Over the last 30 years, I’ve seen a few great employee wellness newsletters. But truth be told, most of them are terrible. I am in the business of producing employee wellness newsletters so I am a tough reviewer.
Here are the 5 critical errors we regularly see in workplace wellness newsletters:
1. No news: There is no newsworthy content. Many rookie editors of wellness newsletters forget to put “news” in the letter. No local news… no breaking news… no relevant trends. . . no tying content to context.
2. No connection: The writers don’t know your employees, your culture, or live in your community, so the stories don’t resonate. Or the writers know them, but don’t write about them.
There are no stories about people your employees know and care about. No links to local resources, no mention of what is going on in their corner of the world, and no relevance to time and place.
3. No difference: There is no compelling reason to read or engage. The content reads like a billion other snippets of generic health information (blah, blah, blah). There’s no tantalizing spin, no challenge in the headline, no intellectual risk taking. No humor. No “ah-ha!” moments. No outrage or inspiration.
Words can change the world or be just a brick wall of boring text.
4. No energy or passion: Have you ever − just one time – seen or heard of employees sharing wellness newsletter stories or talking about them? Sometimes it seems wellness newsletter writers could do a story on the Dog Whisperer and leave people not wanting a dog.
Where’s the thrill of victory, the encouragement that we can change the world… the idea that life will be better and healthier… the daring in the challenge… the action step that sets a person’s life in a new direction?
5. No purpose: Health insurance enrollment, colonoscopy reminders, and cholesterol and blood pressure check announcements don’t cut it as feature stories. Rather, focus on better sleep, more energy, greater independence, more stamina, deeper friendships, and feeling great. As they say, “Keep your eye on the donut and not on the hole.”
Simply avoid these 5 errors and you’ll improve the effectiveness of your newsletter by multiples. For more tips, also read Employee Wellness Newsletters: The 5 Winning Tips To Maximize Readership.
Shawn M. Connors
The Best C+ Student in the Wellness Biz
Shawn is the President and Founder of Hope Health. For over 30 years, his work has focused on bringing clear, easy-to-read, and watch health messages to the public via workplaces. He bills himself as the “Best C+ Student in the Wellness Biz” because, as he says, “I like to challenge the notion that there is no such thing as a stupid question.” Shawn is on a mission to tie workplaces into their surrounding communities to share resources and ideas in an effort to improve the health of all Americans.
You may reach Shawn at sconnors@HopeHealth.com or 800-334-4094.
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