Starting a newsletter
Sending a regular newsletter can be a great way to engage with your community of interest, encourage two-way dialogue, inform your audience and help turn an occasional listener into a super fan!
Want to start a newsletter? Read this first
NPR have put together this handy guide to help you think about what you want to accomplish, who you're trying to reach, and to assess if a newsletter is the best way in which you can do this.
Golden Days Radio newsletter, The Golden Broadcaster: an example
The lovely folk at Golden Days Radio have shared a copy of their newsletter, so you can have a look and see how another station is communicating their news.
Volume 12, no.1 of The Golden Broadcaster, issued in June 2017 is an excellent example of how you can use a newsletter to communicate with your listeners, members, volunteers and potential volunteers. The newsletter informs readers of upcoming organisational and programming changes, celebrates Life Members, long-standing volunteers, volunteers and new programs as well as sharing a few interesting stories about the community of interest's shared passion; music.
Please note you can click on the below images to enlarge them.
Title page - President's Report (right)
The front page of The Golden Broadcaster includes an organisational update from President, Larry James, and highlights some of the changes happening at the station. It also encourages listeners to get involved, celebrates their recent Awards acheivements, and announces the date of their upcoming AGM.
At the top of the page, you'll also see the icons clearly indicating that Golden Days Radio are on Facebook and that you can download their app from the App Store and the Google Play store. This is a great way to continue reaching out to your member base and encouraging them to connect with you on as many different platforms as possible.
At the bottom, the newsletter celebrates three new honorary life members; this is a lovely way to celebrate and recognise your station's volunteers, and share the good news with the wider listner and supporter base.
Inform and entertain; page 2 and 3 (below)
The next two pages (below) highlight some interesting stories and facts about different artists and songs, relative to the Golden Days Radio audience. These articles are entertaining and informative and are written by presenters and past presenters.
You'll also see a small update about the station's new website at the bottom of the page.
Think about other ways you can connect with your audience - maybe you can turn a short radio segment or interview into a piece of content for your newsletter, or perhaps you have a few uni students or students keen to try out their copy-writing skills.
Celebrate your presenters, inform about programming changes; page 4 and 5 (below)
Share some photos from your station's recent events, welcome new presenters or keep your audience informed about programming changes and what's in the work content-wise.
Encourage your listeners to get involved - advertise for specfic volunteer positions - page 6 (right)
It can be challening getting the right volunteers through the door of your station, let alone the right people with the right skills for what you are looking for. A great way to do this is to advertise for specfic roles with job positions. The last page of this newsletter shows how you can do this in a quick, efficient and direct manner and also advertises the station's next 'Listener's Meeting' - a chance for interested listeners to come and meet members of the station and get more information about volunteering.
Did you know as a CBAA member you can also advertise job and volunteer opportunities for free on our website and we'll also promote them on our social media? Email us for more information,
Further resources
You might be interested in tying your newsletter into a wider communications strategy to reach as many potential members and listeners as possible.