A Holiday Wish from The Newsletter Factory

We wish you luck,
we wish you cheer,
we wish you good health, peace and joy
throughout the year.

When the season is behind us
and we’re back to work again
we’ll do our best to make success
your most reliable trend.

Our writers and designers,
and production people too,
will really strive to make ’11,
a happy year for you.

Best Wishes for a Joyous Holiday Season from Everyone at The Newsletter Factory

Avoid Cliches By Hook or By Crook

Whether a newsletter or the latest page-turner topping the bestseller charts, people prefer reading something fresh and inventive. In Patricia O'Conner's grammar guide for the grammarphobic, "Woe Is I," the author writes: "Tallulah Bankhead once described herself as 'pure as the driven slush.' And bankruptcy has been called 'a fate worse than debt.' We smile at expressions like these because we're braced for the numbing cliché that fails to arrive."

Writers of newsletter articles face additional obstacles with industry-specific jargon that tends to pepper the prose of corporate communications. Which is fine if you're writing to other like-minded eggheads in a story that's all "wires and pliers," but sometimes newsletters target readers of all experience levels and even of different industries.

Newsletters often serve specific business purposes, but they can and should still be "good reads." Keeping the "moving forwards," "value-addeds," and "ramping-ups" to a minimum will freshen up your copy and pay a compliment to the intelligence of your readers. Although it's difficult, try to imagine new ways to say the things your boss has been telling you for years.

Keep Your Paragraphs Short and Don’t Overstate Your Point

If you break up a single paragraph, say, 11 lines long into approximately three separate paragraphs, the chunk of text won’t look so impassable when the reader gives it his or her first quick glance (and it will be quick, so don’t scare them away by making it look like they need the mental readiness for “War and Peace”).

While you want your paragraphs short and sweet, they also most flow nicely into one another. If you express a simple idea in one paragraph, as well as one thought per sentence, there is no need to find alternate ways to say the same thing. A common practice is to make a point then restate it in someone else’s words. In a newsletter, space is tight, your writing should be, too.

Suggested Editorial Content

Internal and external newsletters serve different purposes. Providing a good mix of articles from the topics listed below will ensure your newsletter is a hit with employees, clients or customers.

Message from the president (editor, sales manager, etc.)
Profile training programs
Company activities articles and photos
Community involvement and awards/volunteer opportunities
Focus column on departments
Company history
Calendar of industry events in your region or across the country
Ongoing glossary of industry terms
Descriptions of career paths and internships in your field
Company appearances at trade shows/conventions
Non-competing resource list
Spotlight articles on associations that represent your industry
Environmental or recycling changes made by your firm
Profile of a subscriber or partner
Profile of a customer
Profile new employees or new departments
Behind the scenes spotlight
Resource list, i.e. Web sites, white papers or training opportunities
“Winner Circle” to recognize the success of customers
Industry trends spotlighting something new
Reader survey with subscribers input posted in subsequent issues
Conference coverage reporting noteworthy conference sessions
Testimonials from customers
Quiz game or trivia game with prizes awarded for correct answer
Editorials on the state of the industry from “big names” in the field
Technological updates in your field
Books by and about your field
Cartoons or customized comic strips

Getting Your Newsletter Past the Gatekeepers and Into Your Readers’ Hands

Although internal and external newsletters have differing communication goals, they share the common goal of getting into the intended reader’s hands. Before you design your newsletter, determine how the piece will be distributed. (See “Does Your Means of Newsletter Distribution Fit Your Newsletter’s Purpose?” on our website’s articles page.) Subtle design nuances associated with each method of distribution can make the difference between your publication making its way to the desired audience or ending up in the trash.

Gatekeepers abound in every business. Secretaries weed out “junk” mail, cleaning people remove excess paper from break rooms, and mailroom clerks route incoming mail to appropriate departments and often make judgments on its importance. Having your newsletter stand out above the clutter involves more than high-impact editorial content; it also requires a look that tells the gatekeeper “I am important, pass me along.” The following are a few suggestions that may help expedite the delivery of your next publication.

