Creating
School Newsletters
This short
course provides instructions and resource information that you
can use for creating school newsletters. It presents information
about planning newsletters, writing for newletters, designing
newsletter layouts, using graphics in newsletters, and newsletter
production for schools.
This short
course consists of six units. These units will follow the steps
in creating a newsletter that are listed below.
Steps
in Putting Together a Newsletter
1. Plan
your newsletter layout and content (Unit 2)
- Select
a name for your newsletter
- Develop
an outline of content
- List
possible story themes
- Collect
information
- Select
the fonts you will use
2. Write
and format the body copy (Unit 3)
- Write
the body copy (text)
- Evaluate
readability
- Format
the body copy
- Proofread
3. Design
the layout (Unit 4)
- Decide
on the newsletter size
- Choose
an appropriate grid
- Select
a grid that is appropriate to your newsletter
-
Establish page margins
- Design
the nameplate
- Choose
the right title and subtitle
- Isolate
important words
- Choose
the right type for the words
- Carefully
select a size and position
- Add reader
cues
- Headlines
- Subheads
- Pull-quotes
- Other
markers
- Add visual
images
- Evaluate
for possible design problems and correct any that are found
4. Add
graphics (Unit 5)
- Graphic
images
- Photos
- Scanned
images
- Graphic
Accents
- Logos
- Infographics
5. Produce
your newsletter (Unit 6)
Introduction
to Newsletters
School newsletters
can be created for many groups, including the school, classes,
clubs and other organizations, parents, alumni organizations,
and the community. In general, school newsletters can be used
to:
- Keep in
touch with parents
- Inform
and educate
- Reinforce
learning activities
- Publicize
an organization
- Attract
volunteers and members
- Boost donations
- Recruit
new supporters
- Unify a
community of readers
- Network
with community leaders
Before these
goals can be accomplished, newsletters have to be read by the
targeted audience. It is up to you to create newsletters that
contain interesting, useful information presented in appealing
ways.
Newsletters
provide specialized information to specific audiences on a regular
basis. Most consist of four to eight pages. They are generally
written in an informal style. Successful
newsletters generally keep in mind the readers' interests and
the publication's goals.
Effective
newsletters meet the following criteria:
- Targeted
audience - Newsletters work best when created for people
with a common interest.
- Targeted
content - Newsletters are effective when the content is
narrow in focus.
- Valuable
information - Newsletters should provide readers with information
they can use.
- Trustworthy
- Readers want information from a source they can trust.
- Personal
- Readers want to know who is created the newsletter and who
wrote the articles.
Readers
like:
- Interesting
topics
- Short articles
- Attractive
graphics
- Easy-to-skim
designs
- Bulleted
lists
- Clear organization
- Calendars
- Offers,
benefits
Readers
don't like:
- Intimidating
pages
- Disorganized
information
- Long, continuing
articles
- Irrelevant
content
- Impersonal
tone
- Chaotic
page design
- Too many
pages
Purposes
for Newsletters
There are
four basic types of newsletters. These purposes can be adapted
for different types of school newsletters.
Purposes for
newsletters:
- Marketing
- Public
Relations
- Internal
Relations
- Profit
Marketing
Newsletters
Marketing
newsletters are intended to sell ideas, products, or services.
They focus on actions you wish readers to take and include publications
intended to raise money, increase membership or influence votes.
A marketing newsletter emphasizes benefits. Readers can recognize
their self-interest in accepting the point of view presented by
the newsletter.
Public
Relations Newsletters
Newsletters
for public relations focus on attitudes instead of actions. Successful
public relations efforts make readers more receptive to marketing
or to the mission of an organization. A public relations newsletter
helps people know more and feel better about its sponsoring organization.
The best public relations newsletters capture the attention of
readers who may otherwise lack interest in the topics reported.
They build respect for content, support for causes, and good will
for sponsors.
Internal
Relations Newsletters
Publications
for employees or members are for internal relations. These newsletters
give information about people, places and ideas that may already
be familiar, and about upcoming events. Their goal may include
honoring outstanding performance, building morale, and stimulating
attention to quality. The best internal newsletters help shape
organization vision and promote the feeling "we are all in this
together. They establish direction, present agenda, build morale,
inspire loyalty, and promote quality.
Newsletters
for Profit
Newsletters
for profit are commercial newsletters that exist to make money
for their publishers and editors. " Newsletters for profit usually
reach individuals by mail. Subscribers pay a price to receive
the newsletter. Readers expect quality to justify cost. Normally,
these are the most difficult type of newsletter to produce. You
must have information people are willing to pay to receive.
Newsletter
Terminology
Before you
begin learning about newsletters, here are a few terms you need
to know:
- Body
Type - Type used for text. It is generally 10-12 points
in size.
- Byline
- The reporter's name, usually at the beginning of a story.
- Caption
- A line or block of type providing informative information
about a photo. Used interchangeable with cutline.
- Clip
art - Copyright-free images you can legally modify and print
as often as you like.
- Copyright
- Legal protection for stories, photos, or artwork, to discourage
unauthorized reproduction.
- Cutline
- A line or block of type providing descriptive information
about a photo.
- Dummy
- A small, detailed page diagram showing where all elements
go. Also, the process of drawing up a layout.
- Font
- All the characters in one size and weight of a typeface.
- Grid
- The underlying structure of a page.
- Headline
- Large type running above or beside a story to summarize its
content. Also called a head, for short.
- Indent
- A part of a column set in a narrower width. Often, the first
line of a paragraph is indented.
- Layout
- The placement of art and text on a page. To layout a page
is to design it.
- Margins
- The space between elements on a page and the space between
the edge of the page and the elements.
- Newsletter
Nameplate - The name of the newsletter as it's displayed
on page 1. It generally extends across the top of the first
page.
- Point
- A standard unit of measure in printing. There are 72 points
in one inch.
- Typeface
- A family of fonts - for example the Arial family, which includes
Arial, Arial Narrow, Arial Bold, etc.
- White
space - Areas of a page free of any type or artwork.
