Key Findings on Internal Newsletter Best Practices
- Effective employee newsletters start with relevance and clarity. To be effective, internal employee newsletters must be timely, relevant, and engaging. It is vital to offer clear, concise content tailored to employees’ interests and needs.
- Certain types of content should be avoided to maintain reader trust and attention. Long-winded updates, off-topic information, and overly technical language can cause employees to disengage or ignore future newsletters. It overwhelms readers and doesn’t resonate with the broader team.
- Length of employee newsletters is more important than many people think. Keep it short and scannable. Ideally it should be 300–500 words or a 2–3 minute read, with clear headings and visual breaks to hold attention.
Management and team leaders in every organization have those frustrating moments when employees talk about missing their communications. Whether you hear it in passing or receive actual complaints, it can be disheartening, making you feel as though your work has little impact.
The key, of course, is to improve employee engagement. There are many ways to do this, for example, via emails, text messages, live events, conference calls, and employee newsletters. To do this, organizations leverage technology in different ways to suit their needs.
Gallagher’s Employee Communications Report 2025, based on its State of the Sector 2024/25 survey report, delves into channel effectiveness compared to usage. While email announcements continue to rank tops for both leader-to-employee and company-to-employee announcements, newsletters feature significantly in terms of effectiveness. While used less than emails, they are undeniably effective.
In this post, we’re going to focus on employee newsletters and share the most efficient employee newsletter best practices. We will also give you some invaluable tips on how to maximize newsletter results.
What Is an Employee Newsletter?
An employee newsletter (or employee E-newsletter as Gallagher calls it) is a digital communication tool used by companies to keep their staff informed and engaged. It’s essentially a lengthy company-wide email or online document that gets sent out regularly, typically every week or month.
The main goals of an employee newsletter are to:
- Share important news and updates: This can include anything from financial performance to new product launches or policy changes.
- Boost employee engagement: Newsletters can help employees feel more connected to the company and their colleagues. Typically, they feature employee spotlights, team achievements, or fun company culture content.
- Improve internal communication: ƒs are an ideal central location for important announcements and resources, reducing reliance on email overload.
Employee newsletters can be a great way to create a sense of community within a company, especially for remote or deskless workers. They can also be a helpful tool for leadership to share their vision and goals with the wider team. But the employee newsletter you produce can be created in a range of formats.
Different Types of Employee Newsletters Used for Internal Communication
While both communications media were originally printed, and both are now more often than not digital, magazines are typically more in-depth and visually appealing than newsletters. There is also more comprehensive content that includes company news and stories, longer articles, interviews, and human interest pieces. They require more manpower, including professional writers, layout artists, and graphic designers, to produce. Employee magazines are still printed more often than employee newsletters. It also stands to reason that, because of these factors, organizations produce them less frequently.
Gallagher’s statistics show that an email newsletter sent to employees by leaders is the most effective option (77%). However, company e-newsletters (75%) and digital employee magazines (74%) sent to employees are also very effective. What is confusing is that usage of all of these options is low — 47% for leader email newsletters, 65% for company e-newsletters, and only 12% for company-to-employee digital magazines. Only 10% of organizations use printed employee magazines, even though they appear to be 57% effective.
Why is It Important to Know Best Practices for Employee Newsletters?
An internal company newsletter is a valuable tool for keeping employees informed, engaged, and feeling like part of a team. Knowing best practices for employee newsletters ensures that this communication channel is used effectively. It also ensures that employees receive the right content in the right format to boost readership and engagement. It should be a key component of any internal communications strategy aimed at improving employee engagement. When done well, a newsletter offers significant benefits, not only by keeping employees aligned and motivated, but also by strengthening company culture, enhancing transparency, and supporting overall business goals.
Benefits for Employees
An internal newsletter will keep employees in the loop about company news, goals, and achievements. This can make them feel more invested in the company’s success.
When produced regularly, an internal company newsletter will help employees feel connected with their colleagues, especially in large companies or those with remote workers. A good way to do this is to feature employee spotlights and team updates in company news.
Above all else, an internal newsletter can be pivotal in improving internal communications. Well-produced employee newsletters can act as a central hub for important announcements, resources, and company policies. This reduces reliance on overflowing inboxes and ensures everyone has access to the same information.
Benefits for the Company
It’s important to share news about the company, and an internal newsletter can be a powerful tool for promoting company values and building a sense of community. Regular communication through newsletters fosters trust and transparency between leadership and employees.
Additionally, a regular internal newsletter can present important announcements and updates to the right employees, preventing information overload through individual emails. It can also be a great platform to recognize employee achievements and contributions, constantly boosting morale and engagement.
13 Most Efficient Employee Newsletter Best Practices
AH: you can find and include some additional points from the AI Overviews section below.
A well-designed and informative newsletter portrays a professional company image and cultivates pride among employees. Furthermore, employing best practices by using templates and clear writing processes streamlines newsletter creation, saving valuable time for the communication team.
