How to Produce a Newsletter

Two simple words sum up a good newsletter--style and substance.
An effective piece entices the reader with its attractive design and
rewards them with informative, readable content. Whether you target
company employees or a more general audience, you want your readers
to have an enjoyable--and valuable--learning experience.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Give your newsletter a name people will remember--the shorter, the better. If you want to use more words, turn them into a subtitle. The name could be "Save the Seals," and the subtitle could be "The Monthly Newsletter of the American Society for Seal Preservation."

2. Feature informative content. People want news they can use. Whether you're writing an editorial or a review, back up your opinion with solid facts. Write catchy headlines to grab readers' attention.

3. Keep your articles short and to the point. Your readers are bombarded with information all day long, so write as concisely as possible. And be sure to use everyday language--nobody will spend time decoding technical information or working through dry, stodgy text.

4. Resist the temptation to buy generic, pre-written content. It's usually not interesting, it's hard to verify its accuracy, and you run the risk that your readers will have read it somewhere else.

5. Hire a graphic designer to create a template for your newsletter. It should include simple and attractive design elements, photos, illustrations and graphics, and use clean, readable type.

6. Choose a clear, legible serif typeface for the newsletter's main text and another complementary font for all the headlines. Avoid using an infinite number of distracting vanity fonts. Stay with one type family for headlines, varying the size according to the importance of the copy. Add subheads to break up long chunks of type, and create easy points of entry to the page with sidebars.

7. Find a good editor and a good proofreader. The editor will improve the copy, and the proofreader will catch embarrassing mistakes before you go to press. Your spouse or business partner isn't necessarily the best person for these jobs.

8. Stick to what you can do well. If you can put out only two pages of high-quality design and content, start there. It's better to leave people wanting more than to underwhelm them with mediocrity.

9. Get specific instructions from the printer for delivery of digital files. Most will want all fonts and images included on the CD you'll burn. Some printers will accept e-mailed files, but be sure to ask about specifics. You'll want to discuss details such as ink color, paper selection, turnaround, delivery and more.

Tips & Warnings

• The same basic principles apply to any newsletter, whether it's delivered by e-mail or printed on paper: It needs to be attractive, informative and easy to read.

• Use page-layout software such as Quark Xpress (quark.com), Adobe PageMaker or InDesign (adobe.com), or Microsoft Publisher (microsoft.com). Enhance the quality of photos and images with software such as Adobe Photoshop.

• Decide whether you want to mail your newsletter folded and stapled, or send it in an envelope. If you go the foldand- staple route, leave room for the address and mail permit. Check with the post office for exact requirements.

• Develop a style sheet or use a publishing stylebook, such as the AP Stylebook, to keep the newsletter consistent. For instance, you shouldn't abbreviate California as "CA" on one page and "Calif." on the next.

• Always ask for a proof before the job runs. Check for typos and color matching, and make sure all the elements (such as photos and illustrations) are there.