First 2021 virtual communications workshop addresses enewsletters

Church communicators got schooled on the who, what and how

by Melody K. Smith | Presbyterian News Service

LOUISVILLE — The first virtual communication workshop for 2021 continued the latest phase of the Presbyterian Communicators Network (PCN).

Originally offered in large and regional conferences for the first decade, in-person workshops became the normal for the next five years. In response to the pandemic and reality for most churches and mid councils, digital is getting more and more attention. Tuesday’s workshop addressed communications planning and the digital tools that are available to help make your plan a success.

“One of the most important tools are enewsletters,” said Gail Strange, director of church and mid council communications. “It has never been more important to understand the basics of effective enewsletters.”

Nearly 150 communicators across the church gathered via Zoom to hear from Jeffrey Lawrence, director of media and publications for the Presbyterian Mission Agency (PMA).

“It is not unusual for people to receive 100+ emails a day,” said Lawrence. “That creates a lot of clutter. Even your most loyal church members don’t want to scroll through a long message, even if it is nicely designed.”

Jeffrey Lawrence is director of media and publications for the Presbyterian Mission Agency.

Among the many helpful tips Lawrence shared, he kept coming back to the basics.

• Content: News, events, appreciation, order of worship, sermon topics, prayer requests, online giving opportunities
• Photos: Invite members to submit photos (especially in this time of virtual worship), screen grabs from virtual worships, and past photos
• Length: 500-1,000 words.

Many of the questions that came from the communicators included how to get their enewsletters into inboxes and out of clutter boxes. Lawrence said that according to email service providers, the time to send an enewsletter to receive the best open rate is on Tuesdays and Thursdays between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Among other topics discussed was employing clickable links. By keeping your content short and brief, you can include a link for more information. This not only helps you tighten content, it will provide metrics on what areas of information your users are most interested in learning more about. Analytics are provided by whatever email service provider you use and the data can be invaluable to help you design enewsletters that are interesting to your users and actually help grow your recipient lists. Some of the key indicators include:

• Delivery rate = % of messages that get to inboxes
• Open rate = % of messages sent that get opened (average open rate is 25%)
• Click throughs = # of people who click on a “read more”
• Forward rate = # of people that forward the newsletter, which expands reach.

Lawrence reminded everyone that most users are opening their email on mobile devices so designing your email in single columns stops the “acrobatic maneuvering from left to right on the screen.”

The use of and source of photos was also a popular discussion. Several free sites for stock photos/illustrations were shared, but it is always better to use your own photos if possible.  Content and photos found on www.pcusa.org or www.presbyterianmission.org are available for reuse. Please remember to give appropriate photo and content credit if applicable. It is always an important reminder to be sure you have parental consent on any photos of children before you publish.

The importance of enewsletters to church communicators was evident by the Zoom chat conversations, which were full of questions throughout the workshop. Most churches face similar challenges so this opportunity to network and crowdsource is always popular and helpful.

The Communications Ministry of the PMA has been successful in helping church communicators understand the need for planning their communications efforts and implementing best practices for those efforts. The goal is to have these virtual workshops once a quarter with various topics being addressed. This workshop was recorded and can be viewed here. The workshop handouts and other resources may be found on the Presbyterian Communicators website.

The Communicators Network’s primary mission is to link Presbyterians who are officially responsible for communications in their synod, presbytery, or congregation through on-site workshops, e-newsletters, social media and other communications vehicles. Membership to the network is open to anyone — paid staff or volunteer — in a synod, presbytery or congregation who has communications responsibilities.

To join the network, complete the online form, email Gail Strange at gail.strange@pcusa.org or call 800-728-7228, ext. 5340.