “the 10 events you did for the community this past year”?
5. Recognize company wins
Including the company’s wins helps your employees see how their contributions lead to the success of the company. These highlights show your employees that their work matters and what it’s all going towards. When you mention how well your company is doing it makes your employees feel valued.
Including business statistics and tables are also great. These make it visually easier to look at and comprehend. You could even create a recap video to make it even more visual.
6. Ask for feedback
Allowing your employees to give recommendations and input lets them know you want to hear what they want to see more of. This can benefit your newsletter more by taking their feedback and implementing them into your future ones. Who better to ask than the ones who read them?
7. Provide engaging content for employees
Incorporate engaging content in your internal newsletters to help encourage open rates.
Adding things like polls, quizzes, videos, social media posts, and other interactive content is a great way to retain your audience and ensure your employee will want to continue reading your content
Wondering how to easily create internal communication videos? Look no further than PlayPlay's video maker! Crafting professional videos for your colleagues and teams has never been simpler.
8. Tone is everything
Unless you’re sharing more formal news, when writing your newsletters, the key is to have fun. To keep the engagement strong throughout, make sure your newsletter includes short yet interesting sentences that get straight to the point.
9. Incorporate company events and special occasions
Keep them updated on company events, parties, and other special occasions. Doing this can also encourage more people to attend them. You could then use the next newsletter to share the best pictures or videos from the outing!
If your organization sets up seasonal events (like Diwali or Chinese new year for example), you can also use this channel to educate your team on cultural differences.
10. Keep your newsletter simple and sweet
When you take all of the advice that was stated previously, you’re on your way to a successful internal company newsletter. Just remember to keep it simply put.
Our Tips for a Successful Internal Newsletter
Now that you know the basics, here are some more tips you can implement in your newsletter.
In order for your content to engage, you should know your audience. Before jumping into writing your newsletter, consider things like:
- Diversity and inclusivity (you want to speak to everyone)
- Why your workers chose this particular industry
- Their office location
- Things they’d like to achieve
- What they like to do for fun
People appreciate being understood and recognized. They also have lives of their own outside of work, so make it clear that you respect that too.
Writing and delivering successful internal company newsletters is a great way to keep your team strong. Internal content is worth putting time and effort into and is one of the most effective ways to communicate with your workers. Trying different approaches are encouraged so you can find what works best for you and your team! If you need some inspiration, read our articles on internal communication tools and internal communication trends in 2023.
The many benefits and ideas given for a successful internal company newsletter that will be read should have given the inspiration to start one, or improve your own! Create content that will bring your team closer, and make them even more robust. Here at PlayPlay, we thrive to bring brands to stand out. Content is key to anything and everything we do. Ensuring that it is right for you and your brand to market, stand out, and be different from the rest is our mission! Want to learn more about our services at PlayPlay? Start your free trial today!
