What’s the difference between an employee magazine or newsletter that is eagerly read and one that is ignored? Content employees actually want to read. Here are six tips for content that will make your employee publication a success.
Showcase Employees
This may seem obvious, but many companies get too focused on communicating information they deem important and forget that the key to turning the employee magazine into a powerful communications tool is to make the employees the stars.
Maximize Photos
Filling your employee newsletter with photos creates two benefits: 1) readers are most interested in seeing themselves and their fellow employees and 2) it makes your publication easier to consume – large text blocks can be intimidating and may be skipped. A picture really does say a thousand words – and it also makes your company magazine much more engaging.
Highlight as Many Employees as Possible
Related to tip 1, seeing themselves and coworkers in the company magazine is a real highlight for employees, so it’s a good idea to go for quantity over quality. Whether it’s a quick spotlight, an in-depth profile, or just a collage of photos, by including as many employees as possible in each issue, you will maximize goodwill – and increase readership.
Encourage Feedback and Submissions
Encouraging feedback lets employees know they have a voice. Requesting submissions will make designing your company magazine much easier by providing a steady stream of employee-generated content for each issue.
Publish Consistently
It is essential to keep your employee magazine on a consistent production schedule. Employees get accustomed to receiving new issues on a regular basis, and inconsistent distribution diminishes the publication’s power and sends the message that it is not important.
Provide a Printed Publication
Printed publications have much more impact and staying power than their digital cousins so in most cases it is wise to produce a printed version. An email publication may cost nothing to disseminate, but its effectiveness pales in comparison to a print publication that can be held in an employee’s hands and taken home to show the family. Everyone is deluged with email these days, and it’s just too easy for busy employees to press “delete” or forget about it once it drops out of sight. Why spend the time and effort on a company magazine that never gets read?
Bonus Tip
While you cannot make employees read the company magazine, there is a very simple way to boost readership. How? Offer a contest in each issue. By answering a set of questions with answers that are easily found within the publication, readers can enter into a drawing for a prize. It’s a classic win-win: increased readership of the employee publication and the possibility of a prize for the reader.
Follow the tips above when designing your company magazine or newsletter and you’ll enjoy the benefits of a publication that your employees actually look forward to reading.
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