How to Create a Policy for a Newsletter
Use your newsletter's policy as a forum to articulate your mission and to establish editorial guidelines. Readers who find your policy in line with theirs may subscribe on that basis alone. And, leveling with readers about the kind of material you consider publishable cuts down on the number of submissions you'll have to reject. When you clearly define a newsletter policy, setting down rules that editors and readers alike will follow, you practically guarantee a smooth and efficient publishing cycle.
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Instructions
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Identify who is responsible for creating and enforcing editorial policies. See, for example, the "Standard UU Church Newsletter Policy of the Unitarian Universalist Association." The first paragraph says the board of directors creates policies and the church's administrator ensures the newsletter follows those policies.
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Explain the newsletter's primary goals. For example, a newsletter for a church may aim to keep members abreast of upcoming events. A corporation's newsletter may want to inform employees about productivity and long-term goals. See, for example, the "Janney PTA Newsletter Policy," which explains this: "...dedicated to building a sense of community among students and adults associated with the school."
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Mention advertisement policy. Explain whether you accept ads for continuing business services or just one-time ads announcing the business start-up. Specify what information the submissions should contain.
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Tell readers if you accept their newsletter items. If so, what information should accompany the items? For example, do you need the author's name and phone number? Must the newsletter item be typed and, if so, do you require a particular page layout?
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Advise readers that your editorial staff has final authority to edit submissions. Then explain why submissions may be edited. For example, will you correct misspelled words? Or. will you delete inflammatory words and phrases? If so, what words and phrases do you consider objectionable?
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Describe your process for collecting email addresses from online subscribers. See, for example, the newsletter policy for "Restaurant Girl" magazine. That policy explains that the magazine sends an email notification to anyone who accesses the website and completes a subscription.
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Create a "Privacy Policy" and explain what that means. Tell readers you will never use personal information they provide on subscriptions for any reason other than to ensure they are on your circulation list. Point out that you will not "sell, rent, or give away subscribers' personal information to any outside party" as "Restaurant Girl" magazine does. If there are reasons why you would disclose personal subscriber information, promise you would do so only if a third-party agreed to comply with your "Privacy Policy."
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