Newsletter publishing

When the decision to publish a newsletter is made, several questions immediately pop to mind: Should we use a one-, two-, or three-column format? How should we use white space? What color stock and ink should we use? What type families should we use? What kind of illustrations should we include? What size format should we employ? What name should we give it? What should the masthead look like? How will it be distributed? These questions, although important in their own right, are the wrong ones to start with. Rather, one should ask: Who will underwrite the costs of production? What does the sponsor want to accomplish with this newsletter? Who will be the audience(s)? What are the information needs of the readers? Where do the readers´ information needs and the interests of the sponsor overlap? Only with solid answers to these latter questions will the editor/publisher of the newsletter be able to determine the need to be visually engaging, the appropriate information density, the appropriate depth of information to be presented, the optimum lengths of articles, the requisite format and design, and the subject scope of the articles to be included