Should You Have a Company Newsletter?Weighing the benefits, pitfalls, and best practices for internal newsletters | September 2026

Studies show that about 80% of employees say they miss out on important company news. One solution might be to launch, if you haven't already, a newsletter that informs, educates, and keeps the team up to date. Another might be to leverage other channels such as news posts on an Intranet site, or Viva Engage Community site. In this blog post, we explore and provide you with some insight for you to make the final decision. I am a fan of newsletters, since they are pushed vs. pulled and can cover what you want, when you want, and to whom you want and it may even reduce the abundance of emails most receive.

The Case For a Newsletter

When done well, a newsletter can be one of the most well received communications, and here's why :

•      Keeps everyone informed. As long as employees have access to email or other channel from which to receive the newsletter, it can be a powerful partner.

•      Reduces communication overload. As stated above, instead of five separate emails, a newsletter combines the information into one piece — reducing inbox noise.

•      Enhances company culture and increases engagement. Newsletter content such as employee spotlights, milestone recognition, and stories that reflect company values and successes help employees feel included, connected and cheering for more success.

So You've Already Had a Newsletter?

Like any solid communications strategy - whether internal for employees or external for customers, the press, or other stakeholders, your newsletter must contain a clear editorial strategy:

•      Clearly defined sections:  From the start, it's important to let the audience know how often you will be publishing (it's ok to say periodic, but don't overpromise), and what the feature sections will be. These should be as broad as possible so you don't have to keep switching them. For example, Employee Success Stories, Sales Updates, Organization Announcements, Recognition, New Hires and Promotions, Tech Talk, HR Updates and the like. This depends on the organization, but the overriding component that will make it valuable is to publish consistently.

•     Length and format. Research consistently shows shorter newsletters perform better. Aim for 300–500 words — about a 2–3 minute read for each article/feature.

•      Planning. Have a solid plan for gathering content (invite employees to submit content), planning the frequency, the delivery channel, and the audience. You may only want a newsletter for a specific audience such as sales, or for the whole company. Decide and socialize all of this upfront to make the newsletter as credible and well read as possible.

Is a Newsletter Right for Your Organization?

A newsletter is likely a good fit if:

•      Your workforce is distributed, remote, or hybrid

•      You have a consistent volume of news and updates to share regularly

•      Existing channels are fragmented and employees are missing key updates

•      Leadership is committed to transparency and organizational storytelling

A newsletter may NOT be the right channel if:

•      Your org is small enough for managers to relay news directly

•      You lack enough content to sustain regular publishing without padding

•      Your workforce is primarily deskless or field-based with limited email access

•      A high-performing intranet already covers the same ground

Some Additional Best Practices

•      Write for relevance, telling a story. Should read like a story but one that recognizes audience time constraints.

•      Keep the content short and linkable. Use clear headings, meta tags, and short paragraphs. Design for the scanner, not the deep reader.

•      Make it personal. Use a consistent voice and include employee recognition and stories.

•      Measure what matters. Track open and click rates, and run pulse surveys to gauge understanding and relevance.

The Bottom Line

Should you have a company newsletter? We think so, but it surely depends on several that only you and your team know for sure. You may even want to start with a pilot issue or two, sending it to a section of the population - those that would not hesitate to give feedback. Sort of like a newsletter "focus group".

Want to chat about it with us? Get in touch for a complimentary consultation with Custom Writing & Editing. Call us at: (561) 613-7901 or via email to: greatcommunications@yahoo.com.