Design Self Mailers Carefully for a Higher Pass-Along Rate

Newsletters designed as self-mailers generally receive higher pass-through rates because they have no envelope barrier and receive no competition from separate enclosures. The name and address of the intended recipient is printed directly on the piece, eliminating the possibility of mishandling in the mailroom. Routing boxes placed on the mail panel may even increase readership, as they indicate that the newsletter should be passed along to others who may benefit from reading it, suggesting added value to the recipient.

You can design a self-mailer to be sent either flat or folded. Newsletters weighing up to 3.3 ounces and folded down to 8-1/2 inches by 5-1/2 inches can be mailed first- or third-class for the same rate as a piece in an envelope. Yet the odd size has a tendency to differentiate the piece from stacks of mail that we all get every day. If you are able to budget more for postage, newsletters mailed flat are even more eye catching and tend to have an even greater response rate than those that are mailed folded.

Flag the Envelope to Help Ensure Delivery to Your Readers

Self-mailers are not always appropriate. If your newsletter contains sensitive information that you don’t want everyone along the way to read, or if you must include more than one item in your mailing, an envelope may be needed. In those cases, try putting “flags” on the envelope, such as “Personal and confidential,” “Your subscription enclosed,” or “Dated material inside” to convey the message that the addressee requested and is even expecting the mailer. If possible, print the flag in a different color from the rest of the envelope to help grab the attention of the gatekeeper and final recipient.

Create Internal Pieces that Catch the Eye

If your newsletter is distributed to employees through internal mail systems or in common areas, such as break rooms, your challenge involves making the newsletter intriguing enough to draw attention. Considerations of size for postage rates and mail panel designs that will elicit delivery are not necessary. Instead, you should emphasize the nameplate and actual size.

Tabloid designs are extremely effective for this type of newsletter because they look more like a newspaper’s format, and people are trained to look through newspapers for important information. Nameplates that incorporate unusual shapes, such as sweeps and oddly shaped letters, will enable the publication to take on an identity of its own and separate itself from other company literature.

“Getting past the gatekeeper” is a game that people have been playing for decades. No matter which form of distribution you choose, you should design your newsletter for maximum impact. Taking the time initially to brainstorm ways to increase readership will strengthen the effectiveness of the communication goals you set for your publication.

Increase Readability by Using White Space Effectively

You’ll enhance the effectiveness and beauty of your newsletter when you correctly balance copy and visual elements with white, or empty space.

By adding white space, you open up your pages, making them easier to read. Used as a frame, white space also makes photos, Illustrations and other visual elements more attention grabbing.

So avoid the temptation to fill up every empty area with copy or other design elements. Boost your newsletter’s effectiveness by using white space to add spaciousness and minimize clutter.

Newsletters — Get Results and Get Through the Gatekeeper

Improve Your Results with the Eight Secrets of Successful Marketing Newsletters

An effective marketing newsletter generates a positive response from readers, enhances your organization's image and, above all, boosts your organization's bottom line.

To ensure that your publication accomplishes all three goals, follow these basic guidelines:

Educate and Inform
Provide readers with information that helps them make sound decisions. Talk is cheap — education has value.

Avoid Fluff and Nonsense
Factual information wins customers' confidence and respect, which in turn encourages repeat business. Yet each fact you include should support your newsletter's underlying marketing goal.

Emphasize the Benefits to Your Readers
Readers will care more about the information in your newsletter when they see a benefit. For example, stories about how specific customers save money or solve difficult problems will move readers more than simply reporting that a new feature "is more cost effective" or describing the increased stress tolerance of a new manufacturing device. Including a photo of a customer will help readers identify with the message even more.

Target Features to Reader Interests
In addition to increasing the publication's appeal, such features help build credibility for your newsletter by demonstrating a willingness to address "hot topics" or immediate concerns. You can identify appropriate topics by asking salespeople what objections they encounter most frequently, listing concerns that customers have expressed, and reading letters to the editor in other industry publications.

Practice Moderation with Personnel Stories
A photo and a couple of paragraphs will help readers "get to know" the people who make up your organization. After that, you're probably wasting space that would be better devoted to information that is more practical.

