Newsletters are a great way to inform the public about what’s new in your organization. An effective newsletter is one that conveys information in a way that is both easy to read and entertaining. Below, you’ll find a few ideas on turning your newsletter into one that your audience can’t wait to read.

1) Give it Visual Appeal

An improperly laid out newsletter can be a real eyestrain. A big mass of text on a plain, flimsy page will not appeal to your readers, so take the time to make your newsletter physically inviting. Here are six ways to make your newsletter more attractive:

2) Consider using columns. Columns add a bit of extra blank space on the page, which gives your audience some room to digest the contents of your newsletter. Two or three columns are usually sufficient.

3) Bold your headlines, make them slightly larger, and perhaps choose a fun font that’s different from your main text (but still readable). Headlines are a great way to catch your readers’ attention – add just a touch of flair to really make them pop.

4) For your body text, keep the font simple and in a readable size (no smaller than 10 points). Make sure you separate your paragraphs with a complete line space and keep them short so that your readers aren’t visually overwhelmed.

5) Add a few well-chosen graphics. If your business is having a pizza party, put a little graphic of a pizza slice somewhere in that section of the newsletter. If your stock prices just went through the roof, include a little dollar sign graphic. Many word processors come with hundreds of graphics that can add a bit of punch to your newsletter. It’s always more entertaining to see complementary pictures along with your text – just don’t overdo it.

6) Say it with color! If you have the resources, your newsletter will look great with full-color graphics and perhaps even colored text (but make sure it’s a dark color so your readers can see it, and limit yourself to one color choice only). If you’ve only got a black and white printer, try using colored paper, but choose a light color for optimum readability.

7) If your newsletter is delivered in hard copy, choose the right type of paper. Standard photocopy paper is slightly translucent, feels cheap, and tears easily. To add some panache to your newsletter, opt for heavier, higher quality paper. If you can afford it, try using glossy paper; it may give your newsletter that certain level of prestige you’ve been looking for.

8) Organize Your News Wisely

It’s great when you’ve got entertaining news to tell, but sometimes the news is unhappy, negative, or just plain boring. If the latter is the case, make sure you sandwich the bad news in between two nicer stories. That way, your readers will start and finish your newsletter on a positive note. Even when you’ve got less than fun news to tell, if you find something cheerful to talk about for at least part of your newsletter, you’ll end up with a much happier group of readers.

Author Bio: Brian Scott is a professional freelance writer who teaches how to write in Plain English using correct style, usage and readability in the English language. He recommends using StyleWriter — an English grammar software program — to write better English, available at http://www.StyleWriter-USA.com

Category: Writing
Keywords: english grammar, grammar checker, English writing, grammar mistakes, write better, business writing