The maxim of the newsletter publisher’s industry is: “Content is King”

Content, however, doesn’t begin and end with just articles and commentary.  Content is also the graphics, layout, and interactive elements of your newsletter.  Even if your newsletter is in plain text, it’s got interactive elements.

Those elements which get your subscriber to do something more than just skim over the information, look at the pictures, etc. are interactive content.

Adding interactive content is the key to keeping your newsletter fresh, engaging, and most of all it’s what keeps your readers interested.  Turning passive readers into active participants is also a proven way to grow sales.  Active readers are the ultimate goal of any newsletter publisher.

To get your audience activated, your newsletter needs engaging content.  Stuff that makes your users get and stay interested with each new issue.

Here are some of the best (and easiest) ways to ad active content to your newsletter:

Polls and Surveys – Adding a reader poll (one that clicks through to a web page with your advertising on it is a bonus) that is interesting to the readers will get them to do something (click).  Avoid Plain Jane polls that just ask “do you like this newsletter?” or similar inanities are not engaging.  Even if the goal of your poll is just to gather demographics on your readership, be creative and make it interesting or fun.

Mix in the “are you male or female” questions with things like “what would you like to see in an upcoming issue?”  This generic question is actually fairly engaging, since it offers to tailor content to what the reader wants.  It’s also a sneaky way to get more information about your active readers.

Turn those polls into full surveys for more interaction and better engagement.  Polls are good for your newsletter, but short surveys are much better.

Embedded or Linked Video – Video is a killer way to instantly ad some interest to your publication.  Especially if you can make your own content this way.  While that’s not a requirement, it’s definitely value-added bonus.  A short web cam video of you giving a 1 or 2 minute presentation can greatly enhance things for your newsletter, but even just generic content from YouTube is fine.

The bottom line is: video sells.  Adding video, even if it’s just generic content or an (interesting) ad makes your newsletter something more than just a glorified pamphlet.  Sure, articles are important, but they’re just text.  There’s only so much you can do with that.

Contests – No matter what the contest is for or what the prize is, these are a great way to boost the activity level of your readership.  Favorite contests include things like “best comment wins X” or “funniest (family safe) anecdote about X wins Y and will be featured in our next issue” are awesome.

Not only do simple contests like these engage your readers, but they can boost your content and give you great interaction with your subscribers without requiring a lot of effort or money.  The prizes don’t have to be big and can often be sponsored by an advertiser to make them free.

No matter how you engage your readers, you need to do it.  Just sending a plain newsletter with fancy graphics and good articles isn’t enough anymore.  While it’s the basis for a very good publication, it’s no longer enough to ensure that you have a steadily-growing subscriber base or an active audience who’s willing to click on those ads or buy those products.

Engage your readers and you’ll reap great rewards in many ways!