Stress-Free Newsletters: A Tailored Solution for Words in the Wild
Company: Words in the Wild
Role: Communications & Marketing Advisor
Problem: When Words in the Wild realized their newsletters were falling by the wayside, they knew they were missing an opportunity to connect with their community. With limited time and no dedicated marketing staff, they needed a solution to make newsletters effortless yet impactful.
Solution: To make newsletter creation simple and stress-free, I:
- Developed a yearly calendar of monthly themes tailored to their audience.
- Created a “menu” of sections for staff to mix and match, reducing decision fatigue.
- Designed a customizable Mailchimp template to ensure brand consistency and save time.
Tools Used: Google Workspace, Mailchimp
Deeper Dive:
When I first connected with the staff at Words in the Wild, it was clear their challenge wasn’t a lack of enthusiasm. Everyone understood the importance of a monthly newsletter to stay connected with their audience of teachers and local families. But with no dedicated marketing person and limited time, the process of brainstorming content and assembling a newsletter felt overwhelming.
My approach focused on eliminating these barriers by giving them tools and a clear structure:
1. Yearly Themes & Topics: I developed a full year of suggested themes and topics, ensuring the content would resonate with their audience while staying relevant to their mission.
2. Menu of Sections: To make newsletters more approachable, I created a mix-and-match “menu” of newsletter sections. These included permanent sections for consistency and rotating sections to keep content fresh and adaptable to their needs.
Permanent Sections
- Short opening letter from the executive director to introduce the monthly theme
- Program spotlight highlighting their impactful work
- Donation request with flexible formatting options based on timing and goals
Rotating Sections
- Student work
- Staff spotlight
- Teaching resources linked to their blog
- Event highlights (upcoming or past)
- Registration announcements
- Family support resources
- Book recommendations
- Local recommendations for parks, museums, or nature spaces
3. Robust Mailchimp Template: Finally, I designed a user-friendly template within Mailchimp, ensuring brand consistency while allowing staff creative flexibility. This template was ready for quick updates, so staff could focus on content rather than formatting.
By creating a structure that was easy to use and providing tools tailored to their workflow, I turned what once felt like a daunting task into an achievable and even enjoyable process.
The Results:
The results have been transformative. Not only is Words in the Wild consistently sending out monthly newsletters, but the process has become so seamless that they’ve begun experimenting with their own creative ideas. Staff report feeling empowered by the flexible structure, and the organization has seen increased engagement with their emails, helping them strengthen ties with families and supporters.