6 Tips for Designing a Great College Newsletter

The higher education industry encounters numerous challenges in the process of designing a great college newsletter — struggling to keep up with rapidly advancing technology, contending with limited resources, and ensuring campaigns are both relevant and engaging for a wide range of target audiences. The truth is, emails have evolved from simply being a form of communication to a tool for universities to establish connections with students, potential recruits, alumni, and their own internal teams. Keep reading for email design ideas from professionals across different industries that you can implement today to design a great college newsletter.

1. Include Upcoming Events

"Make sure to include upcoming events on the college campus. When people read newsletters, it's nice for them to feel like they have things to look forward to. It also makes them feel like they're in an environment where there's always something fun or interesting going on. This lets them continue to look forward to receiving your newsletter." — Maegan Griffin, Founder, CEO, Nurse Practitioner, Skin Pharm

2. Incorporate Images and Videos into Your Emails

"Incorporate images and videos into your college newsletter to make it visually appealing and engaging for readers. Images and videos break up text blocks and add interest to your newsletter, so it's more likely readers will read all the way through. Additionally, images and videos illustrate your point or visually tell a story, so your audience better understands your messaging. When using images and videos in your newsletter, use only high-quality images that are relevant to your topic. Otherwise, you wind up distracting readers from the messaging rather than help them comprehend it." — Matthew Ramirez, CEO, Rephrasely

3. Include Topics Readers Enjoy

"Newsletters usually suffer from low open rates because they fail to address the needs of their audience. This often happens with college newsletters because faculty assume students are solely interested in scholastic topics. College newsletters rely as much on marketing psychology as any business email campaign does. Your first step should be sending out surveys to collect data on students' interests. Then, infuse these topics into your newsletter in the form of content pillars. By weaving in the student body's ongoing interests — clubs, campus events, or sponsored job opportunities — you'll instantly see an uptick in your open and click through rates." — Brian Nagele, CEO, Restaurant Clicks

4. Try Black and White Design

"One tip for designing a great college newsletter is to consider using black and white design elements. Black and white visuals can provide a clean, modern look that will draw readers in and help make your content more readable. This way you can draw readers' focus toward the content, rather than eye-catching color or images. It's also important to make sure the layout is organized, with a hierarchy of headings and subheadings that naturally guide readers through the content. Try using a grid-based design to ensure that all elements and texts are in the appropriate place on the newsletter. This breaks up the monotony of a black and white composition, making it more engaging for readers." — Shaun Connell, Founder, WritingTips.org

5. Make the Layout Easy to Navigate

"One great tip for designing a college newsletter is to make sure that the layout is easy to navigate. When it comes to layout, simplicity is key. Use easy-to-read fonts and spacing, and limit the number of different typefaces you use. Breaking your content down into digestible chunks and using headings and subheadings will help your readers quickly scan through the information. Add images and graphs that'll break up the text and add interest, but make sure they're relevant to your topic. You also want to be careful about how much information you include — newsletters can quickly become overwhelming if you try to pack in too much information." — Kate Wojewoda-Celinska, Marketing Manager, Spacelift

6. Ensure Your Emails Are Accessible

"I would ensure that your newsletter is accessible to individuals with disabilities across all devices. Responsive design is when a website or email newsletter is correctly rendered on a variety of platforms, including desktop, mobile, and tablet. Making responsive newsletters is essential as more people read their emails on mobile devices. Thankfully, there are several email marketing platforms available that make it really simple to create flexible newsletter designs." — Alice Hall, Co-Founder & Creative Director, Rowen Homes

Design a Great College Newsletter

The higher education sector is facing increasing difficulties in creating impactful and engaging email campaigns. With the evolution of technology and shifting design trends, higher education institutions must work harder to achieve their goals through email marketing. To address these challenges, it is crucial for these institutions to look to other industries for inspiration and stay current with the latest design trends, using tools that give access to templates designed for conversion for students, recruits, or alumni.