Thousands of people publish newsletters to attract new clients and keep their current clients informed. Many, however, struggle with the layout and design part of the publishing process. Newsletters should have a definite flow pattern to them that eases the reader from one topic to the next, and groups like topics in one area. How can you turn your mixed up newsletter into an organized ezine?
Group like topics together
If your newsletter covers upcoming career fairs, job postings, and links to sample resumes, put like with like so your readers won't have to scour the newsletter to find everything they want.
Don't insert too many fillers
If your newsletter is running a little lean for content, you can always add a few images or graphs. However, don't build your newsletter around this or use too many. Your newsletter will appear cluttered. White space is not the enemy. Don't be afraid to use it.
Use short paragraphs and lists
Long paragraphs are hard on the eyes and hard on the brain. Make your content easier to digest by breaking it into short paragraphs and bulletted lists. If you aren't sure how to do this, look at how sales letters are written. This will also help you avoid mixing stories into your facts and will keep your newsletter streamlined.
"Z" your images
If you have a lot of images, place them in a "Z" pattern on the page. The eye will track across the top of the page, down to the left corner, then back across the bottom of the page.
Put things in the same place
We are creatures of habit and like to find things easily by checking where we last saw them. If you constantly move the calendar from the back of the newsletter to the middle, then back again, readers won't know where to look. If everything is always in the same place, you won't have to worry about forgetting sections.
The same rules apply to both electronically published and printed newsletters. Desktop publishing and ezine formatting can be challenging, and there are many tools available to help you. Keep the above rules in mind and your newsletter will be a success.
