1. E-Newsletters or Print? Let’s Ask U of M Alumni Susan Diekman

2. Research Question  Are there best practices for higher education e- newsletters?

3. I wanted to know…  Does reading eNews affect the likelihood of readers reading other university publications?  Are the best practices for eNews the same as for corporate e-newsletters?

4. Corporate E-Newsletter Best Practices  300-400 word stories  5-7 stories per issue  Choose relevant stories

5. Stanford E-Newsletter Study  92% of readers who expressed interest in and satisfaction with the story selections gave the Stanford e-newsletter an overall excellent rating.

6. Corporate E-Newsletter Best Practices  Distribute 1-2 times per month  Archive back issues on Web site  Use to compliment Web and print publications

7. Research Methodology  Pilot survey sent to 49 U of M staff  25-question survey sent to 1,036 readers  Response rate 24%

8. eNews Story Length (300-400 words)  They are just right (73%)

9. Number of eNews Stories (7-9)  There are just the right amount (73%)

10. eNews Content Preferences  University research (179)  Public events (133)  Practical tips (116)  Administrative news (112)  Legislative news (111)

11. eNews Distribution Frequency  The way it is now: twice a month (52%)  Less frequently: once a month (33%)

12. Viewed Past Issues on the Web?  Yes (26%)  No (63%)  Don’t know (11%)

13. Reading eNews does not affect reading of other communications  Minnesota magazine (63%)  M newspaper (40%)  Web (69%)

14. Best practices for eNews and Corporate E-newsletters  300-400 word stories  Choose relevant stories  Distribute 1-2 times per month  Use to compliment other communications

15. eNews Research Differences  7-9 stories per issue  Do not archive past issues on Web site

16. Are there best practices for higher education e-newsletters?  Yes

17. Questions?