1. Writing for Newsletters Content Writing for Impact A Youth Summit Workshop Hosted by BLS Youth CAN and MIT May 19, 2007 Nancy DuVergne Smith Editorial Director, MIT Alumni Association

2. What makes a newsletter great?

3. Content: What you present Information that meets readers’ needs Relevance Urgency Timely topics Conversational voice Relevant facts First person stories

4. Readability: How you present it Scanable: headlines, subheads, summaries Chunks: short sentences & paragraphs Readable type Photos: tell the story Graphics: make a point

5. Who is your audience? What interests them? What are your goals? What topics connect their interests to your goals? What actions can they take?

6. Story ideas Brainstorm five story ideas Interesting Informative Engaging Describe each idea in a sentence or two

7. Why write a good headline? "Three little words (the headline, I mean) are the highest-value and highest-risk design decisions you make…." Jacob Nielsen, Web usability guru http://www.useit.com/

8. Powerful headlines Using headlines & subheads Invites scanning Respects readers’ time Underscores the point

9. Student headlines The Paly Voice Palo Alto High School, CA http://voice.paly.net/

10. Student headlines The Grizzly Gazette Granite Hills High School, El Cajon, CA http://www.grizzlygazette.net/

11. Topic to headline Write a headline for one or two of your story ideas Headline basics: Eight words or less Active verb Captures main idea

12. Dynamic writing Writing about serious issues “Local suicides cause concern in Newton” The Lion’s Roar, Newton South High School, Newton MA http://www.thelionsroar.com/index.php?method=article&id =2706

13. Writing tips Be respectful Give examples Offer voices--expert or personal Emphasize solutions Show, don’t tell

14. Inverted pyramid lead Paragraph includes Conclusion Who, when, why, where, & how Makes sense on its own Flavor

15. Inverted pyramid example 1 Does milk ruin tea? Here's a ray of hope for milky-tea drinkers: new research shows that the quaint British custom of adding milk doesn't ruin the beneficial properties of the traditional drink. www.nature.com

16. Inverted pyramid example 2 Sixteen Cities To Go Green Under Clinton Plan Sixteen cities around the world will begin cutting carbon emissions by renovating city- owned buildings with green technology under a program spearheaded by former President Clinton's foundation. Environmental News Network, www.enn.com/

17. Inverted pyramid example 3 Climate Change Linked to Higher Rates of Disease Scientists fear that rising temperatures due to climate change may jeopardize the health of millions of people living in Colombia's mountains. Conservation International, www.conservation.org www.conservation.org

18. Your inverted pyramid Please write an inverted pyramid lead for one or two of your topics

19. B.L.S YOUTH C.A.N. brainstorm

20. Resources Campus Weblines NYTimes guide to high school news writing http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/w eblines/index.html

21. Resources Poynter Institute Online Writing and editing tips and articles from noted journalism institute http://www.poynter.org/subject.asp?id=2

22. The end Thank you!