 Newsletters, like this weekly one from FISHINGmagic, keep members informed |
GOOD NEWSLETTER WRITING
Despite your very best attempts at getting your members to come to meetings, most will inevitably stay at home (or go fishing instead). This means that they cannot be kept up-to-date with the latest club information unless you write to them with a club newsletter. The newsletter must always sell the club to members, especially the one you send out with the renewal notices.
First of all, you must choose a format for the newsletter. Some wealthier clubs go to great lengths and have professionally produced newsletters – great for them! Some simply take a few scribbled notes down to their printer and ask him to produce something, but it will be very expensive since you’re paying for a lot of his time.
A simple preference is for an A4 format with two newspaper-like columns, most PC word processors can produce this sort of layout. Laying it out in columns means you waste less space because any line containing just one or two words to finish a paragraph will only waste half a line across the page instead of a full line. Also, shorter lines make it easier to read since the eye doesn’t have to scan so far across the page. However, if you have access to Microsoft Publisher, that will give you far more layouts than you bargained for.
WRITING THE CONTENT
You must start off with all the really good news, make a big headline of it. It must NOT be written ‘stiffly’ as though it were a set of minutes. Find a few anecdotes about funny catches to include alongside the notable catches and put the members full names (not nicknames) to the catches to make them more believable. DON’T make private jokes with your mates in the newsletter, one or two might understand it, but 99% of your members won’t and they will feel excluded.
The most important thing to remember when writing a newsletter is never to allow your sentences to get too long. An average of 30 words per sentence is ideal. Don’t write more than three or four sentences per paragraph unless one of them is a very short sentence that deeply relates to your point and must be included. This all helps the readability of the text and ensures that the reader is not deterred from getting stuck into it.
As an example take a glance at the “Terms & Conditions” for a credit card or insurance document. You really don’t want to even begin reading it because the large blocks of small text put you off. Then look at the text in The Daily Mirror or The Sun, see how much easier it looks to read (Not the pictures)! These papers are attention grabbers and know their market, they know they only have a few seconds of your attention; honestly, I’m not being sarcastic!
This is because newspaper offices use a method of measurement call the “Fog Index”. It is a calculation based on the number of words in a sentence plus the number of syllables in multi-syllable words contained in the same sentence. There is then a table to convert this number to an average reading age. Would you believe that even The Times is written with an average reading age of just 18 years in mind?
Other points to remember are:
- Don’t write pompous sentences.
- Don’t worry about including photographs, they’re nice to have, but difficult to reproduce.
- Don’t write more than two sentences in succession beginning with the same word. (Oops, I just did that with “Don’t”!)
- Be careful with homonyms, words spelt or sounding the same, but could have different meanings eg.: two, too, to, and whether or weather and their or there.
- Watch your punctuation and leave two spaces after a full stop, one after a comma.
- Avoid passive phrasing such as “it might be that..” or “perhaps if it…”
- Make the dialogue interesting; your text has to sell the point you are making.
- Don’t waffle or poke fun at your mates. It alienates those outside of the target group.If you quote someone be sure that it is correctly attributed.
- Beware of libellous allegations! A simple word might be inferred to mean an altogether different thing.
- Use a word-processor so that you can print the text as it would appear in its final form. You save on printer’s typesetting costs.
- If you do use a computer then use the spellchecker!
- Think about printing the newsletter on coloured paper, such as yellow. It gives the newsletter a more cheerful look and black print on yellow is actually easier to read!
- Now let’s just look at a couple of examples, the first is an abstract from a couple of actual clubs’ newsletters.
GENERAL (OPEN) MEETINGS
For several years now the attendance at General Meetings has been low in relationship to the number of members, but the last meeting must be an all time record. I know that several ‘regulars’ were on holiday, but we would like to see a few more faces. This is, or should be, your opportunity to express your views or comments on how the Club is managed. It would help the committee to know more members views.
The next meeting will be on the 5th May at the Pig and Whistle pub starting at 8:00pm. This is your last chance.
WATERS AND FISH
This year has produced some good catches from our waters. The big lake has produced a 39lb mirror and 34lb common carp as well as bream up to 14lb and several good tench to over 7lb. The Dribble has produced big barbel for several anglers including a woman.
NEW VENUE
The Association has a new fishery. You should receive a map of the venue with this newsletter. You will need your normal LDAC ticket when you fish this water. Keepnets are banned, but that shouldn’t bother Arthur as his always stays dry.
In this example the main item starts by giving a scolding to the members, something you should never do. It is then followed by some unsupported fish catches and the best news of all is played down and introduced as an almost insignificant remark. And who the hell is ‘Arthur’?
Now try this:
MEMBERS HAVE A NEW VENUE TO FISH!
Members now have a new fishery added to their ticket and this one is a real cracker. Open for 12 months, it is well noted for being a tremendous winter venue as well as promising good fishing for tench in spring and summer. Please note, keepnets are banned.
