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Newsletter Tips
These tips will help you make the most of your newsletter for building relationships with your alumni.
Choosing Story Topics | Writing About Donations | Writing Tips | Browsability | Headlines | Naming Your Newsletter | Color and Size | Frequency | Print versus Electronic
Choosing Story Topics
When considering topics (and placement), note that surveys of alumni indicate that their top three interests are:
- Research and new developments
- Alumni profiles
- History/nostalgia
While they are least interested in:
- Dean/departmental head letters
- Donation news
Other items of high interest include:
- Class notes
- New educational initiatives
- News about well-known faculty
- New faculty (if likely to indicate prestige or advance in the department)
- Shared student experiences
If there is no news, invent some, as long as it emphasizes areas you study and reflects well on your department (ie, "10 Facts About...", "Did you know:...")
Writing About Donations
First, consider whether it's news, and if so, in what way. It is usually most effective to write about the impacts of a gift; that is, how it will improve education, open opportunities, or support research that can improve the quality of life or our understanding of the world.
We discourage the inclusion of donation envelopes because they seldom, if ever, pay for themselves. However, we do encourage you to include a donation form that directs them to the website to make a gift. Please have the Office of Advancement review your form first so that the information presented is correct and of the greatest benefit to you.
Writing Tips
Identifying a topic is merely the first step; how you write about the topic will determine whether the reader will continue reading.
- Keep it conversational
- Keep it simple (use everyday words instead of jargon)
- Tell a story
- Begin with a catchy first sentence that quickly leads to a summary of the subject of the article
Browsability
Because people are busy, they are likely to browse a newsletter before they decide if any article warrants reading. By making your newsletter easy to browse, you increase the likelihood that they will find an article of interest and, for the articles they skip, take away at least some information. It is important, therefore, to include such easily browsable elements as the following:
- Punchy headlines (8 words or less)
- Subheads (14 words or less)
- Lead (answering what happened, why should I care?)
- Pull quote (don't repeat what's in the head or subhead)
- Photos and captions
- Bullet lists
- Other art
- Keep stories short (1 newsletter page: 550-675 words)
Headlines
Readers spend 80 percent of their time on headlines; headlines must grab attention, or the reader will move on.
- Use strong verbs in the present tense (looms, threatens, expands, embraces) as opposed to academic verbs (establishes, lists, gives, awards, helps, builds)
- Use news, not labels ("Herbal Vaccinations Outperform Standard Medicines" rather than "Herbal Alternatives to Vaccinations")
Naming Your Newsletter
If you use an acronym in your name, be sure to spell it out in the masthead. Give it a name that readers can connect with; and once you name it, stick with it. Continuity builds recognition.
Color and Size
Choosing between 2-color and 4-color processes comes down to impact and your budget. Remember that costs depend on the size (page size and number of pages) and quantity. The larger the quantity, the greater the chance for a cost break.
- Typical newsletter page counts are in a multiple of 4 (8-page, 12-page, 16-page, etc.) because they make the most efficient use of paper and, thus, are the best value.
- Another option is a 6-page trifold.
- The most common size for newsletters is the standard 8.5 x 11" page. Another option is a variation of a broadsheet, which resembles a traditional newsletter (though it can be smaller).
As for the number of pages, an 8-page newsletter is usually sufficient. Go longer only if you have compelling stories to tell. Shorter is almost always better.
Frequency
The more important question than how often should you print a newsletter is how often can you produce one. Whatever you send to the public must meet professional standards or else it will harm rather then build your reputation. It should also be published consistently once you begin. Be prepared-a newsletter takes a surprisingly large amount of time to plan and write, even if you are able to hire writers. Therefore, after looking at your staffing (and evaluating your budget), decide the size and frequency that you can realistic sustain.
Once a year is sufficient for maintaining alumni contact.
Print versus Electronic
With the growing popularity of electronic newsletters, the question often arises as to why we still print our alumni newsletters. There are several reasons.
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Print offers greater visibility than an electronic version. It gets your message in front of more alumni than does electronic largely because it is friendler to browse and read. It simply outperforms electronic communication, with all age groups.
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Print is the better bet because the University has far more accurate print addresses than it does electronic. Either medium requires a significant investment of time, so it makes more sense to put the time in the vehicle that will reach the most people.
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Data shows that too much communication, especially electronic, diminishes the impact of all communication from the University because people stop opening the emails. Email is similar to telemarketing in that people more easily feel overwhelmed by it than they do print.
- The most important reason for choosing print over electronic is that reader surveys show that even among young alumni, the majority prefer getting their news in print.