Create Designs and Layouts Appropriate for Your Industry
Above all, make sure your newsletter is accurate and easy to read. Remember, you're trying to convey information effectively, not create an artistic masterpiece.

Don't Combine Your Marketing and In-House Newsletters to Hold Down Budget
Just as a "man can't serve two masters," a newsletter can't effectively accomplish two such different goals. If you can't afford both types of newsletters, just do the marketing publication. When your marketing newsletter succeeds, you'll probably get the money you need for the internal version.

Six Editorial Elements that Generate Results

Like any successful project, a newsletter is a collection of small details that add up to a whole greater than the sum of seemingly simple parts. Often the hardest part is to decide what to include in the newsletter. If it contains only pictures of employees, praise for your company, and details of interest only to your staff, you probably are wasting every penny spent on the project.

Here are six types of stories that can benefit your company, while keeping the interest of your reader. The rules work whether the publication is aimed at your customers or your in-house employees.

Hard news
This is the key to making your newsletter seem to be more than advertising. Hard news must be of real value to the reader. Include items that are new and of interest to the reader and your industry. Look at the front page of your local newspaper for examples.

Features
These articles constitute an in-depth look at a particular product, problem, or situation—any topic that appeals directly to the reader-as-customer. Features tell a story—rather than being “the news,” they are about the news.

Editorials
Not only do opinion pieces unabashedly share your ideas and rally others to your point of view, they also contrast with the “news” articles, giving them credibility. Make sure editorials are attributed to one or a specific group of individuals, not the entire company. Ask for feedback on opinions expressed in these stories.

Regular columns
More informational (think Q&A or process descriptions) than hard news or feature stories. Under the byline of an expert in your company, columns work two ways: by giving the readers information that you want them to have and by making the company columnist an expert simply by presenting him or her as one.

Advertising
Advertising lends credibility to the rest of the newsletter. If you want to introduce a new product, for instance, you can use an ad to make sure it is noticed, and also do a straight news or feature article about the product. When compared to the advertisement, it seems more believable.

Letters to the Editor
Feedback such as letters to the editor demonstrates your responsiveness to the readership. You can respond to complaints with frankness. Also, letters to the editor offer an opportunity to solve problems and lend another note of credibility to the rest of the newsletter’s content.

Increase Readership With Effective Mailing Panels

Your newsletter faces a crucial moment when it’s made it through the mail and onto your reader’s desk. It will only get opened if the recipient recognizes your name, the publication, or your company and the value that your publication offers.

You can use this moment to entice your reader into the newsletter by utilizing your mailing panel. Shrink your nameplate and position it at the top of you’re address or mailing panel.

Are Your Pages Crammed?

Visually appealing newsletters maintain a good balance of white space and other elements. By loading your pages with copy and graphics, you risk losing readers’ attention, as well as creating and ineffective page. If an entire page is covered with text and graphics, readers have no focal point. As such, a lack of white space creates a visually unappealing, difficult-to-read page.

So avoid filling space for the sale of doing so — your newsletter will be much more effective if you balance your copy and graphics with a liberal dose of white space.

To set off headlines from body copy, use a font and point size different from body copy, as well as adequate space (known as leading) between the headline, tagline and story. In addition, make subheads distinguishable by using a font and point size different from the main headline.

White space can often “open up” your page and help define other elements by creating areas of visual emphasis. Sometimes a vertical border can create additional white space, as well as draw readers directly to a photo or graphic.

By carefully choosing a photo’s placement and size, you can let readers know the photo is the center piece and focal point of the page.

In addition, by using a vertical orientation, single-column format, a sidebar can take on it’s own appearance and does not “compete” with other text or graphic elements.

Defining Your External Publication Needs

Newsletters serve vital functions that set them apart from other forms of marketing or advertising. Because they’re perceived as news, external and internal newsletters are cost-effective tools that can help you strengthen and advance your company’s communication goals. Following are some questions to help you get started by defining your external publication needs.

What are the goals of this newsletter?

What will the newsletter promote?

What features and benefits will influence the reader?

How and where do you find new customers now?

How do you retain customers?

