VSP’s EnVision newsletter is designed for scanning

 

Electronic newsletters present communicators with an inordinate number of challenges. Pushed to readers, they ask to be opened and read in the midst of everything else that occupies a reader’s day. If they’re too long, readers give up. If it’s hard to find something interesting or relevant, they hit the delete button. 

Vision Service Plan (VSP) has addressed the challenges of delivering a newsletter people will want to read with a publication that requires little scrolling, is bright and inviting, and is loaded with material that aligns brilliantly with the interests of its subscribers. As a result, VSP’s EnVision newsletter is the winner of the Best Electronic Publication category in Ragan’s 2014 Health Care PR and Marketing Awards.

The ability to scan the newsletter in seconds in order to find material you’re interested in is a top priority, and EnVision pulls this off with clearly labeled, recurring section heads and large table-of-contents-like headlines with calls to action.

For example, under the section heading “Trending Topics,” the kicker “Ask the Eye Doc” precedes the headline “What is pink eye and how can I recognize it?” followed by a button reading “The Doctor Answers,” a clear invitation to click and read. 

The table of contents approach—keeping most of the narrative on a website to which readers can click—keeps the newsletter short and appealing, which helps explain an extraordinary open rate of more than 27 percent—and 40 percent among people who have subscribed for more than six months. Virtually nobody unsubscribes from EnVision, and readers are inspired to share content through social channels at an impressive rate of 1,200 times monthly. The use of imagery seals the deal for EnVision; for example, one infographic achieved a 15 percent click-through rate, leading to 48,000 page views. 

We’re pleased to recognize Kathy Limon, Deanna Mullen, Lauren Coppage, and Joshua Cosico for their outstanding effort.

Want to get recognized for your hard work? Find out about Ragan and PR Daily’s award programs here: http://www.ragan.com/Awards/RaganAwardsPrograms.aspx.