Newsletters and Mailing Lists Explained

By Staff

It is a common misconception that both a mailing list and a newsletter are the same thing or at least that they are so similar that it isn't worth discussing the differences. In fact, there are profound differences between both approaches that are important to understand before you begin collecting email addresses from your visitors.

The Newsletter

A newsletter involves one person sending an email to all members that have signed up for it. A limited number of newsletters can be sent out as a series of emails from the time the visitor signs up, but the more common and effective way of utilizing a newsletter is to send them out consistently. It is recommended that you send out at least one newsletter a month.

How to make it Succeed
The more effective approach to a newsletter in sending one every month or every week requires unfailing commitment to be valuable. Futhermore, the content should always be unique and original and the newsletter should always be emailed to every member on the same day everytime.

The Benefits
When a newsletter is done successfully, you will see a significant amount of return visitors to your website. This means that you will need to consistently continue offering something new on your website that is not in the newsletter in order to keep your members interested in returning to your website. A strong grasp of the focus of your website voiced through a newsletter is a great way to establish a trusting relationship with your visitors.

Who should do this?
A newsletter is made for people with strong opinions and/or solid knowledge of their website's topic.

The Mailing List

A mailing list allows anyone that has signed up for the mailing list the ability to send an email to everyone on the mailing list. More advanced mailing lists feature different levels of membership which usually means basic members can only receive email, but advance members can both send and receive email.

How to make it Succeed
While a mailing list doesn't require an expert base of knowledge like a newsletter that does not mean that you can just let it run on auto-pilot. Moderating the information that is transmitted between members is the most time consuming and possibly the most important part of running a mailing list. The other significant challenge is simply encouraging members to contribute by sending emails.

The Benefits
The obvious benefit of a mailing list is that you don't have to be an expert to run one for your website. In fact, only basic knowledge is really required. However, a strong base of knowledge is useful to get discussion between other members started. As you may have guessed already, the strength of a mailing list is that your members instead of just developing a relationship with you end up creating a virtual community. So while getting a mailing list going can be more difficult than writing a newsletter, it does mean that once its running smoothly that you aren't going to be limited to attracting people that are only compatible with yourself.

Who should do this?
A mailing list is made for people with strong people skills and flexible personalities in order to ensure that discussion doesn't get stuck in a "my opinion" vs "your opinion" state of affairs.

The Facts

Both a mailing list and a newsletter are excellent ways of ensuring that you have a steady stream of meaningful visitors coming back to your website. While a mailing list doesn't guarantee you will create a strong relationship between you and your visitors like a newsletter, they both will build trust between your website and your visitors. As far as time commitment is concerned, initially a mailing list will be equivalent to that of a newsletter since you'll likely have to do a lot of writing yourself to encourage others to write as well. As your mailing list grows it will likely require significantly less writing on your part, but much more moderation should you choose to do so. (Some form of moderation is recommended) In the end, if you can make time for them, a mailing list or a newsletter can both be a great asset to your website and either one is an easy way to build trust with your visitors.