AARP Reinvents Its Member Newsletters

ecently AARP began making over its member newsletters, which are customized and distributed in each of the fifty states, along with Washington, D.C., the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. We’ve been editing and producing these newsletters for the past year and a half, and have learned our share of lessons about what works and what falls short.

The goal of the cover story, says Pete Wiley, manager for AARP state member communications, “should be to draw an uninterested member” into a newsletter “in a few seconds.”

Based on AARP’s revamped model, here are guidelines that will help any organization craft a sharper, more sophisticated publication.

• Focus on hard news, not staff picnics. Readers are eager to learn about the ways in which often complex legislation affects them. The redesigned newsletter presents concise stories with digestible facts on long-term care legislation, tax breaks, and various programs for low- and moderate-income residents. Most important, the stories conclude with calls-to-action, including Web links, e-mail addresses, and phone numbers that members can use to learn more.
• Use quotes, and conduct interviews with third-party experts—not internal staff. If Republican and Democratic legislators have cooperated on a bill to improve long-term care,.....