Email newsletters are a great way to keep in touch with customers and potential customers. The secret to an effective email newsletter is coming up with content that engages subscribers and gets them to open the email newsletter and read it. Here are a few suggestions for coming up with email newsletter content that subscribers will always want to read.

Watch discussions on forums, blogs, and social networking sites to see what people are talking about. What common questions or comments do people have and how can you turn that into an article your readers can use?

Check your stats. Which past email newsletter issues have the highest open rates? What pages on your website get the most traffic? Which blog posts have the most comments? Do your most popular articles have anything in common? You may discover that your audience responds to some topics more than others, or that they like list articles, product reviews or other types of content best.

Jump in to a controversy. No matter what industry or audience you write for, there is always some sort of controversy brewing. Take sides in the controversy and continue the conversation on your blog to get readers involved and commenting. Or just lay out both sides of a controversial issue so readers can decide where they stand. You report, they decide. ;o)

Use lists. People love lists. They are easy to read and comprehend, and can be a valuable resource readers will save for reference.

Review products or services. Reviews give your readers information about products or services they may need. You can help direct them to a good buy, and if you’re an affiliate of the product or services you’re reviewing, you may be able to make a commission on any sales that result. Always be honest in your reviews (never recommend something only in the hopes of earning commissions) and disclose that you are using an affiliate link.

Ask your subscribers what they want to read about. Ask them for questions, what they want to learn and how you can help them. Do a survey, add a question-submission form to your website, or just watch for questions in your email. I sometimes use a question and answer format, where I publish the question a reader asked, followed by my answer. Get permission before using a reader’s name or other identifiable information.

Interesting and unique content doesn’t have to be hard to create. Just look around. What does your audience care about? How can you better help them solve their problems and reach their goals? Give them content they can use and they will be loyal readers for a very long time.