While it’s potentially a good idea to create a company/organization newsletter, there are a number of important questions you should try to answer before you even get started:

1. What purpose would the newsletter serve? Do you want to educate your customers/clients/prospects or stakeholders about your products or services, or are you just looking for a way to keep your name in front of everyone who knows about you?
    
2. Who should receive it? Your business or organization has a number of audiences or stakeholders. Which one(s) would benefit most from receiving this publication… and/or, be most likely to want to read it?
    
3. What will you say? We all receive thousands of messages every day. Will your newsletter have such compelling content (and be so attractively presented) that readers will make the publication a priority – and look forward to receiving it? What value could you provide to them?
    
4. How often would you like to produce it? Do you think you will have enough information to issue a newsletter on a monthly basis… every other month… quarterly… or less frequently than that?
    
5. Do you have sufficient financial and human resources to take on this new project?
    
   1. Who will have overall responsibility to ensure that the newsletter is produced and sent out on a regular basis?
       
   2. Who will make decisions about and provide the content?
       
   3. Who will write the text?
       
   4. Who will design the publication?
       
   5. Who will provide the illustrations, including photographs?
       
   6. Who will proofread it?
       
   7. Will existing staff produce the newsletter… will you need to hire additional people… or will you have to find an outside contractor?
       
6. How will the newsletter be “delivered”? Do you have sufficient finances to print and mail it… or will you send it out electronically? Do you have a complete and up-to-date “snail mail” or email list?

    If you can provide complete and concrete answers to the questions I just posed, then you will be able to make an informed decision about the advisability of embarking on this type of project.