He newsletter Is a printed report that informs about specific topics of interest to its target audience and that is distributed periodically, being of short extension.
Bulletins are generally free of charge for their informational purpose and their circulation is much cheaper than that of magazines and / or newspapers for its short length and the small number of people to whom it is addressed. Traditionally it can be delivered by hand or by conventional mail.
Example of newsletter
The newsletter has undergone profound changes with the appearance of the internet. Nowadays, the most used form for the delivery of bulletins is through e-mails that reduce the time of delivery and costs of production, allow a faster, interactive and efficient communication with the target audience. This modality is called electronic newsletter or in English Newsletters.
Formerly newsletters arose from the need to tell people the things that happened but nowadays most bulletins are commercial in nature.
This does not mean that the newsletters now only announce promotions or information of what they sell, as this communication tool is still habitual and useful between the workers and the company or members of a guild.
Main parts of the newsletter
The newsletters are composed of some elements common to most publications that serve to provide the information of interest in an easy way to locate and understand.
1- Manufacturer's nameplate
It is the badge or banner that identifies the name of the publisher and is on the main page, in a size and color that stands out from the rest of the other sections of the newsletter. It usually has a short name that catches the eye of the targeted audience.
In addition to the name of the newsletter, you can add a slogan that is like a subtitle of propaganda of the bulletin that is related to the informative nature of it.
The manufacturer's banner includes a logo, which is a graphic symbol specific to the company or the publishing brand.
The logos can be literally a graphic or it can be the name of the brand with a specific format, calligraphy, size and spacing that gives an exclusive look to the name of your newsletter.
2- Folio
It is the section below the manufacturer's plate and reports the date and number of the bulletin for easier identification of that delivery in relation to the others.
Recall that the newsletter is distributed periodically, so the folio warns the public whether it is a recent publication or two years ago, for example.
Although the publication date and volume number change, the folio editing format is always maintained (typeface, numbering order, etc.)
3- Headlines
They are the titles assigned to each of the articles. They try to write as eye-catching as possible because it is the reader's first selection filter when deciding whether to read the article or not.
Articles can state the topic, cite someone's words in relation to a topic of interest, ask a question or pose a dilemma to the reader.
4- Subtitle
It is a short paragraph or a secondary title that adds information about the owner and communicates the main idea of the article.
This section is the bridge between the owner and the body of the article. It also seeks to be persuasive because it is the second selection filter of the reader to stay in the current note or definitely jump to other news of the newsletter.
5- Body
It is the complete content of the article. Here you write all the information available on the subject for the specific case that motivates the creation of the article.
Content is usually organized in the form of an inverted pyramid, meaning the main ideas in the first few lines or paragraphs and the latter's secondary ideas in order to inform the most important details of the article from the beginning.
6- Signature
In certain cases, when you want to indicate the specific person who writes the article, the author's name is placed after the subtitle and before the body or at the end of the body.
It is up to the designer of the newsletter to add or not a small photograph of the writer's face.
The word"by"is prefixed to indicate the author's name. Some people prefer to use the English word"byline"instead of signature.
7- Continuation line
It is a pointer located under the page or article space warning the reader that the article has not ended but continues on a specific page number.
8- Table of contents
It is a compilation of the structure of the newsletter that communicates the name of the article and the number of the page where it is located.
9- Number of pages
It is the numbering of the pages that comprises the bulletin and is placed in the bottom right or bottom center of the page.
10- Final Mark
It is a symbol that tells the reader that there ends the content of the article.
References
- Abbott, R. (2001). A Manager's Guide to Newsletters: Communicating for results. Airdrie: Word Engines Press.
- First Nations Health Council. (11 of 7 of 2017). Creating a Community Newsletter: Start small. Obtained from First Nations Health Council: fnhc.ca.
- Working Group on Health and Community Development, University of Kansas. (11 of 7 of 2017). Section 10. Create newsletters . Retrieved from"Community Toolkit": ctb.ku.edu.
- Lyders, J.A. (1993). Journal and Newsletter editing, Englewood,. Englewood: Unlimited Libraries.
- Swan, A., & Dabner, D. (2003). How to understand and use design and layout. Cincinnati: Adams Media.