External Magazines and Newsletters
A organization’s external publications go directly
to the outside world—untouched, unfiltered, uninterrupted, and without comment by the
media, competitors, government agencies, or critics.
Some external publications are regularly issued. Others are special projects
created to deal with specific issues.
Different Rules for Different Formats
Newsletters, print magazines, e-zines, or special reports are all “publications,” but each has different writing, design, and graphics requirements.
Newsletters generally have fewer pages than magazines. They are more informal, have fewer pictures or artwork, and less advertising, if any. Most of them are written on a computer, “pasted” into a template, often using desktop publishing, and then printed and photocopied. It is inexpensive and less production time is needed so it can usually be more “current” than a magazine. In terms of distribution, they can be handed out, mailed, or even faxed or e-mailed.
Magazines have more pages and more opportunities for the creative use of color, photographs, illustrations, and graphics. Since you normally have to use an actual print shop, the cost is generally higher, and the turn-around time is generally longer, which means the “news” is less current. Magazines can be handed out or mailed.
E-zines can be as simple or complex as you want to make them. They are ready to be “distributed” as soon as you have finished preparing the material. Once you have the hardware and software up and running, the “cost” is usually limited to the time spent putting it together. They can often be sent as e-mails or as e-mail attachments. They are quite often posted on the Internet and subscribers are sent an e-mail letting them know that a new issue is “up” and ready to be read.
Special reports can be as simple as a brochure, or as complicated as a media kit containing news releases, photographs, CDs, CD-ROMs, videocassettes, or DVDs. Special reports can take the form of a magazine or even a book. They can be whatever you decide they need to be.
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The Focus Is…
Publications, even electronic ones, are products; they have to have to be designed. Let’s look at 10 questions you need to ask yourself that will help you figure out what you do or do not want in your publication:
1)
Why do you have it?
The vast majority of them are distributed free, so generally purpose is not to make a profit. There is, however, a potential profit in terms of their use as marketing and advertising tools. They keep your name and your service in front of your readers. There is the potential of building and maintaining a relationship with your readers that will make them more likely to come to you when they do need what you have to offer.
People get services and donors give sponsorship to people and organizations they are familiar with and trust. If they see your magazine on a regular basis, they will become familiar with you and what you offer.
2)
Who is your
audience?
Are you going to be sending the publication to your current action sponsor or beneficiaries or other stakeholders?
Are you going to be sending it out to people you don’t use your services yet?
Do you consider your employees, past and present, to be part of your audience? Their families? The government? A combination?
Will it be a controlled circulation magazine? If so, what will the criteria be? Who will get it? Many controlled circulation magazines go out to people who fit certain demographics, such as occupation, education, hobbies, gender and/or income. In some cases magazine subscriptions are based on the address and go only specific neighborhoods.
3) What
are you focusing on?
Will you focus on the services? If so, will it concentrate on what’s new with your offers and how the offers will bring about benefices to the communities you serve?
Will you focus on the people who use your services in new and interesting ways? How about focusing on the people who plan the projects that will bring about the services you offer?
What about the people who will implement and evaluate it?
Or will it be a combination of all these?
Another option would be to make it somewhat of a general interest magazine in which some articles have some tie-in to the service provided.
4) Will it be a direct or indirect marketing tool?
Will people be able to access to your services directly through the publication?
Will articles focus on the benefices or the pleasure of using these services joys ?
Will you show how these services are tailored to community needs? Will you talk of the people who design the plans implement and evaluate them, or even come up with ideas to improve them it?
Will you tell people where to get your services?
Will you include testimonials from users?
5) What’s your editorial policy?
Magazine editors and writers have to know what is expected of them in terms of content, style, and tone. What sections or departments will it have? What sort of articles are you interested in running, and how do you want them written and illustrated?
A magazine’s editorial policy is often based on the target audience. That means you must have a thorough knowledge of the target reader; and of exactly what you want that target reader to think, feel, or do when finished with an issue of the publication.
The question for an external publication is: Will it be hard sell? Or soft sell?
6) How will it be delivered?
Will it be a printed publication? Available online? Sent out by e-mail?
If it is printed, will it be mailed out? Will it be available at branch offices, sales and distribution centers? Or both?
Will you include other material with it; information about the organization, or about using the services provided?
7)
How often?
Will it be regular? If so, will it be monthly? Quarterly? Annually? Or will you produce “Special Projects” on an as-needed basis?
8)
Who will produce it?
Will you produce the entire publication in-house? Will you hire an editor and use freelance writers, photographers, and artists? Or will you turn the entire publication over to an outside consultant or agency that specialize in producing such publications?
Regardless who actually produces it, what department will it be under? How much autonomy will the editor have? What sort of approval process do you want to set up? Who will have the final say-so on content?
9)
How big?
How big will it be? What sizes will the pages be? Do you want a magazines small
enough to fit in a back pocket? In a brief case? Do you want something that will look good
on a coffee table?
How many pages will it be? Will it be the same number of pages every issue? Or will you have bigger themed issues; such as one for the holidays, or perhaps one tied to the release of the annual report?
10)
How will you pay for it?
Will you charge for subscriptions? Will it have any advertising at all? Will it just advertise the organization’s product line and services, or will you look for outside advertising? Will you look at sharing the cost with suppliers and/or distributors?
Fairness and Point of View
You can say anything you want to in your own magazine, but unless you say it
“properly,” no one will pay any attention to it.
We are a world of media consumers; raised with and surrounded by media of all kinds, all of the time. As a result, we are all experienced media critics. We might not be able to explain why we distrust or are displeased with a certain message, but once a message triggers certain alarms, we stop accepting it. Even if we continue “receiving” the message, we stop believing it. In fact, in some cases we automatically believe the opposite.
What triggers these alarms? Why do we believe some messages and not others? Psychologists and communication theorists have written books on the subject. Here’s a more practical answer.
We have all been raised with journalism. We know what “news” stories are, and one of the things they all have in common is that they report both sides of a story. We have learned to have more faith in reports that give us both sides of a story than in those that are obviously one-sided.
The people who read your publications are also exposed to the media, and will probably know what others are saying.
One of the best ways to convince people of anything is to fairly present both—or
all—sides of an issue, since your reader is probably already aware of them. Then deal
with all the issues, point by point, and show how your action or opinion is justified by
the conditions and facts.
Remember there is nothing requiring the outside world to believe what
they see, or, for that matter, even read it. The public has been conditioned to question
anything that looks too one-sided. In fact, there is evidence that a highly credible
source will look even more credible by admitting to making a small mistake. This finding
might also translate to a organization’s external publication if it includes minor
negative information.
Template:
E-mail newsletter
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