A new school year has begun. Teachers have dusted off chalk brushes. The cafeteria lady has a brand new “secret” sauce. And children are already counting down the days until summer vacation.
And at Print Three, we’re offering advice on creating effective content for school newsletters, ensuring they don’t become paper airplane parts in classrooms.
Don’t Steal Ideas, Borrow Them Instead
If your newsletters aren’t getting much of a response, look to neighbouring schools for inspiration. Your ideas don’t have to be 100% original, seeing as copyright laws are only applicable to profit-producing content.
While looking online offers tons of creative ideas, keeping your research within your school’s district will serve you better. Geographically-inclined content is more relatable, and local institutions offer a better feel for what meets the needs of your school community.
Get Your Students Involved
Once the final bell rings, students are thinking about fidget spinners, video games, and avoiding homework— not about giving their parents a newsletter. It doesn’t necessarily have to do with the quality of content either. Your prowess for prose may be akin to Edgar Allen Poe, yet your newsletter has as much chance of reaching parent hands as a failed math test.
Giving your students the responsibility of writing sections of the newsletter allows them to take ownership, and gives them an incentive to show their parents. They can write features on sports, or biographies on teachers for example. Even a featured short story will create some buzz amongst any student body!
Find Your Voice
The newsletter’s staff must be engaging writers, because a dry, information-based newsletter will punish parents worse than a months-worth of detention.
The best authors establish a relationship with their readers to keep their attention.
Finding a unique voice allows personality to shine through, providing parents a keen insight into thoughts, expectations, and core values.
Remember that the newsletter is speaking to and not at the parents. Avoid industry and institutional terms that will come across as condescending, and stick to simple, concise language.
Other Ways to Get Eyes on the Work
Always print a school’s newsletter on the same distinctive paper, so that parents will have no issues spotting it in a child’s backpack.
Disperse newsletters to the youngest siblings, since middle-school and high school students disregard most school-created content; this practice saves some schools around $400 yearly on paper!
With Print Three’s four decades in the print industry, we see ourselves as educators. That’s why our educational printing services are important to our business.
Our education print services include newsletters, orientation handbooks, student placement letters, course packs, and media kits.
To learn more, find a local Print Three location near you!