JTC 351 Public Relations Practices
Assignment #9

Planning a Newsletter

Option A: Community Hospital

Assume you are editor of a four-page newsletter for Community Hospital. The newsletter features a basic 8-1/2x11-inch format, printed on an 11x17-inch sheet. The newsletter can be folded in half or in thirds for mailing. Total circulation is 15,500, including 1,500 employees, 300 community opinion leaders, and 4,000 contributors. What other target publics might you identify?

The purpose of the newsletter is to inform constituencies about hospital services and give tips about preventative health care. The annual promotional theme for the hospital and for the newsletter is hospital community service.

The hospital will enter a major fundraising campaign in Spring to make additions to the hospital. Your January newsletter is to help pave the way for the fundraising venture. Add additional details as you think appropriate.

Option B: Class Project Client

If appropriate (and if you wish to do so) assume you have identified a four-page newsletter as tool that that would beneficial to for the client you have chosen for your class project. Do not choose this option if your client already has a newsletter that you play to use in your campaign, unless you propose to completely reform and redesign the publication.

Your design should be roughly equivalent in complexity to the four-page 8.5x11-inch format (printed on an 11x17-inch sheet) in Option A. However, the format might vary--depending on your client's needs (e.g. a tabloid instead of 8.5x11-inch). The circulation and audience for your newsletter should be determined by the client's needs and circumstances.

Also assume your client has least one major upcoming event that requires promotion in the near term. The initial issue will be produced in the first or second month of your proposed campaign. You can choose the appropriate date for publication, but should be sure to up a date on your publication..

Assignment:

1. Prepare an MMO for your newsletter (either the publication itself or this issue only). Briefly outline key strategies for this communications tool. Your MMO should include the name of your newsletter (as it would appear on the masthead or flag) and the rationale for the editorial content. When identifying publics, be sure to address how they will receive the newsletter (pick up, hand delivery by staff, mail out, fulfilling mail requests, online, etc.)
2. Prepare a story budget of possible story ideas that you might include in the issue. Be sure to provide variety in terms of story lengths, formats (such as lists or feature boxes) and subject matter. Your one-page listing should classify stories based upon whether items are major features, major news announcements, general news stories, minor features or sidebars, etc. (You can determine the actual classifications.) Include any standing columns or departments. Identify photos/photo concepts and graphics you might wish to include to illustrate your main stories. (Stand-alone photos with captions are also possible.)
   • Note: You might develop more story ideas than you can include in your first newsletter. It is common practice to identify these as "future" or "backup" stories that can be held in reserve if needed.
   • After completing your list, number each item. Use these numbers to indicate the corresponding item in your layout dummy (see Item #3):
3. Prepare a dummy layout showing the placement of possible stories in this issue of the newsletter and write a complete headline for every story.
   • Indicate on the dummy where the masthead, headlines and photographs or other visual elements would be placed. You should also determine whether you wish to include a mailing panel (recommended) and where.
   • Use the story numbers (in circles) in the appropriate columns to identify each story or item.
   • Your complete headline should show how it will appear on one, two or three lines. The text for headlines should generally fill out the column width -- avoid distracting holes. (Alternatively, you may type the complete headline on a separate page, but be sure to show the line breaks.
   • Most publications include a mastbox -- a two or three-inch box that lists the publication name, volume and issue, editorial contact info, and postal publication number (if appropriate). This often appears on the bottom of page 2, but can float (i.e. be moved from issue to issue) depending on your layout.
4. Develop a basic publication stylesheet (headline schedule or head sched) to show the selected typefaces for headlines, subheads, cutlines, body copy etc. (Review design principles discussed in class as well as JTC 211 and other courses.)

Depending upon your desktop publishing skills, you may:

• use Adobe In-Design or any publishing software (including MS Publisher or Word) to produce your dummy, OR
• simply create a grid format and neatly write your headlines (with story numbers) on blank dummy sheets. A layout grid can be created easily in Word. Here's how: Open a new document. Use Page Setup to choose portrait (versus landscape) perspective. Set all page margins at .5 inches (on top, bottom, left and right). Then use the Table function to insert a full-page table with either two columns (2 columns by 1 row) or three columns (3 columns by 1 row), or 4 columns (4 columns x 1 row). Save your grid. Then print out 4+ sheets. Use pencil to neatly indicate your arrangement of content elements (headlines, stories, photos, etc.) on the page.

Your finished assignment ("deliverable") thus will include four elements::

• MMO (1-1.5 pages)
• Story budget for this issue, indicating categories of stories (one-page list)
• Dummy with headlines indicated (four pages)
• Stylesheet (one page)

Note: Your are not expected to write the actual copy for your proposed newsletter stories. Students who choose a newsletter for their Class Project may use this layout and then write the appropriate copy as one of the three creative pieces (sets of materials) submitted for their project.

Return to Class Exhibits Page
Posted November 2008