How does your competition approach marketing? What competitive advantages exist?

What department will be involved in creating the newsletter?

What approvals are required for articles and regular columns?

Who will take responsibility for final sign off of your newsletter?

Use Standing Columns for a Consistent Look

Standing columns repeat each issue, cover a single topic, and are placed in the same position (page, placement on page, etc.) By using standing columns, you’ll have an idea what articles you or your staff or volunteers will need to research and write for each issue. Some examples of standing columns include:

Table of contents
News briefs
Letters to the editor
Announcements (new hires, promotions, departures, retirements)
Calendar highlighting upcoming events
Editorials
President’s column
Regular columnists

Keep in mind that the more standing columns you choose, the less layout flexibility you’ll have with each issue. However, you may find this actually speeds the design stage of production as standing columns provide useful format guides.

Proofreaders Marks

To download a list
of proofreaders marks
click here.

Use Pull Quotes Effectively

Since many more members of your audience actually read pull quotes than read entire articles, use them as design elements to help achieve the greatest impact while also jazzing up your publication's overall design.

Pull quotes are quotes from the article that appear on the page in a different size, typeface and/or color. You can use either a verbatim quote or an edited version.

Choose an important part of the article to use as a pull quote. That way, scanners (readers who skim your newsletter) will pick up useful information and may even be enticed into reading the article itself.

Pull quotes often effectively relieve a gray, text-heavy page and balance a graphic element.

Proofreading Checklist

Use this handy checklist
to make sure your publication
gets done right.

Download this PDF and other
helpful tools here.

Boost Newsletter Readership and Company Sales: Maximize Your Newsletter’s Impact by Using a Variety of Marketing Tools

If you produce an external newsletter, you already know how it helps you achieve your communication and marketing goals. Your newsletter fosters a sense of stability and commitment among your current and prospective customers, while providing them with timely and helpful information.

Of course, the long-term success of your publication (and company) usually depends on your ability to establish and maintain your presence through other marketing and communications means. Your newsletter represents an important supporting element of your overall sales and marketing strategy.

Tying in your newsletter with other collateral materials serves several other often-overlooked sales and marketing functions. This practice:
• Increases name and product recognition;
• Enhances your image as a professional organization;
• Keeps your organization at the forefront of clients’ and customers’ consciousness; and
• Promotes long-term loyalty.

By using a strong media mix, you’ll appeal to a broader range of potential new customers. You can choose from a wide variety of supplementary materials. Some will complement your newsletter’s role as a sales tool, while others will prove equally effective on their own.

All should help bolster your company’s image and achieve your marketing goals.

Brochures

Brochures that showcase a particular product or service are powerful marketing tools that will increase the value and recognition of the product, while reinforcing the value of your company and its capabilities. Depending on your industry, a brochure can also help you create or maintain consistency with the messages you’re sending to clients and customers in your newsletter.

For example, a car dealership can benefit greatly by producing a newsletter to highlight the benefits of buying its cars, and how the dealership can work with customers before, during and after the sale. Supplementary brochures could then provide details on specific product information and model specifications. Such an approach will help cultivate a more personal ongoing relationship between the dealership and buyers.

Seminars

In-house seminars can serve as a low-cost mechanism for delivering important information to clients and prospects. Start by determining (via your customer service or sales staff) areas of particular interest and/or concern to existing or potential customers or clients that would make interesting and informative seminar topics. Next, evaluate your in-house resources. This includes the staff member(s) best suited to lead the seminar and any other materials that will provide seminar attendees with the best understanding. You might consider inviting guest presenters from a non-competitive vendor.

After establishing these criteria, determine how much time you’ll need (usually a half-day or one work day) and solicit attendees from six weeks to two months in advance, perhaps via a notice in your newsletter.

It’s crucial to remember that, while a seminar can act as an invaluable tool for establishing yourself as an expert (and perhaps generating new business), it only benefits you as much as the knowledge you provide benefits attendees. In other words, don’t hold a seminar just for the sake of doing so — make sure it will be worth your attendee’s time.

Website

Your website gives potential clients a first look at your company and its products or services. Your site also gives many clients or customers their first impression of your company. As more and more companies create and grow their Web sites, their competitors — which may include you — need to make sure their own sites are current with regard to both content and design, informative to the client or customer, and that the look is in keeping with the personality of the company.

A website is also an ideal tie-in tool for your newsletter. By putting your newsletter on your website, you’ll give the newsletter a geographically boundless base of readers. Thus, you’ll increase your newsletter’s strength as a marketing tool.

And the reverse also applies: to get more traffic on your website, put your URL on your newsletter. This will compel your readers to check out your site and learn more about your company’s history, products and services.

Company Pocket Folder

This tool can often put your company above the competition by providing a detailed description of your products and services. You could include detailed paragraphs or pages for prospects, and more personalized information for existing clients who might not be aware of some of your capabilities. Taking the time to showcase your
products in this manner will also show clients and customers that your company takes great pride in its services and products. And by including a copy of the most recent issue of your newsletter in the folder, you also increase your clients’ interest in receiving more timely information about your company.

Business Reply Cards (BRCs)

BRCs usually serve as response mechanisms. From a marketing standpoint, reply cards serve another important function: if they’re strategically designed, BRCs can serve as a graphic reinforcement of your company’s message or product — again, increasing name recognition. They’ll also help you capture reader input and other valuable information that will help you improve your newsletter and mailing list.

In today’s highly competitive marketplace you must look beyond traditional marketing methods and provide customers with a variety of marketing materials to maximize your success and response level. Carefully executed newsletters, brochures, seminars, pocket folders, website and BRCs will generate business, and help you maintain your presence in an ever-changing business world.

Your Message, Delivered Your Way

That level of control is rarely possible if you use press releases or interviews to deal with the traditional media. In addition, because newsletters are perceived as having news value, they have the ability to bypass gatekeepers such as secretaries and assistants who screen out "junk mail." A regular publication builds awareness of your company or brand. Individuals may miss advertisements or interviews, but they'll look forward to the latest issue of your newsletter.

Newsletters enable your business to grow successfully:

Externals Newsletters
Increase name recognition
Enhance an organization’s image
Promote customer’s loyalty
Create opportunities for expansion
Generate continual feedback from customers

Internal newsletters
Promote teamwork
Increase productivity
Support training initiatives
Involve employees in organizational activities
Pave the way for new policies

Why a Newsletter?

Control
Your messages, delivered your way. That level of control is rarely possible if you use press releases or interviews to deal with the traditional media. A newsletter means the subjects, tone, and emphasis are handled according to your wishes.

Credibility
Do you rely mostly on advertising to build your business? What about people who ignore ads or read them with a particularly cynical eye? The newsletter format boosts your credibility by avoiding the appearance of a sales pitch. In addition, because newsletters are perceived as having news value, they have the ability to bypass gatekeepers such as secretaries and assistants who screen out "junk mail."

Consistency
A regular publication builds awareness of your company or brand. Individuals may miss advertisements or interviews, but they'll look forward to the latest issue of your newsletter.

Use Standing Columns for a Consistent Look

Standing columns repeat each issue, cover a single topic, and are placed in the same position (page, placement on page, etc.) By using standing columns, you’ll have an idea what articles you or your staff or volunteers will need to research and write for each issue. Some examples of standing columns include:

• Table of contents
• News briefs
• Letters to the editor
• Announcements (new hires, promotions, departures, retirements)
• Calendar highlighting upcoming events
• Editorials
• President’s column
• Regular columnists

Keep in mind that the more standing columns you choose, the less layout flexibility you’ll have with each issue. However, you may find this actually speeds the design stage of production as standing columns provide useful format guides.

Increase Readability by Using White Space Effectively

You’ll enhance the effectiveness and beauty of your newsletter when you correctly balance copy and visual elements with white, or empty space.

By adding white space, you open up your pages, making them easier to read. Used as a frame, white space also makes photos, Illustrations and other visual elements more attention grabbing.

So avoid the temptation to fill up every empty area with copy or other design elements. Boost your newsletter’s effectiveness by using white space to add spaciousness and minimize clutter.

