Tips

Tips from the Field: 4 Easy Ways to Brand Your School Newsletters

Dr. Kara Stern
3 min read
Twitter post from official SmoreNewsletter account.

We asked educators how they make their school newsletters stand out from the pack.

They shared a wealth of branding tips with us, from simple to sophisticated. So, whether you’ve got a school PR team backing you or you’re a lone principal forging ahead with your first newsletter, there’s advice here that will fit your needs.

Let’s dive in!

Let’s dive in!

Headers are important because they’re typically the first space folks see and offer a larger area for original imagery. A number of educators shared that they make headers on Canva and import them into their newsletters (if you’d like more info on how to do that, you can find an easy tutorial here!)

When you think about your header, think mission & impact.

Next, let’s consider your title.

While the first thing your audience sees is your header, the first thing they read is your title. So, it’s an ideal spot to inject a little brand identity. One fun way to do this is to use the name of your school or district mascot as part of your title.

Building brand identity is about building your reader’s connection to & identification with your school — why not via your mascot?!

Another easy win is to add school symbols.

Anytime you can weave in school colors, add your school logo and mascot, a school motto or mission statement, and stick with a consistent font, you are establishing brand identity. Readers will come to associate those design details with your school.

Much as you would with, say, your favorite cereal brand.

Sometimes, you hit on an idea, and then it becomes your thing.

Sure, branding often focuses on images or details that are specific to your building (or product). But, branding is really just about giving meaning to your organization, with your newsletter being one vehicle for doing so. So, any creative idea that fits the mission of your school works just fine!

Here are a couple of fun examples:

I love how easy it is to integrate creative designs into our weekly updates for teachers! pic.twitter.com/DspBxxaVp7— 𝕂𝕣𝕚𝕤𝕥𝕚𝕟𝕖 𝕊𝕖𝕒𝕝𝕖 (@pressNseale) October 4, 2022



Ready to start branding your school newsletters? Here’s a template to help get you up and running. Just click to duplicate and personalize.

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Dr. Kara Stern

Dr. Kara Stern began her career as an ELA teacher, then shifted into administration as a middle school principal. Dr. Stern is a fervent advocate for equitable communication and family engagement. She spent five years as Executive Director at Math for America, where she designed the professional learning community that exists to this day. An unexpected move to Tel Aviv launched her into the world of EdTech where she became the Director of Education Content for Smore and then the Head of Education Solutions at SchoolStatus. Outside of work, she indulges her love for reading, devouring two novels weekly, with a particular fondness for heists and spy stories.

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