Posted in Email Marketing Tips	March 14, 2007

More attention to detail would help improve the reader experience and lift response.

By Jeanne S. Jennings, Contributing Editor, Mequoda Group LLC

Note: This is the executive summary of the FDAnews Daily International Pharma Alert: Email Newsletter Review, which can be found at the Mequoda Library with free access for 30-days.

Many years ago my father bought a boat and was soliciting ideas for names. My brother jokingly suggested “Drug Money,” not because my father was into anything seedy, but because he had spent his entire career in the pharmaceutical industry, which was lucrative enough to allow him this splurge.

FDAnews is also keenly aware of the revenue opportunities inherent in the world of pharmaceuticals and is leveraging them with a stable of free email newsletters, one of them recently analyzed by the Mequoda Research Team.

The Daily International Pharma Alert is a free email newsletter published by FDAnews. It’s one of seven free emails they offer and it promises to deliver “Daily pharmaceutical news affecting companies around the world.”

There is much to like about the newsletter:

• The from line is used very effectively.
• It does a good job of supporting the business goals.
• FDAnews includes a word-of-mouth call to action to help grow their list.

A few other things could be improved upon:

• A table of contents would help readers quickly identify articles of interest.
• An opening paragraph would give the newsletter a more personable feel.
• Shifting the ad spaces so they don’t overload the preview pane would make it more engaging.

Bottom line: Daily International Pharma Alert is a study in extremes. On the Mequoda Email Newsletter Scorecard it earned four A’s but also an F and a D. A little more attention to some small details will help improve the reader experience and should lift response.

Read the full FDAnews Daily International Pharma Alert Email Newsletter Review to learn why FDAnews’ email newsletter is excelling in most areas and struggling in others. Also, check out our full FDAnews Mequoda case study.

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