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How Do I Design a Good Newsletter? Tips and Hints
Tips and hints for designing one that generates interest
By Jacci Howard Bear Jacci Howard Bear Writer A graphic designer, writer, and artist who writes about and teaches print and web design. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on November 18, 2021 Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Design Graphic Design Photoshop Animation & Video 3D Design What to Know
Keep it short and simple, and offer readers something they can't get from alternative sources.Stick to a consistent schedule and a consistent template.Less is more. Use three or fewer typefaces, use frames and boxes sparingly, and stick to no more than one or two images per page. Whether you're designing a newsletter for print or for electronic distribution, adhering to well-established design principles can help you craft a professional-looking and reader-friendly newsletter. Use these basic guidelines when you construct your publication. Focus on Content
To stand out and be worth the recipient's time, a good newsletter must surface meaningful content in a concise fashion. The era of 20-page newsletters died in the 1990s. Today, content that informs, educates, and entertains outperforms content that reads like meeting minutes. Some best-practice tips: Give the reader something they couldn't otherwise get from alternative sources — special interviews, meaningful insider tips, etc.Most people aren't interested in content that includes meeting minutes, vacation reports, or other stuff that's of historical interest only.Keep it short and simple. No need to write a dozen paragraphs when just three or four will suffice.Use photos and illustrations, but avoid off-topic stock photos or clipart. hocus-focus / E+ / Getty Images Think twice about lifting an image or a story from the internet. In most cases, republishing content you don't own, and for which you didn't obtain a license to re-use, could get you into legal and financial hot water. As a rule of thumb: If you didn't create it yourself, you can't include it in your newsletter, unless you have proof of permission. Be Consistent
Newsletters aren't primarily consumed on paper anymore — emailed newsletters prove much more common — but what you create still ought to be printable, which means you'll need to conform to common print standards. In particular: Use grids for page-to-page consistency. Good alignment is important for a professional-looking newsletter.Use templates and style guides for consistent formatting. Whether you use someone else's template or develop your own, stay with it.Use repeating elements such as footers, headers, and department heads.Use the same few fonts throughout the newsletter. Use color to attract the eye to important information, but don't overdo it. Avoid Clutter
More isn't always better. If your newsletter is chock full of fonts, colors, photos, and graphics, the reader may be put off. Keep it clean and approachable. Use three or fewer typefaces. Use frames and boxes sparingly. Use no more than one or two pieces of clip art, photos or graphics accents per page. Avoid clip art if you can. Nothing screams "amateur hour!" like a newsletter filled with random line images. Use Contrast
Although a too-busy newsletter is off-putting, a newsletter design without contrast—a giant wall of text—tends to be boring. Ways to include contrast in your newsletter include: Use high-contrast typefaces such as a bold sans serif type for headlines and a serif font for body text.Make it big, really big. Use an exaggerated drop cap or enlarge a media attachment to make a statement.Use white space in the form of extra-wide gutters or margins to counteract dense text. White space adds visual breathing room for the eye.Add pull quotes to break up a long article and tantalize the reader. Keep them short and interesting. Electronic Newsletters
If you transmit your newsletters by email, you're required by U.S. law to comply with the terms of the CAN-SPAM Act. At a high level, you must include (usually in the footer) the name and mailing address of the publisher as well as an easy-to-find link to unsubscribe from the mailing list. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire 5 Best Sites for Free Microsoft PowerPoint Backgrounds The 9 Best Free PDF Editors (October 2022) How to Make a Greeting Card on Your Computer The Best Mac Desktop Publishing Software of 2022 Newsletter Design Software for Windows How to Plan and Create WordPerfect Templates How to Get Free Photo Books and More From Shutterfly 17 Pros and Cons of Shopping Online The 10 Best Tips for Apple Pages in 2022 How to Turn a Photo into a Nagel-Inspired Vector Portrait How Do I Replace a Hard Drive? The 5 Best Printers for College Students of 2022 9 Best Places for Free PowerPoint Templates Unsubscribe From a Newsletter or Mailing List in Gmail Understanding the Parts of a Newsletter Layout The 14 Best Tips for Facebook Cover Photos Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies