What Are The Different Types of Print Newsletters?

Print newsletters are a classic medium for driving engagement and sharing information. They’re used by countless organizations across all industries, from major corporations to community non-profits. However, to get the most out of this format, you need to understand your options. Different newsletter designs accommodate different amounts of content and offer varying options for playing with form.

So, let's run through the print newsletter basics today. How they’re used, ways to design them, and some tips and techniques to keep in mind when you’re executing your design. By the end of this primer, you’ll have a stronger sense of what to prioritize in your next publication to ensure the biggest possible impact on your audience.

Types of Print Newsletters

To start, let’s break down the ways newsletters are used. They can be educational, promotional, brand storytellers, or some combination of the three. How you curate and structure your content will depend on what you need to convey and who you’re conveying it to.

• Company Newsletters tend to be internal communication tools, keeping employees and shareholders up to date on corporate news, brand culture initiatives, yearly milestones, new initiatives, etc. Branding is important for these communications, but not necessarily as critical as it is for client/customer-facing communications. Particularly if the goal involves promoting a positive company culture, these newsletters are a good opportunity to lean into a design that’s more personalized and fun.

• Industry Newsletters are typically more formal, prioritizing the dissemination of key information like regulatory changes, new research, and emerging technologies. These publications are especially useful for technical and frequently changing fields such as healthcare, manufacturing, finance, and higher education. They should be strongly branded with the colors, logos, fonts, and imagery of the industry group publishing them, so as to build strong associations with readers regarding that group’s authority.

• Non-Profit Newsletters are an extremely popular tool for keeping in touch with donors, volunteers, and service recipients. They often feature engaging articles and imagery, highlighting stories about the work and people central to the organization. They may also feature fundraising information and cut-out donation slips to facilitate donor engagement.

• Educational Newsletters can be leveraged by any kind of organization looking for improved clarity or change among members. Popular use cases include providing easy-to-access how-to guides, updated best practices, and thought leadership articles.

• Promotional Newsletters are also useful for just about any kind of organization, but their goal is much more overtly marketing-oriented. They may feature coupons, sales announcements, or calendars outlining seasonal promotions and offerings.

Newsletter Formats by Fold Style

Next, let’s examine the different ways a newsletter can be formatted and how the format impacts potential results.

• Single-sheet newsletters are the simplest format, consisting of a single unfolded double-sided sheet. No folds means fewer chances of it getting snagged or damaged during distribution. However, their available print space is limited by their standard 8.5” x 11” dimensions.

• Single-fold newsletters can provide as much as double the content real estate vs. a single-sheet design. With more design space comes more potential ‘wow’ factor to draw readers in, but also requires organizations to put more resources into developing and curating good content.

• Tri-fold newsletters are valued for their compactness. Consisting of three panels/two folds, a standard tri-fold offers a little less space for information than a single-sheet newsletter, since they have the same overall dimensions but require larger margins between content sections to accommodate the folds.

• Accordion-fold newsletters open up into a zig-zag shape, typically with three folds/four panels or five folds/six panels, depending on the total dimensions of the unfolded sheet. This fold style is another popular choice for creating a compact publication, but potentially offers more design real estate than the tri-fold if a larger sheet size is used.

• Gate-fold newsletters are folded into three panels, with two smaller panels folding over and covering the central larger panel like a gate. These newsletters are difficult to mail successfully without some form of envelope or sticker sealing the gate fold closed. But the design payoff can be big in promotional use cases, with the fold-style naturally lending itself to an exciting ‘big reveal’ graphic or offer.

• Double parallel/French-fold newsletters are the same as gate-fold, with one additional fold in the center that presses the two ‘gates’ flat together. This design can be a good compromise when the ‘big reveal’ of a gate-fold is desired, but the newsletter needs to weather heavier handling to reach the reader.

• ‍Roll-fold newsletters are typically composed of four equally sized panels divided by three folds, where each fold bends in the same direction. This creates a ‘roll-up’ effect, where the innermost panel is completely wrapped up and hidden. This fold style offers a similar amount of design real estate as the accordion fold, but can be better at staying folded and resisting damage during heavy handling and distribution.

Matching Content With Format

Finally, to create the best newsletter for your audience, you must match your content to the right fold style. For example, an educational newsletter with multiple informative articles needs plenty of space for content, making the single-fold format an excellent fit. On the other hand, a promotional-style newsletter focused on building excitement for an upcoming sale might do better with the gate or French-fold, taking advantage of the ‘big reveal’ moment those fold styles offer.

However, if you’re still not sure what the right approach is for your needs, don’t worry. That’s what our experts are here for. At Wallace Carlson, we’re dedicated to helping organizations like yours create the best possible print products. Whatever your requirements, we’ll help you identify the optimal newsletter format for conveying your message, building your brand, and reaching the readers you care about. Just get in touch with our team today to get started!