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Getting the boss' voice right: How to craft effective executive messaging

Over the years, I have written messaging for many senior executives and leaders. I have written for the president of a Norwegian Aquaculture company, the sales director of food distribution businesses, the vice president of human resources in a mining company, the Dean of a university faculty, and many others. What are the keys to capturing the strategic content and the person's voice? Time, curiosity, and empathy.

What's the secret of excellent writing? A good editor.

In a recent blog post, we asked writer Li Robbins about the art of the interview. This week we ask Jordan Whitehouse about the value of editors and how to select a good one for your publication or project.

Five reasons outsourcing your newsletter is a smart move for HR leaders

In last week’s blog, I outlined five reasons newsletters are a great way to retain, motivate, and engage employees. This week I want to look at why bringing in specialists (cough, cough) to produce your organization’s newsletter is both cost-effective and creates a better product.

In today's tight labour market, retaining employees is vital. Here are five ways newsletters can help retain, motivate, and engage your people.

We've been in the employee communications business for a long time. We've been there, done that, and bought the t-shirt; in fact, we retain the domain employeecommunications.com, which we registered way back in the day. We've been there for the evolution from early desk-top publishing to today's digital platforms and rich multimedia. Amidst all those changes, one thing remains constant, newsletters work. They are an excellent vehicle for employee communications. Here are five reasons.

Who gives a F#!K about an Oxford Comma? I do!

I have been listening to a lot of Vampire Weekend. I know, I know, I am late to the party on that one. Nonetheless, in their 2008 hit Oxford Comma, Vampire Weekend poses the question, "Who gives a F#!K about an Oxford Comma?" That got me thinking about how important I believe the Oxford Comma is to clear, concise communication.

The art of the interview

For this week's blog post, we ask journalist, producer, broadcaster and writer Li Robbins about the art of the interview.

Fundraising and friend-raising: Four reasons that newsletters are a great tool for NPOs

"Time, talent and treasure." When I spent a decade producing an alumni magazine, my goal was to keep increasing the amount of time the alumni spent reading my publication because studies had shown that the more time a reader spent with the magazine, the more of their "time, talent and treasure" they would share with the organization.

Learn six ways to craft catchy headlines that capture your audience's attention!

In a previous post, we explored how long or short(!), a newsletter article should be to keep your audience's attention. In that post, we also looked at ways to catch your reader's eye and stop them from skimming past your article. One of those ways was employing effective headlines. I wanted to explore that more deeply in this week's post.

Typecast: What your font says to the world

Many people treat choosing their font as an afterthought. This is a mistake. The font you choose impacts your brand and your message. It sets the tone, mood, and aesthetic, resonating with your audience on a subconscious level.

The Family Business: How our month-old company was fifty years in the making

The keen observer may have noticed that my business partner Shelley and I share the same last name. We get asked about this all the time, and it is both a short answer and a long story.

How long is too long: The quest for the ideal length of a newsletter article.

TL;DR, short for Too Long/Didn’t Read, is how people flag social media posts that take too long to get to their point. This also holds true for newsletter articles.

How to choose the right graphic designer

In this week’s blog post, we meet Custom Creative Newsletter Specialists co-founder Shelley Walker (yes, she IS a relation!) and ask her about what to look for in a graphic fesigner.

Newsletters are so 2010, right?

Many people think newsletters have been consigned to the dustbin of history alongside fax machines, Netscape Navigator, and Filofaxes...

The Reports of Our Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

…or why an AI Chat Bot will not be writing your newsletter anytime soon.

Make it Match

Your newsletter’s design must fit with (and build!) your brand.

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The Power of Colour: Understanding how it works in your newsletter design