This newsletter is short and sweet, with one main message supported by an eye-catching image. It’s nice when you can do these because not only is it an easier read for your subscribers, but it’s also easier for you to gauge interest in this particular topic. This is because your subject line can be quite specific (e.g. “CHIHULY tickets now for sale” as opposed to “What’s On This Month”) so only those who are interested will open it.

This newsletter is themed to one exhibition and the events related to it. The challenge is often ensuring that all activities are sufficiently confirmed to be announced to the public, when they may not be happening for another several months. The best solution that I’ve found to this challenge is to get the events team on board early as part of a larger project marketing team, and let them know when you’ll need information from them.

I designed a template for our newsletters based on the responsive templates supplied by our ESP (ecommunications service provider.) I wanted something that was clean, light and modern, and a design that stayed in the background so our images could take centre stage.

This earlier version of the Museum’s monthly newsletter is colourful, but not mobile-responsive. At that time, I often wished there was a function that would allow subscribers to share any post to their own social networks. No-one’s going to share the whole thing–it’s far too long for that!

My responsibilities were writing and editing copy, sourcing and adjusting images, building the newsletter, and obtaining approvals. I also maintained and updated the mailing list, and was the liaison with the ecommunications service provider. Before the days of CASL (the Canadian Anti-SPAM Legislation) I was sending to over 40,000 people.