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School Newsletters Compared to Cat Litter by Former Westminster Parliamentary Reporter

01 July 2008

Schools PR Paul Sample feels school newsletters are so awful, he's holding a 'how to write a good school newsletter' seminar across the country.

The former Westminster Parliamentary Reporter turned PR, feels that school newsletters are so ineffective he's decided to host a seminar for anyone responsible for writing, designing or editing their school newsletters.

"The worst school newsletters are truly awful," says Paul “But I believe the best are read from cover to cover. Some end up on the coffee table - but most school newsletters end up in the cat litter."

Paul, who runs his own corporate marketing and design agency feels that schools are missing a trick when it comes to their newsletters.


All schools are under a certain amount of pressure to market their school effectively and attract new students so they can get government funding but many schools don’t have the budget to employ marketing professionals. Busy teachers and overly enthusiastic students are not necessarily the best people for the job which is why Paul feels he can be of benefit and help schools communicate more effectively;

"At the end of the course, participants will have the skills and
techniques they need to make their school newsletter more interesting, vibrant and stacked full of items which people want to read,"

The course will be held in Salisbury at Sarum College and include information on;

* What makes a good school newsletter?

* Examples of best practice;

* Setting objectives for your newsletter or magazine;

* Knowing your audience;

* Writing styles and readability;

* Headlines and design;

* Photographs and illustrations;

* Editorial survival skills;

* Recruiting writers and news gathering.

 

In September the seminar will travel around the country.

Confirmed venues include:

* London;

* Newcastle;

* Manchester;

* Leicester;

* Birmingham;

* Edinburgh;

* Cardiff, and

* Belfast.

Released By

Paul Sample Corporate Communications