Most importantly, you need to keep the content and whatever you want to communicate interesting. Why should your employees read the email you’re sending them? After all, their inboxes are full of Microsoft and other notifications, meeting invites, and email threads. They don’t care whether it’s a newsletter or a simple announcement.
#1 Craft Clear Subject Lines
Use concise and compelling subject lines that immediately tell employees what the newsletter contains and convince them of its value.
When you’re writing, ask yourself, “What is the benefit the reader will get from this communication?” As an example, if it’s a professional development workshop, then good examples could be “Free professional development workshop,” or “Coffee and conversation with our CFO.” Be creative. Don’t just use the first thought that comes to mind. Make it meaningful and stick within a 40-character max. That way, they aren’t cut off in the preview of the inbox and you’ll stay mobile-friendly.
#2 Cut Down on the Numbers of Emails You Send
It’s not unusual for the average office worker to receive more than 100 internal and external emails in one day. Reducing the number of emails your employees receive makes them less likely to skip over your communications.
Start by looking at your delivery metrics for the best times and weekdays to send your newsletter.
Be aware that sending out newsletters is a good way to cut down on message volumes. Furthermore, it can be a cost-effective channel of asynchronous communication that also saves recipients time.
#3 Personalize Content to Increase Relevance
Tailor the content of your newsletters to the specific interests, roles, and needs of different employee groups. Mass personal communication can significantly enhance engagement and make employees feel valued. This is because it targets a broader audience that shares common interests or characteristics.
Some ideas for personalizing content for newsletters include:
- Highlight employee achievements: Feature success stories and contributions from employees within their respective departments. This fosters a sense of community and recognition.
- Spotlight different teams: Rotate which departments or teams are featured in each newsletter, showcasing their work and accomplishments. This keeps the content fresh and relevant to a wider audience.
- Use employee quotes: Include quotes from employees about company initiatives, projects, or company culture. This adds a personal voice and makes the newsletter more relatable. You can also share customer stories.
- Ask for feedback: Use newsletters as a platform to gather employee feedback and suggestions through surveys or feedback forms.
#4 Reach Employees on Their Preferred Channels
One of the best features of Cerkl Broadcast is that it enables employees to receive internal communications via the channels they prefer.
Employees are bombarded with emails daily and many employees choose not to receive an internal company newsletter via email. Sending newsletters through their preferred channels, like a company intranet platform or a mobile app, reduces clutter in their inboxes and makes the newsletter easier to access. Additionally, employees can access an internal newsletter on their preferred platform at their convenience, increasing the likelihood they’ll read it.
Ultimately, reaching employees on their preferred communication channels shows that the company values their time and preferences. It also shows you understand their communication habits and are tailoring the experience for them. This can lead to higher open rates, better content retention, and a more engaged workforce.
#5 Schedule Regular Newsletter Send-Outs
Establish a consistent schedule for sending out your employee newsletters to maintain regular communication and keep employees informed. Whether it’s monthly, weekly, or bi-weekly, monthly, regularity helps build anticipation and ensures that employees know when to expect important updates.
Regular newsletters keep employees updated on company news, announcements, and developments. In large companies and organizations that employ remote workers, regular newsletters help employees feel connected to their colleagues and company culture.
But there’s a caveat. You need to find the right balance. Sending newsletters too frequently can lead to information overload and disengagement. The ideal frequency depends on the amount of content you have and the preferences of your audience.
#6 Incorporate Multimedia Content
Utilize visuals, videos, infographics, and other multimedia elements to make your newsletters more visually appealing and engaging. Multimedia content can help convey complex information more effectively and capture employees’ attention.
Some more specific advantages of including multimedia content in employee newsletters are that it increases engagement and attention and improves the level of communication. For example, you can use images, infographics, or short videos to break up large blocks of text, making the newsletter more visually appealing and easier to scan. This is especially helpful for busy employees who might skim through content.
#7 Provide Value-Added Resources
Offer valuable resources, such as links to relevant articles, industry insights, training opportunities, or employee benefits updates, to provide additional value to your newsletters. Providing useful resources can help employees feel supported and empowered in their roles.
They can be a particularly useful resource on industry trends, training opportunities, or internal knowledge-sharing articles. This keeps employees engaged and helps them develop professionally.
#8 Plan Your Internal Content Around a Diverse, Distributed Workforce
It stands to reason that it is important to highlight diversity and inclusion initiatives and promote a culture of belonging. After all, the wide diversity of jobs in any one organization indicates that the focus of an internal newsletter needs to be equally diversified. For example, a contractor doesn’t necessarily need updates on employee benefits. The same applies to distribution in terms of where employees are based. A customer service representative from Milwaukee likely won’t be interested in the same material as an IT person working in another country.
Your team should be planning your corporate communications around your workforce. Segmenting by location, job type, interests, and so on will make your email employee click-bait instead of scrolled-past content.
Also, where employees are working from home and in different geographical locations, make sure your delivery plan considers different time zones.
