View the newsletter here.
What I like most about Lynda’s newsletter is this: Voice. I’ve never met Lynda or even spoken to her on the phone, but when I read her newsletter I can hear a real person talking. Notice how she writes in the first person, uses casual language (e.g. “wrangled up”), includes a handwritten signature, and generally writes as if she already knows you. That’s a winning combination.
I also like how she reveals a lot of who she is, something which, in my experience as a traveler, plays a big part in choosing between one Inn and another. For example, she tells us that she likes to travel and she’s committed to “buying, cooking and eating locally.” It all adds up to giving the reader a sense of who she is.
One suggestion I’d have Lynda, is to make the newsletter more visual. As much as I believe that content is king, you’re selling an experience and pictures make a big difference. The photo of the inn itself is tiny and I think a picture of you – cooking breakfast or cutting flowers or doing something else Inn-ish – would go a long way.
All in all, a great job!
Thanks for submitting your newsletter. — Michael
We migrated these Field Trips from Facebook and didn’t want to lose the comments, so we’ve posted them below:
Katherine Andes:
Yes, she did a very nice job. I’m dying for a juicy hot steak!
Kathy Felong:
Amen, brother. You hit it. Great voice. I could feel her passion for food and her sense of humor. I wanted to know more of Lynda and wanted to see photos from her trip. I was intrigued enough that I went to her Web site (same great voice, a sense of humor, but some beautiful pictures, too), but alas not a personal note (or About Us tab) to be found. You got us, Lynda. Don’t squander the opportunity!
All that said, I also checked out the Google directions and figured out how long it’ll take me to get there. Then I signed up for the enewsletter and added “a visit to The Inn at Sweet Water Farm” to my Bucket List.
Roger Magalhaes:
Don’t get me wrong…we are all here lead by Michael to improve ourselves and become newsletter masters..But I think Lynda’s newsletter should be a bit shorter…I get turned off by loooong newsletters…. Thanks….and again…nothing personal.
Kevin Lee:
Roger’s point is one I used to consider too, until I read a recent article in Website Magazine about ad copy and how long or short it should be. It seems studies have shown that longer copy, as long as it’s written correctly, wins hands down in terms of click-throughs, sales etc. Even people who write the copy sometimes feel its too long, but they do so because it sells. You even see this in weekly mags too….full pages of basically text selling us on either product, image, etc.