Don't Bang Your Head Against the Wall: 3 Rules for Writing Effective School Newsletter Titles

Like an opening sentence, your school newsletter title is a way to extend a metaphorical hand to your readers.

But writing headlines can be a head-scratcher! If you struggle with finding the right headline, here’s a checklist that will help:

Rule #1: Identify the WHO. Who is this newsletter for?

Let’s look at an example:

Hmmm. Is this newsletter FOR 2nd grade scholars or ABOUT 2nd grade scholars? In either case, it certainly doesn’t give me the information I need to keep reading.

Rule #2: Specify the WHAT. What is this newsletter about?

Let’s return to “2nd Grade Scholars.” Where’s the WHAT? What about 2nd Grade scholars? Is this general information? A treatise on 2nd grade scholarship? Is it cast in a sarcastic light? (Your high schoolers are behaving like 2nd Grade scholars!) or a positive one?

There’s just no way to tell from the title.

Rule #3: Specify the WHY. Give me a reason to keep reading.

Communications are a transactional experience. You want someone to read what you’ve written. Ok, but... what do they get on their end? The pleasure of reading your words isn’t enough. So, from the get-go, you need to explain their gain.

“2nd Grade Scholars” is a title without a WHY.

Putting it all together

Clever isn’t important. Clear is what’s important. To be clear, you need to specify the WHO, the WHAT, and the WHY. Like this:

This Week in 2nd Grade: Important Info for Families

Who: Parents & Caregivers of 2nd graders.
What: important info.
Why: So I know what’s going on with my kid.

It’s not snazzy, but it’s clear. Plus, if you’ve got space for a subtitle, you can clarify even further.

And if I’m a second grade parent, I’m gonna read that newsletter!

Get started with your own template here.