considering creating an online or email newsletter and looking for a template? Finding or designing a template for a text newsletter is a simple process.
It's the fundamental method for email newsletters, and anyone who can type can use it (even with just two fingers).
This strategy is effective for newsletters that prioritize content. For instance, since 1999, I have written and published Abbott's Communication Letter online continually, and for the most of that time, I have only utilized text. I attempted HTML formats a few times, but I had little luck (at least not enough to compensate for the extra time and trouble involved).
You only have to choose if you want to differentiate between the sections when using a text email newsletter (for example, editorial content from advertising). Use one of the standard separator strategies (repeating any key that isn't a number or letter) if you do wish to separate the parts from one another.
Here is an example of a space, period, and space separator:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
And this example only uses the plus sign.
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In order to make your email newsletter simpler to read, you often leave a blank line before and after the separator line.
You can also use ALL-CAPITAL LETTERS in the headline to draw readers' attention to new parts. This improved the number of click-throughs on the advertising in a test I conducted a few years back, so I've generally kept up the practice (using both separator lines and all-caps).
Naturally, since I had already capitalized the ad title, I also capitalized the newsletter name, editorial headlines, and administrative information headlines. simply for consistency's sake and to make it simpler for readers to explore the various sections.
Before creating a template using our collection of formatting tricks, there is one more format issue we must resolve. That is how you set a line length. We cannot guarantee that subscribers will see what we see due to the wide range of email readers. This means that the text should be wrapped (placed a hard return) after 60 to 65 characters. You can accomplish this manually if your newsletter isn't too lengthy by adjusting the page width of your document to the proper distance and then pressing the Enter key at the end of each line. Use one of the automatic format tools that are accessible online if your newsletter is longer.
This guarantees an even, legible line length, which is crucial because studies show that reading becomes harder as lines become longer. It also means that for certain subscribers, each paragraph won't end up being one incredibly long line (they probably will just delete your newsletter, rather than try to read it).
But keep in mind that you can't add line length to your template; you'll have to do it for each issue. As a type of template, the text above and below the journalistic content and advertisements in my newsletter serves to remind me to keep each line to 65 characters.
Once you've decided on your format, simply build a template by saving a copy of the email (without the editorial and promotional content). Simply open the template for each new issue, add fresh content, and save the document under a new name.
You may name the template file "My Email Newsletter Template" and the most recent edition "June 15 Email Newsletter," for instance.
Go to a search engine and browse for other text newsletters to get some inspiration for text formats and templates. You may do this by keying in the word newsletter together with the name of a subject. 'Jack Russell Terrier' plus 'newsletter,' for instance. You'll learn some helpful knowledge and receive inspiration for your email newsletter template if you choose a topic that interests you.
