
SIX STEPS TO MORE SUCCESSFUL NEWSLETTERS

by Dr. Jeffrey Lant

If you're already producing either a free client or subscription
newsletter, you're spending a bundle on it. (Take note if you're
thinking of getting into the newsletter game.) Frankly, with all
the money you're spending, you'd be crazy not to want to maximize
your investment and get the last dime's worth of return from it. 

That's why I'm so pleased my friend Roger Parker, the
hard-working desktop design specialist, has written a new book on
the subject. Called NEWSLETTERS FROM THE DESKTOP: PRODUCING
EFFECTIVE PUBLICATIONS WITH YOUR COMPUTER, it's packed with the
kind of no-nonsense information Roger's become famous for. I
asked him to share some tips on how to get better results from
your newsletter. Prompt as always, he whipped up the following
six-step Design Improvement Program that'll pay big dividends for
you.

Says Roger, "Improving the appearance of your newsletter
contributes to its effectiveness by making it easier for readers
to understand your message." In addition, improved newsletter
design non-verbally signals your readers that your words are
important. Just as you wouldn't buy an expensive suit from a
poorly dressed sales person, your readers subconsciously use the
appearance of your newsletter to place a value on its contents.

According to Roger, "The best way to design a new newsletter, or
redesign an existing one, is to divide the newsletter into its
component parts. By analyzing and refining each part you can
easily develop a newsletter which projects the right image and
makes your words easy to read." Here are the six major parts of a
newsletter and things to look for -- and look out for -- within
each area.

Step One: Provide a strong nameplate

Roger points out the nameplate is the distinctive way the title
of your newsletter appears on the front cover. A successful
nameplate, or banner as it's often called, becomes a visual
symbol of your newsletter. Nameplates provide clues about
newsletter contents and editorial thrust. Successful nameplates
also provide important issue-to-issue consistency.

"An effective nameplate," recommends Roger, "is large enough to
be noticeable at a glance. Yet, the nameplate should not be so
large that it dominates the front page of your newsletter and
competes with adjacent photographs and editorial material."

There are three parts to the nameplate: title, subtitle and
dateline. The title should be as short as possible, set in a
large, distinctive typeface. All the words in the title do not
have to be the same size. You can emphasize the most important
word by setting it in a larger type size or a heavier weight type
than the others.

Roger says, "One way to add character to the title of your
newsletter is to tighten-up letter spacing. You might even
experiment with having the letters touch each other. Or, you can
space the letters across the top of your newsletter." A free
source of inspiration for designing newsletter nameplates is to
visit a local newsstand and look at the images projected by the
various magazine titles on display.

The subtitle should be set in a smaller type size than the title.
The subtitle should elaborate upon the title by emphasizing the
target market or editorial slant of your newsletter. The dateline
portion of the nameplate contains volume and issue number plus
publication date.

Nameplates can be boxed, highlighted by parallel rules, or
reversed -- that is, white letters can appear against a black,
shaded or colored background.

As you evaluate your newsletter, here are three questions Roger
recommends you ask yourself:

. Is the nameplate large enough to provide visual identification
without
  overwhelming the page?

. Have I added visual interest to the nameplate by emphasizing
the most 
  important words?

. Have I tightened up letter spacing to add character to the
title and
  eliminate unwanted space between letters?

Step Two: Guide your readers

"A great deal of the effectiveness of your newsletter is based on
the reader cues you provide," stresses Roger. Reader cues include
headlines, subheads, pull-quotes and jumplines. Reader cues make
it easy for readers to make favorable "read now!" instead of
"read later, maybe" decisions.

Headlines are the most important category of reader cues.
Headlines tease readers into reading the articles they introduce
by summarizing article content and providing a transition into
the body copy.

Roger warns that headlines succeed to the extent that they
visually contrast with adjacent body copy. "Headlines should be
set in a larger type size than the articles they introduce.
Contrast can be heightened by using a bolder or heavier weight
type."

Roger points out that your newsletter's appearance gains to the
extent that you use the same typeface for all headlines. This
avoids the "ransom note" effect which occurs when every headline
is set in a different typeface. Although the same typeface should
be used, a larger type size can be used to introduce articles of
greater importance.

