Message #37059

[bethalize]

The big problem with newsletters: who's going to write the content? If it's you - great. If you want to be more of an editor, lots of people would love to let you use their stuff, as long as you credit them. Getting people to write for you is hard, and they often don't prioritise it like you would like them to.

The format: it's easiest to have regular features, such as 300 words on "My worst day at work" or "Office stationary style". There's little point in adding space fillers and expecting people to be thrilled: if people want a recipie, they'll use a recipe book.

Print or email? You need to decide, then work out how you're going to produce it. DTP programs such as Microsoft Publisher, Quark Xpress or Adobe Pagemaker are nice for print, but can take a little bit of leaning, although I think they are worth it in the end.  Microsoft Word will do the job, though. Pay attention to how it's going to be printed: if you're photocopying, you don't want anything other than pure black and white (unless you have an expensive photocopier). If it's by email, you can go for plain text (an art in itself) or HTML mail using either an editor or something like Outlook. You could also make it a web page and email people a link to it.

How big will it be? It's much easier to have two sides of A4 filled than it is four, but white space is your friend and you want it to look nice, so don't cram it all in to save on paper. Leave something until the next issue.

How often will it be issued? It's best to say less and produce more than to promise every month and not get it out for three months. Twice a year is good - it's amazing how time flies!

And the big question - who's paying for it?!


Bethalize
Peer Moderator