Newsletters: A Smart Start Guide
Work smarter, communicate clearly, and keep your audience in mind.
But before you dive in, we encourage you to think strategically to ensure your time and effort are well spent, and that your newsletter is doing what you need it to do.
A newsletter is most effective when it's tied to a clear purpose. Whether you're planning a first issue or refreshing an existing one, these questions will help clarify your strategy:
- Who is your audience? (e.g., current students, faculty, alumni, staff — or a combination?)
Please note: If your audience includes alumni, please contact hamily@hamilton.edu. - What should they know, feel, and/or do after reading it?
- What content/information will…
- Help you achieve your goals? (e.g., upcoming event notices, event recaps, student spotlights, news updates, announcements)
- Your audience find most helpful/valuable in their roles/lives?
- Where do these two lists overlap? This is your sweet spot.
- How will you define success? (e.g., replies, questions, clicks, event attendance)
- How does this effort align with your department’s mission or goals?
If you would like guidance from Communications & Marketing, we may ask you to answer these questions to help guide our conversation.
Short, focused newsletters are easier to produce and easier for your readers to engage with.
Food for thought:
- Style: People remember stories.
- Frequency: Monthly or once per semester is often enough.
- Format: Use headings, bullets, short sections, and clear calls to action.
- Voice: Write like a human: conversational, friendly, and easy to understand. Aim for a 9th-grade reading level.
- Roles: Who’s responsible for writing, editing, gathering photos, capturing video, formatting, sending, and evaluating?
- Ask yourself: Do we have the capacity to do this consistently without sacrificing other priorities? If not, simplify.
Instead of including long updates and every piece of content in your newsletter, consider linking to your departmental website for full stories, spotlights, or event details.
This approach:
- Keeps your email short and skimmable
- Drives traffic to your webpages, where audiences can learn more
- Makes your content findable long after the email is sent
- Increases the value of the time spent on content creation
Need help adding modules to your site to accommodate new content? We’re happy to assist.
Designing for inclusivity benefits everyone, and it ensures your message reaches as many people as possible.
- Screen readers can’t read text embedded in images; include key information as plain text or alt text.
- Avoid replacing words with emojis.
- Use mobile-friendly formatting.
- Write clear subject lines and section headers.
- Avoid attachments or overly image-heavy designs.
Nailing the logistics is key to reaching your audience effectively.
- Email list: If you’re not using a ListServ, who maintains the list? Is it current? For alumni or off-campus recipients, be mindful of data privacy.
- Sender: Use a shared departmental address when possible for continuity.
Key details to plan:
- From name: What name/department should appear?
- Reply-to address: Who on your team should receive replies?
Is this person responsible for replying or delegating to colleagues? Both? - Subject line: Aim for 40–50 characters for mobile readability.
Even without advanced email tools, you can still measure your impact.
Collect feedback regularly:
- Send a short survey at the beginning and end of the year:
- Before: What do you want to know about the department?
- After: Did you read the newsletter? What did you learn? What’s still unclear?
Embed a quick feedback link in each issue:
- “Did you find this helpful?” Link to a form with follow-up questions:
- YES: What did you enjoy? What did you learn?
- NO: What could be improved?
Watch for informal indicators:
- Are you getting replies or follow-up questions?
- Are colleagues referencing newsletter content in meetings or emails?
While the Communications & Marketing Office isn’t able to create or manage internal newsletters, we’re happy to support your efforts.
We can:
- Provide a flexible, easy-to-edit newsletter template
- Consult with you on goals, audiences, and messaging strategy
- Help you identify better-fit alternatives if a newsletter isn’t the best tool
- Support promotion through College-wide channels, when appropriate
Resources we provide:
