Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Master of the Universe Webinar Series:

Emails that don’t suck!

Scott Hertz, Leslie Bass & Patrick Stanley

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Design Basics

“To design is to communicate clearly by whatever means you can control or master.” -Milton Glaser

“Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment.” -Baltasar Gracian

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Inspiration Station

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

• Visualize a newspaper– Newspapers place important stories “above the fold” so you can see them immediately

when you pick one up. Do the same for your emails.

• Think postcard, not letter– Brevity is key. Try not to write an email like it’s a letter; only give clear and concise

information. – Keep paragraphs to four sentences.– If you have quite a bit to say, create an article on your website and link to it.

• What’s the point?– People want to know “what do you need from me?” Answer this question quickly. Skip

long introductions and get to the point.

Writing for the Web

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

• Subject Lines– Keep it short, simple and to the point. – Avoid using caps lock and multiple exclamation points

• Content– Create an outline of your email before you begin. – Make sure it’s easy to find the Who, What, Where, When, Why’s in your email. (Bold the

important pieces)

• Proofread– Draft your email in a text editor that has spell check.– Take a minute and read your email over before hitting send.

• Test– Send a test email to your URJ AND personal email addresses.

Information Design

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Text Design

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Visual Design• Don’t overwhelm the template

– KISS (Keep it simple, stupid!)– Choose one focal point (photo, header or graphic)– Keep color scheme to 3 or fewer colors– Consider matching colors to the logo or template

• Add a photo– Make it memorable! Add some life to your email– Use www.picnik.com for basic resizing– Use image alignment to wrap text- right or center

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Informational Emails

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Newsletters & Multi-Topic

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Holiday Emails

Union for Reform Judaism Youth & College Programs in North America and Israel

Holiday Emails