College of Medicine

HOW-TO DECIDE ON FORMAT AND CONTENT FOR YOUR NEWSLETTER

A department newsletter is a great way to keep people informed about the latest news and events in your department as well as share best practices and resources. There are a few key aspects of creating a successful department newsletter: defining your goals, choosing a style, and deciding on a timeline.

WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?The first step in creating a department newsletter is to define your goals. This helps you to decide what you want to achieve with your newsletter. Here are some suggestions for what your goals and content can be:

• Introducing staff, faculty, or anyone outside of the College of Medicine to who you are and what you do.
• Informing staff and faculty about departmental news and events.
• Sharing resources and best practices for your specialty. 

Knowing this will set the tone for your audience. You might need to take a more formal or informal approach depending on the audience. Once you have that, you can start thinking about what style you need. 

CHOOSING A STYLEThere are many different styles of newsletters. Each one has its pros and cons depending on your goals. It’s also helpful to think about how you want the audience to view and experience it. An image placed in an email is a quick and easy to share a one-time announcement, but a interactive newsletter can include links for multiple events. While a physical printed document can create the feel of a traditional and professional newsletter. 

The styles of newsletters are:

HTML
Pros : Most common, can be formal, useful for interactive elements such as links, emails, and event responses.
Cons : Limited design options due to Outlook constraints.

Static image
Pros : Simple and easy to use
Cons : All content must fit on one page. May come across as informal. Does not handle large amounts of text well.

PDF attachment
Pros : Can be as many pages as you want or need
Cons : Must be viewed as an attachment, and some emails might treat this as spam

Physical print
Pros : Can have many pages and be magazine quality
Cons : It costs time and money to have a physical newsletter printed

TIMELINEDeveloping a realistic timeline is key to maintaining a consistent publishing schedule for your newsletter. Consider the frequency at which you'll be able to generate enough content and strike a balance that keeps readers engaged without overwhelming them. Monthly, quarterly, and biannual newsletters are common options. The frequency of your newsletter will depend on your goals and the amount of content you have to share. If you want to keep faculty and staff informed about all the latest news and events, you may want to send out a newsletter monthly or every other month. If you have less content to share, you may be able to send out quarterly or biannually.

CONCLUSIONCrafting an effective department newsletter requires careful consideration of goals, style, and timeline. By defining clear objectives, choosing a suitable style, and establishing a realistic publishing schedule, you can create a captivating newsletter that fosters engagement, strengthens communication, and enhances understanding of your department.

We are happy to walk you through the process and help you create the best newsletter!