Not Far from the Tree

Lesson Learned...Yellow Snow

December 2009

Issue # 18

After a recent snowstorm here in Colorado Springs, I decided to take a walk so I could enjoy the fresh white snow. I was walking along and something caught my eye. A bright strip of yellow marred the otherwise perfectly white surface. A dog had obviously visited earlier in the day, and left a calling card for the next visitor.

You know what I'm talking about...right? To be clear, a dog had relieved himself on the ground and left a sprinkling of yellow snow.

What was interesting about the yellow gift (bet you didn't know yellow snow could be interesting), was that I couldn't help but notice it. A streak of yellow right in the middle of a white field of snow is quite obvious. Normally, a dog's liquid leavings are only noticable by other dogs. But on a field of snow, everyone can see the evidence of the dog's passage.

Oddly enough, this made me think of newsletters.

This was a visually striking example of the effectiveness of white space. I would have never seen the yellow remains of a dog's passage if not for the white background of the snow. The same principle works in newsletters.  

Too often newsletters are packed with multiple articles, long paragraphs, small type, and dense columns. But the problem is people have a hard time seeing your point through all the clutter. Your newsletter doesn't connect and your reason for writing drains away into the dirt.

To highlight your point, you need to increase the white space of your newsletter. You can do this in a few easy ways:

1. Reduce the length of your paragraphs. It is difficult to read text on the computer screen. It is almost impossible to read long, dense paragraphs. Break up your paragraphs. This will make your newsletter easier to read and less difficult on the eyes.

2. Emphasize important points. The bold button is one my favorite functions. Your readers are often skimming articles and jumping from place to place. Especially if they just glance at your newsletter which often happens with email programs and preview panes. A bold emphasis can ensure that your reader takes the important point away.

3. Use black text. There is no reason to get fancy and use colored text. It doesn't help and can really hurt. People expect black when they are reading an article. Don't disappoint them.

4. Make sure the font is easy on the eyes. Use an easily readable font and make sure that it is large enough to be seen by someone sitting back in a desk chair.

5. Use bulleted and numbered lists. Bullets and numbered lists (like this one) are another great way of breaking up text and emphasizing important points.

In the end, you've got to make your content stand out like a yellow streak of liquid on a white field of snow if you want to maximize the impact of your newsletter. When you increase your white space, your reader is going to be more likely to read your newsletter and get your message.