Customer Loyalty Building Is Powerful and Informative Newsletters Can Be the Most Powerful Tool In Your Sales Toolbox

"A good newsletter keeps you in front of your customers, adds value to your services, establishes your expertise and credibility, and saves you valuable selling time," says Elaine Floyd, author, speaker and newsletter expert extraordinaire.

• Do you have good customers you'd like to stay in touch with without interrupting them with phone calls or visits?

• Is your product or service line changing quickly?

• Do some of your best customers not know about your latest product offerings and how each one benefits them? Or have you heard your customers say, "I didn't know you did that?"

• Do your customers like hearing stories of businesses similar to theirs and how they've been successful?

• Can you share information that saves your customer's time and money, helps them get more business or prepares them for the future?

If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you needed a newsletter yesterday.

TOP 10 Reasons You Should Have a Newsletter

Happy clients and satisfied customers convey that message to their friends and business associates, and that presents a good image for YOU. Because newsletters generally are read by many more people than just those who initially receive them, your good image will be widespread.

A newsletter:

1) Is the most effective, most attractive way of getting your message to your current and potential clients.

2) Provides valuable information about your business and services.

3) Are relevant, timely and welcome, and remind your clients that you are concerned about their interests.

4) Restate the benefits your clients receive by doing business with you.

5) Are a dignified subtle way to promote your business.

6) Give your clients and prospects the opportunity to find out what they may want to know via Q & A columns.

7) Are a good way to introduce new services and products to current and potential clients.

8) Are a welcome handout at meetings and seminars.

9) Are not canned and impersonal and perceived as junk mail.

AND

10) Demonstrate the permanence, reliability and consistency of YOU and your company.

E-newsletters Provide an Easy, Inexpensive Way to Strengthen Relationships With Key Constituencies

Electronic newsletters have become extremely popular with successful businesses and nonprofit groups because they make communicating with their audiences faster and less expensive than ever before.

By eliminating the cost of printing and postage, electronic newsletters removed two of the major obstacles that historically prevented organizations from incorporating newsletters into their communication programs. But these savings alone didn’t prompt a sudden boom in the use of e-newsletters. Many communication experts initially warned would-be publishers that recipients might perceive e-newsletters as spam. Such a perception, they added, might actually damage an organization’s credibility.

The newsletters that attract and retain the most loyal audiences share several characteristics.

• Timeliness Newsletters have always enjoyed a unique status as a communication vehicle because people perceive them as news – something they should “read now.” E-newsletter enthusiasts want even more. They demand relevant information delivered at just the right moment. So today’s most successful e-newsletters provide up-to-the-minute information on highly targeted topics. For example, a number of companies use e-newsletters to distribute information on new products to members of their sales forces. Many retailers and wholesale distributors have also begun using e-newsletters to inform clients about their product lines or special promotions.

• Brevity E-newsletter enthusiasts don’t have a lot of patience for long stories or documents. An e-newsletter should contain only a few screens of information, with links or other response mechanisms that direct readers to more details. E-newsletter publishers should keep copy as succinct as possible. Presently, a headline, summary, and link a long version of the story will satisfy the appetite of most e-newsletter recipients.

• Customized Content Most successful newsletters tailor their content as much as possible for each individual. Experts recommend identifying readership categories and modifying each issue slightly to address the interests of a particular segment of the audience. The needs of readers should also influence the type of technology used in publishing e-newsletters. If the majority of readers plan to print out the publication to read it, they may prefer a PDF document. If readers demand a combination of screen graphics and hyperlinks, HTML offers a better alternative. Publishers should also produce text-only versions for recipients with slower modems or mail systems that won’t allow HTML. After all, if your publication takes too long to download, recipients may get frustrated and delete it altogether.

• Trackability Successful e-newsletter publishers use analytical tools to track readership and response to their publications. These applications provide valuable information on how often an e-newsletter gets opened, who opens the publication, and which stories generate the greatest interest. Collecting this type of information makes it easier for publishers to strengthen content and further customize publications to the needs of their readers.

