The most important thing about newsletters, whether you ultimately mail them out, post them as a PDF on your website, or use an online newsletter to create them, is the CONTENT in the newsletter. People do not read church newsletters to check out the great graphic design skills of the church—they read them to find out connecting facts and inspirational updates, such as:
- when and where the youth group is meeting
- if the church event has a cost and/or childcare
- how to become part of a small group
- they read the pastor's column to learn more about him or her as a person
- they scan the updates that head of the ministry in which they serve to see has to share this month that affects them
Bottom line: if your newsletter provides relevant, timely, useful content for the people of your church it is effective and successful.
A historical review of newsletter formats
Newsletters have been a part of my writing life long enough for me to have seen a progression of formats:
- I started out working on church newsletters by cutting and pasting images and typewriter type to create a newsletter. Copy machines did a crummy job of photos and everything had to be hand-collated, but I was in a college ministry and passionate about sharing Jesus.
- Press-on letters were a fantastic addition, even though I never could seem to get them on straight and looking back I was way too enamored with press-on borders.
- In my work as senior editor for Young Life Intl., I wrote, edited, took photos, learned to spec type, design layouts and all the skills required of a professional newsletter publisher in the pre-computer layout days. The result was professional newsletter, a far cry from the cut and paste layout days, but the cost and time involved was only affordable for big ministries.
- Desktop publishing changed everything. With little or no training anyone with a computer and page-layout software could create professional-looking (and not so professional looking) newsletters in a matter of hours and for a cost affordable for even tiny churches.
- The internet made possible newsletters in digital form, either as text (things do come around full circle), or as PDFs or digital formats such as Constant Contact.
- Much email today is in a newsletter format and fills our inboxes to overflowing.
Forms will continue to change, but the most important core will not
I have no idea the next form of newsletters, but no doubt they will continue to change and double back and be redone in various forms. Small screens, mobile phones, the iPhone will all determine some sort of format uniquely suited to them as will whatever communication technology comes along next.
What won't change is the value of your content. Focus on creating good content, content that is:
- Bible-based
- True
- Kind to people
- Complete, caring, and consistent
- Prayed over
- Worthy of your calling
Images are decoration, to be used to clarify the content. They are not the core. From images you can convey feelings or emotions, but they don't tell you anything that will result in any concrete action taken. Splashy, full-color layouts might make a seeker think a church communication department really has a great design sense, but the colorful quality layout won't make a seeker change his or her Saturday night schedule to come to your event. If, however, you tell them in clear words and details, why they should be there and offer an event of value, they may attend.
We can be assured, formats will continue to change, but no matter what tool you use to deliver your newsletter, if you focus on creating worthy content, it will contain what is most important.
Please share your thoughts, comments, questions!