It is included on your ticket now because of our affiliation to the local Association who have negotiated this on our behalf. Next year it will add £ 2.50 to the price of your membership, but considering that a day ticket on the venue will normally cost £ 5 this has to be a bargain.
A map is included with this newsletter and you must have your LDAC membership card when you fish. DO GIVE IT A TRY, SOON.
MEETING NIGHTS
Sadly these are becoming less and less well attended and we feel that we are doing something wrong. We want to encourage you to come along and express your views and we do promise to listen. The next open meeting is in three weeks time on the 5th May at the Pig and Whistle pub. We have booked guest speaker and expert barbel fisher Lou Rolls for a slide show and talk on his style of fishing. Please come along and bring a few friends as well. A free buffet will also be provided!
TOP CATCHES
There have been some astonishing catches from LDAC waters. Best was a 39lb mirror carp that fell to member Justin Thyme who landed the fish after an epic 22 minute struggle. It fell to a maple syrup flavoured boilie.
Champion lady angler Norma Snipples also caught her best ever barbel from the River Dribble, a fish of 9lbs 2ozs caught on flavoured luncheon meat. “I was amazed. It was on a sweltering hot day when we were all stripping off to keep cool. All the other blokes were blanking.” she said. Her friend Betty Swollocks also did well with a netful of bream and chub for over 70lb taken on the feeder.
In this example the main news is the new fishery and members are being encouraged to try it. The item on meeting nights no longer reads as a reprimand, but instead the members are encouraged to come along to listen to a well known angler. The fish catches now appear more believable with names, weights and baits all being mentioned. Altogether, a much more up-beat tempo to the newsletter that should hold and captivate the reader.
This can only be a brief lesson, writing is a skill that can be learned and there are many books covering this subject. Never stop trying to improve yourself, even the best paid, best published writers started from the same base. So who knows where you could end up.
CUTTING PRINTING COSTS
One of the major costs born by most clubs is that of printing all the rule books, newsletters, membership cards, and match planners. Here are some tips to keep those costs to a minimum.
Firstly, what is the most common size of paper used in this country today? Why, A4 of course. To use any other size adds cost because the printer has to use larger sheets to print the original. A3 is acceptable if folded to A4, but any other size has to be cut back. This result is a waste of paper and an increase in labour charges. Therefore: plan all of your newsletters and other literature around A4 paper wherever possible!
A4 folded into thirds also fits inside a DL envelope, the cheapest envelopes you can buy!
The next point is: why use a printer at all? How many members do you have and how many copies do you require of each piece of information? It might be that it is far cheaper to use a local photocopying bureau to produce your newsletter, applications forms and match planners. These bureaux are obliged to produce a first-class quality image; their reputation depends on it. Providing you supply them with a first-class quality original produced on an inkjet or laser printer from a PC, there is no reason why they cannot produce a copy that would be hard to distinguish from that from a printer. So: if you want less than 500 (a reasonable break-even point) copies and you have a good quality original use a photocopying bureau.
What about membership cards? Most of them, these days, have a picture of the member on them and most clubs encase them in a plastic sleeve. Instead of asking a printer to produce them, why not purchase some A4 160gsm card and print them yourself on your inkjet printer and you can change the card colour easily every year? Most inkjet printers will happily print on 160gsm card and most PC word processors will have a ‘label’ format you can adapt. Use the label that would best fit your membership details and plastic sleeves you have purchased and slice them with a trimmer/guillotine. The cost of the guillotine (£ 40-100 depending on quality) will be recovered in next to no time (probably the first print run). It takes a little extra work on your part, but: print your own membership cards.
Little Dribble Angling Society membership card 2002/2003
This card must be shown to any club bailiff or landowner who asks to see it
Space for photo Name:____________________
No.: ____________________
Issued subject to the rules and conditions of the Club.
This card remains the property of the Club
You will also notice on the sample card above it states “Issued subject to the rules and conditions of the Club”. Putting this on your membership card saves you having to issue new rule books every year since it places the onus upon the member to ensure he is aware of all the club’s rules. If they request a copy then, of course, you must supply one, but this again can be reproduced by a photocopy bureau on A4 paper. There is no need for anything fancy: make the rule book available by photocopying A4 sheets (you can even charge them extra for a copy).
Here’s just another tip – if the total copies required of each item is less than 50 then have you thought about printing them straight off a laser printer? The quality will be unsurpassed and a toner cartridge will print up to 3000 copies. Or, why not have the club invest in their own photocopier? They will happily pay £ 1,000 or £ 2,000 each year for a fishery so why not pay £ 400 or so for a damned good photocopier, consider second-hand, and put an end to all printing costs!
Investing in good administration equipment is just as important as the investment you make in your fisheries and it will make your job a lot easier!!!
Next – Writing good letters (along with a few laughs).