• Freedom of Choice Most e-newsletter publishers use the opt-in/opt-out model of distribution. In other words, readers agree to accept the newsletter and can discontinue their “subscription” at any time. People who receive e-newsletters without opting in tend to perceive the publication as an infringement on their personal cyberspace. In that case, they may hit the spam button to delete the publication. If enough people indicate you for sending spam, many e-mail services will stop delivering your publication altogether. Publishers should immediately remove those who opt from their distribution lists for the same reason.

Keeping these characteristics in mind will make it much easier for an organization to create e-newsletters that strengthen its relationship with key audiences. Look for additional tips on creating effective e-newsletters in future issues of The Newsletter Factory’s newsletter, Newsletter Know How.

Sign up to receive future issues here.

Stuck? Read This List of Article Themes for Inspiration

Training How do new people (employees/interns/volunteers) learn on the job? Does your organization have any interns or apprentices? What training opportunities does your organization provide to employees/volunteers? What are the benefits of workshops/courses? What upcoming industry trends may require training.

Computers Who should employees/volunteers call for help in a crisis?

Awards What competitions/awards are in your industry or field? Who entered and who won? How do these competitions/awards affect the industry?

Payroll deductions Explain in detail each deduction that appears on a paycheck. Which are required and why, and which are optional?

Department focus What are the specific functions of each department per article.

Insurance What kinds of coverage does your organization offer and at what costs?

Organizational growth What are plans for new products, services, or programs? Provide updates on progress.

Health Promote health awareness with articles on wellness, nutrition, and fitness. What are some health issues specific to your industry?

New technology What upcoming trends will affect your industry or field?

Professional organizations What organizations support your field? What are the membership costs and who leads the groups? What are the benefits of membership?

Acronyms What are the common acronyms in your field/industry and what do they stand for?

Maintenance Who performs maintenance tasks in your organization and what is their typical day like? What are signs of wear or damage that employees/volunteers can detect?

Cost cutting How can employees/volunteers be more efficient on the job? How does management plan to cut costs? Do employees/volunteers have ideas for cutting costs?

Quality How does your organization define quality (of either services or products)? How are quality standards measured? What are some new techniques to raise quality?

Competition Who is your competition and how do they affect your organization? What are they doing?

Profiles Focus on employee/volunteer of the month, new employees/volunteers, customers, supporters, vendors, retirees, and promotions.

Evaluation How are employees/volunteers and programs evaluated? Wow does your organization evaluate customers, suppliers, consultants, etc.?

Legislation What are laws and proposals that affect your organization or industry?

Customers Who are your customers/beneficiaries and what do they do? Why do they use your products or services?

Resources What resources materials is available in your field? Provide reviews of current resources. What does your library have available?

Suppliers Who are your vendors? How are they chosen and evaluated?

Commuting How do your employees/volunteers get to work? Are there any car pooling opportunities? What are the mass transit schedules? Who has the longest/shortest commute? What do people do when stuck in traffic?

Are Your Pages Crammed?

Visually appealing newsletters maintain a good balance of white space and other elements. By loading your pages with copy and graphics, you risk losing readers’ attention, as well as creating and ineffective page. If an entire page is covered with text and graphics, readers have no focal point. As such, a lack of white space creates a visually unappealing, difficult-to-read page.

So avoid filling space for the sale of doing so — your newsletter will be much more effective if you balance your copy and graphics with a liberal dose of white space.

To set off headlines from body copy, use a font and point size different from body copy, as well as adequate space (known as leading) between the headline, tagline and story. In addition, make subheads distinguishable by using a font and point size different from the main headline.

White space can often “open up” your page and help define other elements by creating areas of visual emphasis. Sometimes a vertical border can create additional white space, as well as draw readers directly to a photo or graphic.

By carefully choosing a photo’s placement and size, you can let readers know the photo is the center piece and focal point of the page.

In addition, by using a vertical orientation, single-column format, a sidebar can take on it’s own appearance and does not “compete” with other text or graphic elements.

Tap Into Typography

There are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to choosing fonts or mixing different fonts within your publication. However, there are a few guidelines that can simplify the font selection process and generally result in typographically attractive and readable compositions. These guidelines won't always work for your newsletter, but they can give you the results you want with the least amount of trial and error.

