Newsletter Tips and Tools

Newsletter Tips & Tools

Presented by Victoria McAra (Co-Editor ‘Impact’)

& Emma Rye (former Editor for Wales Division)

How to make your Divisional Newsletter stand out from the crowd

• Think about your budget…

CCOOLLOOUURR or B&W

How many pages?

Paper size, orientation & folds

• Create an eye-catching nameplate

• Consider your page layout

Plan your design

• Edit, edit, edit! Make sure that the language is simple

Break up large chunks of text

Keep sentences short & snappy

• Write prominent headlines (fonts)

• Add interesting sub-headings & bylines

• Use drop caps to highlight a first letter

Handling text

Using lists

• Don’t use bulletpoints

1. Instead use numbers to pull your readers through the text

2. People like numbers

3. They really do!

Miranda also reiterated Michael’s advice — keep a training log. As an assessor of Chartership portfolios, it was valuable to hear Miranda’s views on what should, and shouldn’t, be included in the portfolio. Keeping evidence relevant and concise are important considerations, as well as making sure evidence is evaluated and not too descriptive. We also looked at a variety of portfolios at the end of the session. All were very different and compiled in a variety of ways, proving there is no particularly correct way of producing it.

Meeting other Chartership hopefuls was another constructive part of the event, and I came away with some good ideas for career development and portfolio evidence from chatting with them. What started out as a daunting task now seems a more manageable and definitely worthwhile exercise thanks to the event.  

Pull quotations

“What started out as a daunting task now seems a more manageable and definitely worthwhile exercise thanks to the event”

• Add lots of CCOOLLOOUURR

• Have lots of white space

• Use plenty of images (300dpi)

• Be creative…

Attract attention

Mugshots

Original picture

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/bronayur/

Easy improvements

Small groups

Original picture

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandaquick/

Easy improvement

Large groups

Original picture

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/emma7114

Easy improvement

Backgrounds

Original picture

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandaquick/

Easy improvement

Quickly done on Clip Art…

Use http://www.picnik.com/ for a more professional look

Avoid busy backgrounds

Grip & grins

Avoid…

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/mandaquick/

Easy improvements

Capture the moment!

Use captions

From…

© http://www.flickr.com/photos/marctonysmith/

To…

Grey squirrels may live in the UK now…

but they still remember their American roots!

Design a masthead (or contact us for more information)

Get inspired by your newsagent

© http://twitter.com/lcssatglamorgan

Useful websites

http://www.picnik.com

http://www.liquidlibrary.com

http://www.photos.com

http://www.dafont.com