Back in my old newspaper days, when I was working on a daily morning publication, l lived by deadlines.
There was the deadline for getting news stories to the news editor.
The deadline for laying out the first page.
The deadline for editing the articles.
And the deadline for getting the paper to press.
And then…there was the second edition, which had a deadline 90 minutes later.
(Can you believe it, but we used to go to the pub between editions. Would never happen now.)
Marketing copywriter John Carlton calls deadlines the world’s greatest invention, because without them nothing would ever get done.
I think he’s right.
Let’s face it, unless you have some pressing, in-your-face deadline, it’s easy-peasy to put off what you have to do until tomorrow.
That’s why we operate to deadlines at RTG Towers.
Indeed, today – being the 15th of the month – is the daddy of all deadlines, because it’s when we make the newsletters available to our clients. But it’s only the final deadline – we have a series of deadlines that stretch back over a month to make sure that everyone does what they need to do in time. If someone misses a deadline, the effect ripples down the entire chain. Too many missed deadlines and it would be utter chaos.
That’s why most reporters and editors know that deadlines are sacrosanct.
You just don’t break them.
Ever.
Now…when it comes to sending out your own newsletter, no external deadlines exist.
If you don’t send it, no one comes and gives you a kick.
It just means you lose out on potential business.
That’s why it helps to put a deadline in your calendar. Say, that by the 2nd of the month you must send out your email newsletter or get the file to the printer.
Make a big, red note in your agenda that says deadline. Do not cross!
As today is 15th of the month and our big-daddy deadline, now is a great time to join our newsletter service.
If you move on it today, by Monday you should have November’s and December’s newsletters to use during your free trial.
Now that’s what I call a deadline too good to miss.