Plan carefully, and personalize as much as you can.
#9 Create a Centralized Employee Communications Experience
There are so many options for internal communicators to consider, it can be overwhelming. That’s why they want to meet their employees where they already are. The need to create content on social media, intranet, employee newsletter, and possibly a mobile app makes sense. But with this many touchpoints, it stands to reason there will be a degree of overlap.
That’s why streamlining your communications is an essential part of creating an engaging employee experience. Why should your employees get your newsletter only to see the same information the moment they log in to the intranet?
If an employee misses communications, make sure there’s an easy way they can search it. A content archive pulls in your website, intranet, app, and video pieces, making one place that’s able to search across all your channels. Just make sure there’s an easy way for them to find newsletters all in one place.
#10 Highlight Employee Achievements and Success Stories
We mentioned the value of including employee achievements in the section on personalizing content for newsletters. It’s essential to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of individual employees or teams within your organization. Sharing success stories boosts morale, fosters a sense of pride, and reinforces a positive company culture.
More specifically, it boosts morale and engagement, improves communication and transparency, and is a source of universal appeal for a distributed workforce.
By highlighting employee achievements, you create a win-win situation. Employees feel valued and motivated, and the company fosters a more positive, engaged, and successful work environment, even for a dispersed workforce.
#11 Conduct Surveys and Polls
It’s useful to periodically survey employees with your newsletters to gather feedback on various aspects of an organization and how it operates. Surveys and polls can provide valuable insights into employee preferences, interests, and areas for improvement.
The ease of access and integration within newsletters can sometimes lead to higher response rates compared to standalone surveys. Employees might be more likely to participate when it’s a quick and easy process.
Additionally, segmenting your newsletter allows you to target specific surveys or polls to relevant employee groups. This ensures you gather more focused and actionable feedback.
#12 Analyze Open and Click-Through Rates
Track metrics such as open rates and click-through rates to gauge how many employees are engaging with your newsletters. High open rates indicate that your subject lines are effective at grabbing attention, while click-through rates indicate interest in the content you’re sharing.
If you want to increase your open rate even more, give your employees the power to select their own delivery time and frequency. Twenty of the emails that you would send could turn into two leaving you with an option to send time-sensitive communications if need be.
A while back, we did some targeted research into the best time and topics for a hospital employee internal newsletter. While topic interest will vary — sometimes substantially — in different industries, this post is a good example of how being on target with topics and timing can improve click-through rates
#13 Consider Design and Engagement
There are several ways that you can do this. For example, you could consider using an email builder to create visually appealing and easy-to-read newsletters. You might also like the idea of making your newsletter interactive. To do this, include interactive elements like quizzes, polls, or links to relevant resources. Encourage social sharing: and make it easy for employees to share the newsletter content on social media.
The reality is that not everyone will read every word of every company newsletter. So, keep it skimmable. Use short paragraphs, bullet points, and visuals to make the newsletter easy to scan. Also, be sure to make it fun. Add a little humor, lighthearted content, or games to make the newsletter more enjoyable.
That’s the easy part. It is also vital to analyze activity.
Monitor click activity and test different approaches to improve engagement. If you track which sections of the newsletter are most popular, you will start to understand employee interests. It really isn’t rocket science!
How Can Cerkl News Digests Help You Maximize Results?
As mentioned earlier, Cerkl Broadcast is an ideal platform for delivering personalized content that is relevant to your audience. It helps you prevent information overload that turns off employees, enabling you to increase employee engagement instead.
The Broadcast News Digest feature will enable you to send communications, including single-page newsletters, and news broadcasts effortlessly. It will also help you manage employee preferences. Additionally, as with all Broadcast channels, the News Digest feature will provide real-time analytics so that you know how employees respond and interact with all your communications.
What’s Next?
We’ve discussed employee newsletter best practices in some detail and highlighted how these can keep employees engaged. We’ve also talked about the importance of having an internal newsletter. If you don’t know much about creating your own employee newsletters, we’ve got you covered. Our free guide for internal communicators enlarges on all these aspects and provides a whole lot more information. It’s the next step in your quest to keep employees engaged, informed, and productive.
FAQ
Newsletters are important for employees because they keep everyone informed about internal news, updates, and events, cultivating a sense of connection and transparency.
An employee newsletter should be concise and skimmable, ideally one to two pages long, but not longer than four, depending on the information you want to share. Think of a printed employee newsletter: these were typically either an A3 page folded to create four A4 pages, or an A4 page printed on both sides. Whatever size you choose, aim for bite-sized pieces of information with easy-to-access links for those who want to delve deeper.
Newsletters are a great communication tool, but not the only one. A good internal communications platform will enable you to incorporate emails and other channels into your strategy. You might want to include town halls and live events for a well-rounded approach.
Newsletters can be tremendously effective as long as they are done well. They offer a centralized information hub and have the potential to be a more engaging way to present news about the company compared to plain email blasts. Most are produced digitally nowadays, rather than printed in the traditional way.
