Find News
Whatever you do, don?t wait for the "news" to find you - chances are, it never will. Instead, become a roving reporter and search out news stories for yourself. Attend community events, company meetings, public forums, etc. - you just might get an important interview or a rare one-time only photo opportunity!
Illustrate with Words
Leap. The use of the word ?leap? paints an immediate picture in the reader?s mind. It?s such an active, positive, happy verb. Leaping feels good. You leap to the rescue. You leap into one another?s arms. The word is surrounded by rich and positive images. Most important of all, companies and organizations don?t leap. Legal departments don?t leap. Only people leap. And that?s what makes the difference here.
Besides leaping, what else can you do? You can smile - "A recent question from a subscriber made us smile." You can blush - "We were embarrassed to discover that some names were omitted from our mailing list last month." In short, you can create images that show you?re human. And when you show that your newsletter is published by individual, caring, fallible people, you?ll connect with your subscribers in a much more meaningful way.
Visualization
In order to understand what is desired on the printed page, visualization is a necessary attribute for a newsletter publisher. To have some idea of what the finished product will look like will eliminate ¡°trial and error¡± methods and, ultimately, save time and money.
Obtain International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
Here is some information that you may want to mention.
Newsletter publishers should consider obtaining an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) for their newsletter to make it easier for libraries to keep track of publications with similar names.
A single ISSN uniquely identifies a title regardless of language or country in which published, without the burden of a complex bibliographic description. The ISSN itself has no significance other than the unique identification of a serial.
An ISSN is eight digits long.
You can obtain an ISSN for your newsletter free of charge from the Library of Congress`s National Serials Data Program at http://www.loc.gov/issn/
Publishers outside the US can obtain an ISSN from their country`s national library.
Writing In 1st, 2nd, or 3rd Person
When you are writing in:
First Person, use "I," "me," and "we." This refers to the person who is speaking.
Second Person, use "you." This refers to the person who is listening.
Third Person, use "he," "she," "it," and "they." This refers to the person or thing the writer (speaker) is talking about.
Write a Letter to the Editor
Before writing your Letter to the Editor, check out specific guidelines to the newspaper you will be writing to for word limits and style. Then, follow these simple rules:
1) Keep your letter short (200-300 words) - they are more likely to be printed.
2) State your main point clearly in the first paragraph. (If you feel 2-3 paragraphs is not enough to express your views, consider writing a guest editorial instead.)
3) Keep it on a personal level, and be sure that it is timely.
4) Always identify yourself - be sure to include your full name, address and phone number so that you can be contacted and the letter can be verified. (You may request this info not be included when the letter is published.)
Numbers in the Middle
If you are using numbers in your articles, the rule of thumb is to write out numbers one through nine and use numerals for everything else that is 10 or higher.
The exceptions are: street addresses, time of day and date, page and chapter numbers, percentages, temperatures, money, ages, channels, unions, sports scores, voting results, and proper names like 7-Up!
Numbers: st, nd, th and rd
Try to avoid the urge to put "st," "nd," "th," or "rd" after dates when they appear in your newsletter. For example, if the date you are using is May 5, do not use May 5th. However, if it is a common term that you "hear" when you say it like fifth floor or 5th floor, use it.
Use Your Senses!
Use your words to give your readers something familiar to feel, to see, to hear, to taste, and/or to touch. For instance, if you?re talking about noise, describe the noise - was it thunderous clapping? Or, maybe the chili tasted so hot, you felt as though your mouth was on fire! And, don?t forget "soft as a baby?s bottom!" (These are just examples to get you thinking...you should stay away from cliches!)
Hard-hitting Headlines
One action-packed headline will draw readers into your newsletter, if you take the time and follow some simple guidelines. This is not a time to be cute and clever, but to tell your readers about your most important "news."
1. Always use present tense; active words
2. Use no more than seven to eight words
3. Short, easy-to-understand words work best
4. Be specific; if you have more to say, add a sub-head
5. Avoid any unncessary words (the, a, an, etc.)
6. Set your headline in big, bold type
7. And, be sure the information IS further explained in your lead article
Contractions
Contractions are generally accepted in most non-academic writing (feature stories). When used in a conversational tone, they help to add personality and users will find your articles easier to read. Some of the most common contractions include:
it?s (it is)
he?s (he is) ?
who?s (who is) ?
let?s (let us)
I?m (I am)
they?re (they are)
isn?t (is not) ?
wouldn?t (would not)
couldn?t (could not)
we?ll (we will)
we?re (we are)
we?ve (we have) ?
you?d (you would)
we?d (we would)
don?t (do not)
won?t (will not)
Read for Ideas
One of the best sources for ideas for articles comes from reading other publications. Subscribe to your local newspaper and maybe a few related trade magazines. Be sure to clip interesting articles and add them to your Source File.
Write a Headline
The easiest way to compose a headline is to write a complete sentence using the most important item of interest from the article. Then, tighten it up by eliminating every unnecessary word.
Try not to get "stuck" on one particular word or headline and keep writing until you have several to choose from - then pick the most exciting headline.
Present Tense
Articles are always more interesting to your readers if you write in present tense. For example, rather than writing "Contest to begin next week," use "Contest starts Monday." It is more direct and creates a sense of timeliness.
Avoid Repetition of Words
Don?t write boring articles by using the same word(s) over and over. Spice it up a bit by opening up your thesaurus and using related words...especially if you find you have used the same word twice within the same sentence!
One way you can check this, is to circle words that you have used more than three times. If you can change the word without changing the meaning, do so.