Write Powerful Church Bulletin Articles That Parishioners Will Read

How many phone calls have you received asking what times are Mass? Registration for Religious Ed classes? And all the information was in your Sunday bulletin!

A powerful written message can tell a story, report news, or help a cause. Smart writers know that great writing can get your message read. Writing takes time, and some skill, which catapults visibility of the message and drives results. Remember there is little room for long drawn out explanations of your cause. Reduce the basics of your message down to one sentence that answers the 5W’s of reporting – who, what, when, where and why. To get the results you want, follow these 4 steps.

Have a great headline
You only have a few seconds to grab a reader’s attention, so be sure to craft a headline. Lead with a concept, not your ministry name — your audience probably knows about your ministry, but they do care about finding a good story. Lead with a compelling concept to draw them in. Be creative — don’t confine yourself to the headlines you see create a headline that stands out. Test — test your headlines just like you would any other content. Find the headline that grabs attention and makes the reader want to learn more.

Avoid jargon

When writing bulletin copy remember to minimize technical jargon. Although relevant for some cases, jargon may confuse your audience and turn them off to your message. To engage new readers who may not be knowledgeable, write for a broader audience and increase the likelihood the content is shared. Keep it simple, and offer explanatory resources like your web page, contact name and phone number.

Provide resources
We don’t live in a one-dimensional world, and your bulletin shouldn’t look one-dimensional either. Provide added value to your bulletin article by including photos, links to source material and any other in-depth resources, giving your readers the assets they need to fully understand the news you’re providing them. Remember, we live in a digital world, so be sure these resources are web-ready and in the correct formats for web publication. The easier you make it for a parishioner/reader, the more likely they are to pick up on your message. 



Proofread
Errors in grammar and spelling can take away from your overall message. Write your bulletin article in word processing document instead of a text file or online submission form. When you’ve got it drafted, print it out and proofread your writing. Correct and rewrite, then proofread again.

Keep your audience in mind when creating your bulletin article and stick to these 4 tips. When you put the thought and time into creating a truly killer bulletin article, you’ll find it can gain readership to your bulletin and help promote your message.

About the Author: Thomas Miner is the founder of Bartleby Press, a church bulletin printing service. 

When is it best to use Digital Printing

Offset printing is the most common method of high volume printing while digital printing is gaining momentum as an important short run print method. It saves time, there is little variation in the print process, and it can print in hours. You can also add variable data printing to personalize your direct mail without slowing down the printing process.

Digital printing can be less expensive for small businesses that prefer a small print run as there is very little set up cost involved. Therefore if you want small quantities of business cards or flyers, brochures and promotional products you may be best served by opting for digital print. If you need large quantities of high-quality print, offset printing offers the better solution.

If you want to find out more about printing services contact Thomas Miner at Bartlebpress.com