Newsletter tips

Newsletter Tips

The corporate newsletter is a popular tool for communicating with important stakeholder groups such as employees, customers, potential customers, investors, and others. But what is it that gets one newsletter a prime spot on someone’s desktop, while another goes straight to the recycle bin? Here are a few tips to help ensure your internal or external newsletter gets noticed and, more importantly, read.

Layout and Graphics

Keep your masthead (the title of your newsletter printed on the front page, usually at the top) simple, big and bold. Avoid using an ornate font so that your newsletter can be identified quickly and easily. Make sure you include the date and publication/volume number as part of your masthead.
Use a two or three column format and avoid wide bodies of text. The columns help to create important "white space" in your document, and the shorter line lengths are easier for the eye to follow.
Use black or a very dark colour for text. Black on white is the best for readability.
Consistency is key to a clean, professional-looking newsletter. Avoid using too many different type sizes and fonts. Choose one size and font for headlines, another for body text. Body text should be at least 11 pt.
Use italics, underlining and bolding occasionally and strategically.
It is not necessary to fill absolutely every inch of space on your page. In fact, extra white space is pleasing to the eye and will give your document a lighter appearance. Avoid "trapped" white space by moving gaps to the top or bottom of a column instead of leaving them in between articles.
Use photos or graphics if possible to add interest to your page.

Text

People don’t have as much time as they used to for reading. To ensure your newsletter has the greatest chance of being noticed and read, keep your articles brief and to the point. Articles that appear to be a "quick read" (three or four paragraphs at the most) will gain attention.
Use subheads to break up a long article and to give relief from large blocks of text.
At the end of each article, include a way for readers to get more information or to ask questions about what they’ve just read.
Choose one spot in the newsletter for listing publication details and how readers can contact the editor.
Keep your article titles active by including a present tense verb (ie. "Learn About RRSPs" rather than "RRSP Information").
Avoid using the passive tense.
When you need to do longer articles, consider a brief summary in italics under the heading which will give browsers a quick sense of what the article is about, and whether they should take the time to read it.

in•sight communications knows a great deal about producing effective newsletters. If you would like to establish a newsletter, revise your current one, or have a newsletter produced for you...we can help!

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