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Tips for Publishing a Top-Notch Newsletterhappsa

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hether you are in private prac-tice and putting together anewsletter for your clients, or

ou play an integral part in creatinghe newsletter for your dietetic prac-ice group (DPG), there are severalos and don’ts to remember when de-eloping a publication.To bring you several helpful hints,e spoke with Joy Battistini and Vic-

oria Shanta Retelny, RD. Battistini,he American Dietetic Association’sADA’s) practice team productionditor, designs eight DPG newslettersnd several of ADA’s in-house publi-ations. Shanta Retelny, president ofiving Well Communications, writesnd speaks on a variety of food andutrition topics including weightanagement, women’s health, and

iabetes prevention. Her writing hasppeared in Self, Delicious Living,nd Communicating Food for Health.hanta Retelny also serves as thehair-elect for the Nutrition Entre-reneurs DPG.

MAGE CONTROLhoose the Right Image: How an

mage “reads” is designer-speak forow it appears to the eyes once it’sublished. Due to budget constraints,ost publications are in black andhite or use only one color. Battistininows that many color photos willead differently once they are printednd keeps this in mind when pickingn image. While photo manipulationoftware can do many things, it can’take a blurry picture clear or a very

iny image large enough to be readlearly. Select photos and graphicshat are simple and in focus.

Put the Image in the Rightlace: Because we naturally read

rom left to right, Battistini suggestslacing images on the upper right

This article was written byJennifer Mathieu, freelancewriter in Houston, TX.

fdoi: 10.1016/j.jada.2007.01.017

84 Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATIO

and corner of a page. For example, iftable or chart of statistics is a com-

anion to an article, it should belaced in the upper right hand cornero there is no ambiguity as to whichrticle it belongs to.Make the Image the Right Size:attistini also believes that for opti-um viewing, images should be at

east two columns wide unless the im-ge is a simple picture of a columnistr other writer (known in designer-peak as a “mug shot”).

EEP IT CLUTTER FREE AND EASY ONHE EYESon’t Overdo It: “I would ratherave one great image than three me-iocre ones,” says Battistini. Avoidsing too many images; you’ll onlynd up confusing the reader and clut-ering up your pages.

Break it Up: To avoid overwhelm-ng readers with big blocks of text,etelny suggests using bullets and

ists to break up the written copy. Us-ng “charticles” (articles with chartsull of concise information) can alsoelp vary the text layout. The chartsan also be clipped and saved by read-rs.

ON’T BE CUTEtay Away From the Silly: Nothingakes a professional publication ap-

ear unprofessional like a floweryorder, overly cute clip art, andhimsical fonts. No matter how crit-

cal and well thought out an article is,reader will have a hard time taking

t seriously if it’s surrounded by a bor-er made of balloons. Stick to neutral,asteful graphics.

Fonts Matter: The copy used inrticles should never be smaller than.5 point and never larger than 11oint. The leading—the space be-ween letters and lines—should be 13oint, an industry standard.According to Battistini, studies

ave shown that people read and pro-ess serif fonts faster than sans serif

onts. Good fonts to choose for article y

N © 2007

opy include Times, Palatino, and Sa-on. Fonts to avoid in article copy in-lude Helvetica, Arial, Optima, andomic Sans. (“Comic Sans should beanned,” jokes Battistini, “it’s neverppropriate.”) Headline fonts could beerif or sans serif, says Battistini, butlways make sure they are profes-ional in appearance.

EMEMBER THE READERake it Easy to Follow Articles: If

ou are going to “jump” an articlerom one page to another, make theump easy for the reader. Ideally, therticle should jump to the very nextage. Always have a “slug” word onoth ends of the jump so the readeran find the article. (Example: SeeBESITY on page 8). Make sure the

lug word is easy to find and specific.or example, Battistini avoids usinghe slug word “nutrition” because itould apply to almost every article inhe publication.

Have Fresh Eyes Check Yourork: Always make sure at least one

ther person checks your copy beforeoing to print to make sure it readsell and is free of errors, reminds Re-

elny. Spell check is not enough. Thessociated Press Stylebook and Brief-

ng on Media Law, often referred to ashe journalist’s bible, is used by re-orters worldwide as the last word onpelling, usage, and punctuation.ther resources for writers suggestedy Retelny include Pen on Fire byarbara Demarco and The Writer’sigest magazine.Create Added Value: Whenever

ossible, give the reader Web sitesnd the names of publications to findurther information, says Retelny.oxes that tease the reader withhat’s to come in the next issue arelso a good idea.

HE NEXT STEPinding the Right People for theob: If you’re looking for writers, ed-

tors, and designers to help you create

our newsletter, www.freelancesuccess.

by the American Dietetic Association

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1-800-558-9595 www.eNasco.com/nutrition

BUSINESS OF DIETETICS

om and www.mediabistro.com providenline marketplaces for freelancers seek-ng work. Make sure to get samples ofork before making a selection. When

nterviewing a potential designer, giveim or her examples of the existingewsletter and ask for opinions on how to

mprove the look. For anyone interestedn what questions to ask when consultingith a designer, e-mail Joy Battistini at

battistini@eatright.org.What About Online Editions?ccording to Battistini, ADA surveysave shown that DPG members pre-er paper newsletters over electronicersions. However, Battistini sug-ests using Acrobat software to createPDF image of the newsletter and

hen store those images on a Web siteccessible only to members. Be awarehat because PDF images of newslet-ers are often quite large, many-mail inboxes can’t accept them.ith online editions, be aware of com-

atibility issues that can come up be-ween Macintosh and PC computers.ertain images and fonts will not

ranslate properly between the twoypes of computers.

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March 2007 ● Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION 385