Keeping the Focus of Newsletter Readers

All the News That’s Fit to Print

Keeping the Focus of Newsletter Readers

By Joanne Grimm

Eight seconds. Eight seconds is the average person’s attention span before something else catches their attention. Research on attention spans was done in 2015 by Microsoft Canada, a multinational international technology corporation.

Here you are, the editor of a newsletter. How do you keep the readers’ attention and expand that eight seconds?

First, decide on the purpose of your publication. What do you want it to achieve? A newsletter should be the voice of a group and include not only information and directives, but also news about the members and their interests.

• The newsletter must be reader-friendly. That means it is easy to read quickly and contains information that is interesting and useful to the reader. • The optimum length for a monthly newsletter is four pages with five to eight pieces of content. The most readable fonts are Arial and Times New Roman in 10 to 14 types.

The preferred type color is black. Colored type and type changes in an article cause the reader to lose focus. To call attention to information, put it in bold. • The newsletter needs to be easy to read on a mobile device.

Large blocks of type crammed together are not readerfriendly. Avoid continuing an article from one page to another. • Tell the reader who wrote the articles with by-lines. Put the name of the editor and contact information in a staff box. • The stories on the first page of a newsletter draw the reader into it. They will likely not read further if they see nothing that interests them. Put the information you want the reader to have on the first page—print opinion pieces on inside pages, such as columns by officers and chairpersons. • Always have a third-party proofreader and always do a spelling and grammar check. A∆K uses “The Associated

Press Stylebook” for publications. “The A∆K Style Sheet” lists the correct capitalizations of offices and committees.

It is on the International website. • Never assume that the readers know what abbreviations or technical terms mean. Take the time to write it out or explain it. • Headlines tell the reader about the content of a story and help them decide if they want to read it. A headline always contains an active verb. They may be colored, but avoid

red. It has a negative association with many readers. • News stories use an inverted pyramid style, with essential information in the first paragraph. Articles should include the five “horsemen” of news writing: who, what, where, when and why. • Articles need to be relevant to the readers. Look for the angle that connects the reader with the subject. • Never reprint an article from another publication unless you have the written permission of that publication or that author. You may quote a limited amount from a printed piece under the “doctrine of fair use.” • An article should fill in the “curiosity gap” between what a reader knows and what he wants to know or should know. • Use photos when you can, but make sure they are clear and you have the permission of the people in the photograph. • Before you push the send button, ask: Does this draw in the reader? Will it get the results I want? Is it easy to read and understand?

Attention spans extend as interest grows. When you make it interesting, enjoyable and attractive, you’ll get more than eight seconds.

“30”

Joanne Grimm, CA Alpha Alpha is the Editor of the KAPPAN. She was a working journalist before she changed careers to teach journalism.

“30” is the traditional sign-off. It lets the copyreader know there is no more to the story.

“All the News That’s Fit to Print” is the slogan of the New York Times.