Why We Still Send Out a Printed Newsletter

by Jim Elliott, President James G. Elliott Co., Inc.

October 27, 2021

Recently, a media company CEO asked me why we go to the expense of printing and mailing thousands of copies of my company’s quarterly newsletter, Ads&IDEAS®.  I asked him how he knows we send them out. He said, “well, I read it.” Then I asked him how many other printed newsletters he reads.  His response?  “None.” Our first-class mailings cut through the clutter and make an impression. 

Yes, digital communications are much faster and cheaper.  Of course, we use them too, depending on the job to be done.  But open rates are low for most digital newsletters and blogs, and busy people often delete dozens of emails at a time without ever seeing anything but the subject line.  When it’s important that our companies be noticed, we send a physical object.

It’s kind of like a handwritten note.  When you receive a handwritten note, doesn’t it stand out compared to an email?  Most people get so few that they notice each one.

You might be surprised how often I meet with someone in the industry who will recognize me from my picture in the newsletter.  It’s even more gratifying when that person reaches into a desk drawer and pulls out the latest issue or I see it pinned to their bulletin board.

We post our newsletters on our website, adsandideas.com, at the same time we mail them.  If you would like to be notified by email when our new issues are ready, please “subscribe” on this site.