Subheads break long articles into manageable, bite-sized chunks.
Subheads increase article readership by permitting readers to
preview article contents by skimming the articles. Each subhead
offers readers a "hook" to begin reading. Subheads also make it
easy for readers to go back and review important points. As a
rule of thumb, include subheads every three or four paragraphs in
long articles.

"Subheads should be midway in size between headlines and body
copy," suggests Roger. Approximately twice as much space should
separate subheads from preceding paragraphs than the paragraphs
they introduce. Best results are often achieved by using the same
typeface used as headlines.

Pull-quotes are short phrases, sometimes entire sentences, which
summarize adjacent articles. Pull-quotes are often set in
italics, because italics communicate in a conversational tone.
Jumplines help readers locate articles which are contained on
different pages. Jumplines should be set in a smaller type size
than body copy.

As you evaluate the reader cues in your newsletter, Roger
suggests you ask yourself these four questions:

. Are headlines large enough to be easily located?
. Do my subheads stand out from the body copy they introduce?
. Have I used pull-quotes to personalize my newsletter and
summarize
  adjacent articles?
. Is it easy to locate articles continued on inside pages?

Step three: Making body copy easy to read

According to the very knowledgeable Roger, "There are three steps
involved in making newsletter articles easy to read: choose the
right typeface, choose the right type size and choose the right
alignment."

One of your first decisions involves deciding between serif and
sans serif type for body copy. Serif typefaces are characterized
by letters with tiny decorations, or feet. Serifs enhance body
copy readership by providing letter-to-letter transitions which
guide the reader's eyes from letter to letter and word to word.
Times Roman is one of the most popular serif typefaces.

After choosing the right typeface, choose the right type size.
There is a close relationship between type size and the width of
the columns it's placed in. Warns Roger, "Large type set in
narrow columns is difficult to read because many words will be
hyphenated, or split between two lines." Small type set in wide
columns is difficult to read because readers lose their place
between the end of one line and the beginning of the next. As a
rule of thumb, Roger Parker recommends aiming for between 26 and
40 characters per line.

There are two ways text can be placed in columns:
flush-left/ragged-right and justified. Flush-left/ragged-right
type is characterized by equal word spacing and unequal amounts
of white space at the end of each line. Justified text occurs
when each line is the same length. Lines of equal length are
created by increasing or decreasing word spacing on each line.

Roger reminds that your choice of flush-left/ragged-right or
justified type influences both the appearance and tone of your
newsletter. Flush-left/ragged-right text often projects a
friendlier, more contemporary appearance. The varying amounts of
white space at the ends of each line opens up the pages and makes
them more inviting. Justified text, however, projects a more
dignified and serious appearance.

As a general rule, whichever alternative you choose, you should
be consistent throughout your newsletter, i.e. if some articles
are justified, all articles should be justified.

As you design, or redesign, your newsletter, Rogers suggests you
ask yourself:

. Have I chosen an easy-to-read body copy typeface?
. Is there a pleasing relationship between type size and column
width?
. Have I chosen a typeface alignment which is appropriate for the
atmosphere
  I'm trying to project in my newsletter?

Step Four: Making the most of photos and illustrations

Roger points out you can greatly increase the impact of
photographs by cropping and silhouetting. Cropping involves
removing unnecessary detail at the edges of a photograph by
cutting in from the top, bottom or sides. Cropping places
emphasis upon important details by removing unnecessary
foreground or background details. Cropping permits you to
increase the size of the important parts of the photograph.

Silhouetting is another way to eliminate distracting backgrounds.
Silhouetting involves completely eliminating the background.
You're left with just the shape of the most important object --
often an individual's head. This eliminates background
distractions like computer screens, walls, florescent lights,
etc. Silhouetting adds visual interest to photographs by changing
them from squares or rectangles to more interesting shapes.

When including pictures of individuals, Roger says "make sure the
people are looking into the page, rather than staring off the
page, (or over the reader's shoulders)." Place photographs
looking to the right on the left hand side of your page, for
example, and place photographs looking left on the right hand
side of your page.

When assembling pages with photographs of more than one person,
be sure to make the sizes of their heads approximately equal.
This unifies the page and eliminates confusion -- and possible
hard feelings. Roger rightly says "Readers tend to rate a
person's importance by the size of the head."

As you evaluate your use of photographs, here are the three
questions Roger says you should ask yourself:

. Have I emphasized the important, story-telling parts of
photographs by
  cropping and silhouetting to eliminate unnecessary details?
. Are people looking into the page?
. Are all head shots approximately the same size?

