Even if you dont have the budget to produce a glossy magazine, you can develop a reasonable newsletter by following some basic guidelines to lift reader impact and avoid the pitfalls of the more self-indulgent throwaways.
CONTENT
Relevance. Its crucial to keep the publication relevant to your readership. A newsletter should be just that - newsy. If you must include mission statements or management speak, adorn them with real-life anecdotes. Avoid motherhood statements that communicate a sense of a vague and out-of-touch management.
Clarity. Like all news media, the newsletter is usually read fast. Jargonised, long-winded and opaque expression means articles will be skipped or become a source of frustration. Since most newsletters are read by people of diverse abilities always write in plain language.
Recency. You should strive at all times to keep the new in newsletter. Regurgitating unchanged what is already known will detract greatly from impact and credibility. When reporting recurring issues, try to add to what has been said before rather than filling the bulk of the story with well-worn background.
DESIGN
Distinctiveness. The aim is to ensure the publication is instantly recognisable and pleasing to the eye. Avoid the urge to use cheap clip art as it tends to have a makeshift and obvious air. Better to get a graphic artist to purpose design one or two neat icons rather than fill pages with unimaginative generic drawings.
Consistency. This means two things: applying a standard style and providing continuity between issues. The masthead is normally used as the key identifier, so for this reason alone, think hard before changing it once its established. Its the reason Womens Weekly didnt change its name when it became a monthly.
GRAPHICS
Selection. The affordability of and easy access to full colour printing techniques encourages the use of more sophisticated graphic art. Try to ensure your selection enhances the tone and editorial content. Also include a mix of photographic and drawn images. And if using lots of graphs, use various types unless the figures presented need to be compared.
Placement. Also look to balance editorial and pictorial. Long articles invariably need an illustration to avoid huge blocks of unaccommodating text. Avoid placing light stories close to serious ones as they may appear irreverent.
Reproduction. Many a well designed job has been sunk by shoddy printing, so make sure you get to look at samples from the printer. With process colour, these are usually referred to as film proofs. The main things you should look for are chunks of text or graphic elements missing. On the other hand, any spelling mistakes or grammatical errors will have come from you and are expensive to fix so get these right before the printer sees the job. When the job is finished, check that the individual colours mesh exactly, known as colour registration, and that there arent any smudge marks. Or if the job is really crucial, stand by the printer and insist on checking the first lot of printed sheets, as they are supposed to before carrying on with the job.
FORMAT
Arrangement.
Like all communication, there are logical conventions that have evolved which help us interpret the work, such as the bosss message and contents list up front, contact details on the back. Not straying too far from these will help keep your newsletter logically organised and easy to follow.
Assemblage. The difference between an easy to handle and flimsy publication is just a bit of forethought. When planning, consider the intended self-life of the publication. A one-read newsletter may not even need stapling, yet for something meant as a keepsake, it might even be worthwhile getting a protective coating applied to the cover, and perhaps inside pages. With thicker publications, it might be necessary to go beyond stapling to a glued or sown spine bound approach.
Use of space. While youll usually have competition for story space in your periodical, dont be tempted into filling every bit of white with ink. The eye will always resist a crowded looking page as too confusing. The look should generally be balanced and tidy.