Love them or hate them, missionary newsletters are an expected part of life in ministry. Maybe your newsletters are already great, and you would like a few tips on how to improve. Maybe you dread them so much that you would rather do anything else than write a newsletter. . . stand in line at a government office, go a night without electricity, get a root canal.
Either way, you’ll find something useful in this article. I’ve pulled together what I’ve learned about writing newsletters from over 20 years of experience, and I also crowdsourced our A Life Overseas Facebook community in January, so you’ll see advice here from others, too.
One note before I start: Remember that what I share here are not hard and fast rules. If you’ve got a method that gets you lots of reader engagement but differs from what you read here, no problem. This is general advice, not always-true-in-every-situation advice.
Feel free to add your thoughts or things I’ve missed in the comments. We’ve always got more to learn!
Regarding Content: What Should You Write About?
Don’t feel the need to report everything you’ve done since you last wrote. Do not write a list of activities unless you want your readers’ eyes to glaze over. Doing this is the best way to get your reader to “skim and delete.”
Do choose one story. Think over the last month or two, and choose one compelling story you could share. One fascinating conversation. One event that was a huge success. One event that was a colossal flop. One big lesson you learned. One big mistake you made. One person to pray for.
Tell this story as a story. Include dialogue. Include physical descriptions of the location, the temperature of the room, the smell of curry coming from the kitchen, or the way the sky looked that day.
Make it personal. This came up over and over again in our conversation on the A Life Overseas Facebook page. Your readers are way more interested in YOU than in your ministry. So when you tell your story, include your part – how you felt about it, what you learned, how you grew. And don’t leave out the bad and the ugly.
An idea: Have one close friend in mind when you write, and pretend you are writing just to that person. This will help you sound like you when you write. Hannah suggested, “I like newsletters that read like a message from a friend–an assumption that I know and care about the sender and people mentioned. I don’t like to read newsletters that feel formulated to manipulate me into a response.”
Other Content Tips:
Don’t apologize for the time that’s gone by since you last wrote. No one is sitting around wondering why you haven’t written. Drawing attention to this only serves to. . . draw attention to it.
Don’t assume your readers remember anything from your previous letters. (Hint: They probably don’t.) When you refer to places, events, people in your ministry, don’t assume your readers remember what you wrote two months ago. Write as if you are introducing them for the first time, every time.
Don’t start with a sermon or Bible lesson. If you want to share devotional writing (or your actual sermons), start a blog and post them there. Feel free to link to these in your newsletter. Valerie wrote, “I don’t like it when there’s a sermon first! Just tell me about your life, and don’t forget the kids!!!”
Do add a separate section about your kids. (Thanks, Valerie.) Hard fact of life: your readers might be more interested in your kids than your ministry. This is okay! The main purpose of newsletters is to build and strengthen relationships. Of course, don’t only write about your kids, but don’t neglect to include them (as long as your kids approve of what you share). Heck, maybe have them write your newsletter sometime!
Do add a separate “fun fact” or “cultural mishap” section. Christy suggested, “I put a “Lighter Side” anecdote at the end of every letter, recounting some humourous cross-cultural misadventure or amusing little-known fact. That’s really the only section people ever mention reading.”
One last tip: Don’t use AI to write it (please!) but use AI to edit it. Personally, I love Grammarly.
Regarding Length: How Long Should Your Newsletter Be?
One word: Short. Think short and then shorter.
That one story I mentioned above? It should be 5-8 paragraphs, max. Each paragraph should have no more than 2-4 sentences in it.
Don’t write long blocks of text with no paragraph breaks unless you really, really don’t want anyone to read it.
Do highlight in bold the most important sentence in each paragraph.
If you are an accomplished writer, you can go longer. If you hate writing or are a novice, just remember: less is more. Do not feel guilty about this.
My guess is that most of your readers will give your email newsletter one minute or less. That’s all you’ve got. Make it count.
Regarding Format: What Should It Look Like?
Do break your newsletter into sections, and give each section a title. MailChimp makes this easy (and the standard version is free!) For example: your one story/ministry update, kids’ update section, prayer request section, fun fact section.
Use color for headings and backgrounds when possible.
Remember that many of your readers will read your letter on their phones. Open your letter on your phone to make sure it is readable. Beware of side columns!
Do make your letters skimmable because. . . guess what? Most people will skim them. Bold the most important sentences. Make headlines interesting. Use bullet points for prayer requests.
