Michael Katz's E-Newsletter On E-Newsletters
June 9, 2006
Issue #153
Why I Like Country Music
I may as well just come right out and admit it… Iím a country music fan.
Frankly, it just kind of snuck up on me. There I was, minding my own business, listening to Rock ëN Roll and a little bit of oldies, when I started catching myself singing
along with the occasional country song on the radio. Not a lot mind you, just a random song here and there.
Over time however, my country music habit got more serious. Eventually (I think it was about a year ago), I dedicated one of the six radio buttons in my car (button #5) to a
local country station.
And while I have yet to purchase any country music CDs or (heaven forbid) attend a live country music concert, I have to say that thereís something about this music that I
like. And that something, Iíve realized, has a lot to do with what makes for effective E-Newsletter content.
Hereís what I mean…
- Country music is easy to understand.
Not only are the stories fantastically simple, the words themselves are always (always) completely intelligible.
Unlike so many other music genres where you may not know the actual words to even your favorite songs (and even when you find out what they are, you still donít have a
clue as to what the author was trying to say), with country, the words and meaning are as clear as a summerís night on a Tennessee peanut farm (or whatever).
By the same token, E-Newsletter content needs to be clear and simple. Your readers are in a hurry and prone to skimming, and this is not the place to impress people with
your large vocabulary or Shakespearean writing style.
-
Country music is upbeat.
I know, I know, itís got a reputation for being all about bad news, but I donít really know why. Because while there are certainly plenty of sad
songs, in general, I find country music to be incredibly optimistic and decidedly fun (How serious can you be with a big hat on?), something which again sets it apart from
most of what youíre likely to find on the radio.
One thing I notice with a lot of E-Newsletters is that theyíre alarmingly negative. Itís fine to disagree with something – and if youíve been reading this newsletter for a while
you know my belief in the importance of taking a strong position – but try to avoid making complaints and criticism the basis from which you write.
Remember that when your E-Newsletter arrives, youíre asking people to stop what theyíre doing and take a few minutes to read what youíve got to say. Personally, I think
youíve got a better chance at achieving this if your E-Newsletter is thought of as "something which brightens my day," as opposed to "something which rekindles my interest
in committing suicide."
- Country music is catchy and clever.
With song titles that are more often than not a play on words (e.g. "All My Exíes Live in Texas," "She's Actin' Single, I'm
Drinkin' Doubles" and my personal favorite, "When Your Phone Donít Ring It Will Be Me Who Ainít Calling You Still"), and lyrics that often seem like they were written just
because theyíre fun to sing along with (e.g. "Could ya would ya ain't ya gonna if I asked you would ya wanna be my baby tonight"), the people who write this stuff pay close
attention to how the words fit together.
Here too, and beyond the useful content that must necessarily be at the heart of any business communication, youíve got to remember that your readers are dying of
boredom. Theyíre forced to wade through piles of mundane junk every single work day just to get to the information they need, and if you can lift them out of that with
some foot tapping, boot stompin', gotta-show-this-to-somebody-else wit, youíll have a winner on your hands.
Bottom Line: You donít have to like country music to appreciate why itís so popular. Just make your newsletter equally easy, optimistic and catchy, and youíll never want for
readers. Yee-hah.
Extra Credit: Be the third person to call my answering machine and sing the chorus to your favorite country song and youíll be rewarded with a genuine, Blue Penguin
Development, "Leap, And The Net Will Appear" T-Shirt. Make sure to leave your name, phone number, mailing address and shirt size!!!
Hereís the number: 214-615-6505.
Enter extension 8797 when prompted!
About Blue Penguin Development, Inc.
Blue Penguin Development helps professional service firms get clients,
by showing them how to strengthen relationships with the people they already know.
I specialize in the development of electronic newsletters.
Click here for an overview of my services.
|