Step Five: Use graphic accents to organize your pages

Rules and boxes can be used to organize your reader's eye
movement through your pages. Boxes and rules -- or lines -- of
different weight can be used to tie together the top and bottom
of each page. Boxes can be used to isolate sidebars -- short
"articles within articles." Horizontal rules can be used to
separate articles within columns.

The detailed Parker points out that one of your most important
decisions involves whether or not to add vertical downrules
between columns. Often, vertical downrules are used because of
habit, rather than necessity. Vertical downrules should be
considered barriers to prevent readers from reading across
columns, instead of up and down within columns. Vertical
downrules are best used with a relatively larger type size and
narrow column gutters. Vertical downrules are often not needed
with justified text.

Adds Parker, "Screens, or shades of gray, can be used to add
emphasis to sidebars or short features. Always make sure that the
background screens do not interfere with typeface legibility."

According to Roger, as you evaluate your newsletter's graphic
accents, ask yourself:

. Have I chosen borders which provide page to page unity?
. Can I defend my use of rules, boxes and screens on the basis of
desired
  function rather than habit?

Step Six: Working with repeating elements

Each issue of your newsletter is likely to contain several
repeating elements, like departments or features repeated in each
issue, masthead information and address panels. You can speed-up
newsletter production and strengthen issue-to-issue unity by
developing consistent ways of handling these elements.

For example, many newsletters contain a Letter from the Director
or President's Report. You can increase the effectiveness of your
newsletter by developing standardized department heads to
introduce these features. These might be based on a photograph or
signature which personalizes the feature.

Other repeating features include calendar listings of upcoming
events and "milestones" such as listings of births, weddings,
promotions, and retirements.

Mastheads contain address, telephone and subscription information
plus a listing of those responsible for producing the newsletter.
Since this information rarely changes from issue to issue, it's
worth investing the time in designing a good-looking masthead.
Mastheads are best placed on page two, although sometimes they're
found on the front page.

Each issue of your newsletter is likely to contain an address
label panel. This should contain sufficient space for the postal
permit (or stamp), mailing label as well as return address
information.

One of the most important repeating elements is the table of
contents. A strong table of contents can increase newsletter
readership by encouraging readers to turn to inside pages.
Although usually found on the front cover, the table of contents
can be placed in the address label area -- the first part of your
newsletter readers are likely to encounter.

When evaluating your use of repeating elements, here are two
questions Roger suggests asking yourself:

. Have I been consistent in the way I have treated departments
and features which are included in each issue?
. Does the masthead and table of contents appear in the same
location in each newsletter?

Conclusion

The object of a newsletter, whether free or subscription, is to
make sure people read what you've written... and take the action
you want them to take when they've finished any individual
article. Following the sensible design suggestions of authority
Roger Parker will make sure they do!

Resource Box

Roger Parker is one smart cookie and knows what it takes to get
people to pay attention to the copy you write in your
newsletters. I'm delighted to recommend his new book NEWSLETTERS
FROM THE DESKTOP: PRODUCING EFFECTIVE PUBLICATIONS WITH YOUR
COMPUTER. ($26.95 postpaid). It's astonishingly detailed like all
Roger's books and contains over 200 illustrations showing all
aspects of newsletter design as well as an extensive glossary and
information about the latest desktop publishing hardware and
software. Get your copy from the Sure-Fire Business Success
Catalog, 50 Follen St., Ste 507, Cambridge, MA 02138 or with
MC/VISA from (617) 547-6372. Don't forget to ask for your FREE
YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION to this quarterly business resources guide
with over 125 recommendations on how to make your business more
profitable.
_________________________________________________________________

Whatever you're writing -- newsletters, ads, brochures, cover
letters, proposals, reports, etc -- use Dr. Jeffrey Lant's book
CASH COPY: HOW TO OFFER YOUR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES SO YOUR
PROSPECTS BUY THEM... NOW! 480 pages $27.95 postpaid from The
Sure-Fire Business Success Catalog. To see if the documents 
you're producing will get people to buy what you're selling, call
Jeffrey at (617) 547-6372 and read them. He'll tell you if you're
throwing your money away -- or if you've got some winning
marketing copy.