Church Newsletter Preflight Checklist Issue Date ______
PLANNING
□Did you establish an effective schedule for completing everything on time?
□Is a realistic budget in place?
□Does the publication include elements that invite, inform, inspire and uplift?
□Does the publication meet the church’s mission statement and act as an ambassador for the church?
PAGE LAYOUT
□Does the layout project the newsletter’s purpose?
□Is the front page inviting and recognizable as a representative of the church?
□Is the front-page material the most newsworthy content?
□Is the number of columns appropriate for the use of text and graphics?
□Is column size appropriate for text size?
□Are the pages framed with white space?
HEADLINES
□Is each headline proofed and paired with the correct article?
□Do headlines stand out from body text?
□Does the size of the headline font reflect each article’s importance?
□Are headlines surrounded by white space?
□Are multi-line headlines broken at appropriate points? Can they be shortened?
□Are headlines in short sentence format, using strong, active verbs?
□Are headlines either staggered to avoid the “tombstone effect” or separated by large margins?
□Have you corrected any headlines or subheads that were isolated at the bottom of columns?
BODY COPY
□Are articles complete and correct?
□Are you missing information from any regular contributors?
□Has every article been read in its entirety, after layout, to make sure no text has been omitted?
□Are articles written in a conversational tone?
□Is most copy written in reader-friendly sentences of eight to 15 words?
□Have you deleted any jargon or “church-speak” that newcomers might not understand?
□Are paragraph and list indents appropriate for the column width?
□Have you eliminated all editorial widows and orphans?
□Have you used white space between and around columns?
FONTS AND TYPEFACES
□Are fonts limited to two — one sans-serif (for headlines) and one serif (for body copy)?
□Is the body-copy font easy to read?
□Is the font size appropriate for line length and/or column width?
□Are bold and italics used in moderation?
□Are any underlined words replaced with bold, italics or small caps?
□Does the font choice for special announcements reflect the intended audience (e.g., young and fun fonts for youth; conventional fonts for adults)?
DATA
□Have you checked all names for accuracy and spelling?
□Have you checked and confirmed all dates, times, locations, addresses, phone numbers, websites, prices and other important details?
□Are the page numbers correct?
□Is any reused material updated to reflect correct dates or last-minute changes?
□Have at least two people proofread the entire issue?
PUNCTUATION AND GRAMMAR
□Have you edited out all unnecessary punctuation and been consistent with various marks?
□Are all quotation marks and apostrophes “smart” (curved) symbols?
□Have you checked all punctuation that’s used in pairs (parentheses, quotation marks) to make sure both characters are present?
□Are which (begins a non-essential clause) and that (begins an essential clause) used correctly?
□Have you run the spellchecker one last time?
□Have you double-checked all spellchecker substitutions to make sure no errors were introduced?
□Have you checked common word usages for accuracy (to, too, two; they’re, their, there; hear, here)?
VISUALS
□Have you used graphics and clip-art in moderation to avoid a cluttered look?
□Are visuals balanced and in harmony so page layouts work together and seem cohesive?
□Do the graphics offer enough visual interest to break up solid blocks of text and make the pages reader-friendly?
□Does the size of each graphic reflect the article’s importance?
□Do faces in photos look toward the text, guiding readers’ eyes inward?
□Are photographs cropped to exclude unimportant elements?
□Have you replaced complicated text with tables, pie charts or other graphs, when possible?
□Are all photos, tables and charts captioned or titled appropriately and accurately?
COLOR
□Is there a second color for eye appeal and unity?
□Have you increased the size or width of color text for readability?
□In photos, is the color sharp or muddled?
CONSISTENCY
□Is the use of personal titles and name references consistent throughout the newsletter?
□Are paragraphs all indicated the same way — either by tab indent or line spacing?
□Have you consistently followed your choice of stylebook (as well as your internal style sheet) on matters of punctuation, grammar and usage?