After you’ve written your whole newsletter, read it over and pick out the most interesting phrase you’ve written. What line will most grab people’s attention? Use that as your newsletter title. (Hint: “Winter Update” is not it.)
Totally intimidated by format and design? The Good Story can create a gorgeous, customized MailChimp template for you. They can also evaluate a year’s worth of newsletters and coach you on improving them. Check them out.
Regarding Pictures: Are They Important?
In our Facebook discussion, everyone was unanimous: Pictures are great. Bring on the pictures!
Do use pictures to divide up your sections. Use photos with brief captions to highlight other activities not covered in your “one story.”
Don’t go overboard. Pictures are great, but keep it reasonable. Around 3-8 carefully chosen pictures per newsletter is probably about right.
A caution: Be sensitive to the privacy of the people in your pictures. A common solution is to blur or cover up the faces of locals in pictures. But maybe we should reconsider this option? Perhaps just ask for permission instead: “Can I share this picture with my friends and family?”
Marilyn Gardner suggested, “Either get permission or don’t post at all. Use words to describe the gathering. It is much more compelling [than] a lineup of a bunch of friends with eyes blotted out.” Carissa threw out a great idea: “Post pictures of hands, backs of heads, food, cups that were shared, empty chairs.” In other words, get creative when you take pictures!
Do learn how to remove EXIF data from your phone pictures to prevent them from appearing upside down in email newsletters.
Regarding Timing: How Often Should You Send Out Newsletters?
My crowdsourced Facebook discussion was quite divided on this. Some said monthly or every other month, and others said quarterly. Michele Phoenix polled her newsletter recipients, who told her that quarterly is sufficient.
Personally, I think quarterly newsletters should be the bare minimum, and only if you have other sources of communication. For example, if you regularly post on social media, send out annual Christmas cards, have a WhatsApp prayer group, or keep a blog updated, then you’re probably okay with quarterly newsletters.
However, your supporters and prayer warriors should hear from you more than four times per year, so if newsletters are your only source of communication, you should send them out monthly or at least every other month.
This is the part where I give you a stern lecture as an experienced former missionary and current missionary coach: Make communication a priority. No, really, like a big priority. Make a plan, schedule that plan on your calendar for the coming year, and then don’t let yourself procrastinate when your deadlines come along. You should never be tempted to start a newsletter with, “Sorry it’s been so long,” because it should never be so long!
Regarding Creativity: Mix It Up!
Give people choices. You should have a newsletter that goes out to everyone and their brother but also have a smaller newsletter list for your prayer warriors who hear from you weekly. Maybe use WhatsApp or Signal (more secure than WhatsApp) for this. Maybe use a private Facebook group. Maybe use PrayerVine.
Epistle is an excellent option. It’s part blog, part newsletter, and super easy to use. Check it out!
Jennings wrote, “We started sending out an (almost) weekly “Photo Friday,” with one or two photos and a minimum of text. People have loved that.”
Ensure you periodically give people an option to unsubscribe. If you use MailChimp or Epistle, this option is always there, but if you don’t, include a note annually that allows people to bow out of your letter graciously.
Consider doing a (5-minute max) video sometimes.
Offer something of value to your readers! Share a link to a book, a song, a recipe, or a meaningful quote. Add a blurb explaining why you recommend it.
In turn, encourage interaction! Ask readers to respond to your letter with a favorite book, song, or recipe, or ask a fun “getting to know you” question. Liz wrote, “Interactive letters stand out! When you see someone asking about the reader or asking the reader to share something, it feels more like a partnership.”
Consider doing a paper newsletter once a year. Nowadays, getting something in your actual mailbox is way more special than getting something in your email mailbox.
Work within your strengths. What kind of communication do you do best? You don’t need to do everything. Choose a couple of communication channels (probably more than one) and focus on refining those. Be disciplined! Make it happen! You can do this! Did I tell you to make communication a priority? Well, I’m telling you again.
I’m going to end with this great advice from Christy. Remember that good communication goes both ways. She wrote, “I actually think what makes people more likely to read my newsletters is whether or not I’ve liked their baby pictures recently or sent condolences about their dad dying or commented on their kid’s college choice. Newsletters from friends are more important than newsletters from missionaries, and being a friend takes more than sending a newsletter.”
Amen to that.