• Pair a serif font for body text and a sans serif font for headlines.

• Avoid mixing two very similar typefaces, such as two scripts or two sans serifs. There is not enough contrast and the small differences will be visually unappealing.

• Avoid mono spaced typefaces for body copy. They draw too much attention to the individual letters, thus distracting the reader from the message.

• Limit the number of different fonts used in a single document to no more than three or four.

• Match the typeface to the content and spirit of the text.

Five Guidelines for Using Photos Effectively

1
Make your photographs large. The bigger they are, the more effectively they’ll serve the purpose for which they were included.

2
“Hand scan” your photos. Minimize differences in intensity by hand scanning your images so that you can correct lighting etc.

3
Bad photo are worse that no photos. No matter how sparkling your copy or how stunning your layout, bad photos will make your newsletter look “low class”.

4
Emphasize action. A photo of someone doing something has greater impact than “head shots” of staff members, snapshots of empty work areas, or portraits of building exteriors.

5
Acquire “free”. professional photos whenever possible If you obtain any information fro your publication from a Public Relation Department, ask them if they can provide photos pertaining to your subject matter. Many have extensive photo libraries and will gladly loan out pictures to get added exposure

Defining Your External Publication Needs

Newsletters serve vital functions that set them apart from other forms of marketing or advertising. Because they’re perceived as news, external and internal newsletters are cost-effective tools that can help you strengthen and advance your company’s communication goals. Following are some questions to help you get started by defining your external publication needs.

What are the goals of this newsletter?

What will the newsletter promote?

What features and benefits will influence the reader?

How and where do you find new customers now?

How do you retain customers?

How does your competition approach marketing? What competitive advantages exist?

What department will be involved in creating the newsletter?

What approvals are required for articles and regular columns?

Who will take responsibility for final sign off of your newsletter?

Flag the Envelope to Help Ensure Delivery to Your Readers

Self-mailers are not always appropriate. If your newsletter contains sensitive information that you don’t want everyone along the way to read, or if you must include more than one item in your mailing, an envelope may be needed. In those cases, try putting “flags” on the envelope, such as “Personal and confidential,” “Your subscription enclosed,” or “Dated material inside” to convey the message that the addressee requested and is even expecting the mailer. If possible, print the flag in a different color from the rest of the envelope to help grab the attention of the gatekeeper and final recipient.

Create Internal Pieces that Catch the Eye

If your newsletter is distributed to employees through internal mail systems or in common areas, such as break rooms, your challenge involves making the newsletter intriguing enough to draw attention. Considerations of size for postage rates and mail panel designs that will elicit delivery are not necessary. Instead, you should emphasize the nameplate and actual size.

Tabloid designs are extremely effective for this type of newsletter because they look more like a newspaper’s format, and people are trained to look through newspapers for important information. Nameplates that incorporate unusual shapes, such as sweeps and oddly shaped letters, will enable the publication to take on an identity of its own and separate itself from other company literature.

Here’s A Little Tip

Create an Idea File and Collect Story Ideas for Your Newsletter All Year Round

Why wait for the editorial content deadline of your newsletter to approach to start collecting article ideas. Create a file for article ideas, pictures, and other newsletter resources that you can collect information in all year round.

External and Internal Newsletters

Did you know that newsletters are the most effective media of communication within your organization or for external communication with your customers? Internally, they promote teamwork, increase productivity, support training initiatives and involve the reader in organizational activities. Customer newsletters enhance your organizations image, promote customer loyalty, increase sales and generate continual feedback from customers.

The process is simple and affordable for your organization. And, the results are fantastic.

Increase Readability by Using White Space Effectively

You’ll enhance the effectiveness and beauty of your newsletter when you correctly balance copy and visual elements with white, or empty space.

By adding white space, you open up your pages, making them easier to read. Used as a frame, white space also makes photos, Illustrations and other visual elements more attention grabbing,

So avoid the temptation to fill up every empty area with copy or other design elements. Boost your newsletter’s effectiveness by using white space to add spaciousness and minimize clutter.