How to Write a Newsletter

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By Peggy Hazelwood
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Write a newsletter to get the word out.

Write a newsletter to let readers know what's going on. Businesses and organizations like churches, apartment complexes, neighborhood associations, and clubs all use newsletters to get the word out to members.

Issue a newsletter regularly, once a month, for instance, and readers will look forward to reading it.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Notebook
Pen
Computer
Printer
Camera

Step 1

~Gather the Information for Stories~

Decide what stories or articles you will include when you write a newsletter. Then make a list of who you'll need to interview or call to get information for the stories. Use a notebook dedicated to the newsletter to keep all data together. When interviewing people, write out questions ahead of time but be flexible if they give additional information to make your articles more interesting.
Step 2

~Write the Articles~

From your notes, begin writing newsletter articles that will be something the readers want to read. If you're writing a newsletter for a rock club, announce an upcoming trip with all of the details and contact information. Interview a member of the rock club who has a unique collection or recently took a trip related to rock collecting.

Keep the articles fresh and interesting. Ask fellow members what they'd like to read. Ask if anyone would like to write a guest story for an upcoming issue.
Step 3

~Take Photos~

Include three or four photographs in each issue of your newsletter. Make the photographs of people close ups as much as possible, which are more interesting than large group shots where it's hard to make out who people are.
Step 4

~Include a Running Feature Each Issue~

People like familiarity. Include a section in your newsletter each issue in the same spot in the newsletter. Keep the theme the same each issue, with only the facts changing for that issue.

People generally love to see their names in print, and everyone has a birthday or an anniversary of when they started with a company or joined a club. List birthdays or anniversaries (or both) to build morale as well as fill the newsletter with bits of personal information that is fair to everyone. Include only the month and days for birthdays; leave off years of birth.
Step 5

~Format the Newsletter~

After the newsletter is written, use a word processing or page layout software program to format the newsletter. Decide what program you'll use to simplify matters. Use the same template each month or however often you'll publish the newsletter. This way you can replace stories from issue to issue without having to re-create the layout totally each time.