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External Relations
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  5. Writing for newsletters

Writing for newsletters

We welcome story ideas from across the University, including good news stories, awareness dates, development opportunities and events. 

Contributing content 

Please consider the following: 

  • What is the purpose of your communication? Do you want colleagues or students to take a particular action? Think about the outcome you would like. 
  • Who is your audience? Our staff and student newsletters are aimed at all staff and students. Content should be relevant to either all staff or students, or a large cross section of staff or students (eg all academic staff or all first year students). 
  • Is the timing right? It is worth thinking about how much notice you want to give staff. 

Guidance and criteria 

Get in touch at internalcomms@qmul.ac.uk ahead of time if you would like to contribute content. The Internal Communications team will assess whether it is the right fit and work with you to produce copy if needed.  

Submissions should be brief and relevant to the general staff and student audience. If you have a communication more targeted for a specific School/Institute or Faculty, please contact the appropriate Faculty Communications Manager.  

Copy

  • Ideally submissions should be no more than 100 words
  • Write clearly and concisely – avoid jargon and try to convey your message in simple terms (see guidance on Queen Mary house style)
  • Include relevant links and information on how colleagues or students can find more information

Images

  • Images for inclusion in the newsletter should ideally be 800x400px
  • Images can be included to help enhance your story/campaign (subject to relevant copyright – images can be sourced from Canto, Queen Mary’s image library) 

Events

  • Events should have confirmed date and time, venue and a link to booking information.
  • There should be a clear link to Queen Mary (ie organised by a Queen Mary department or local community, takes place on campus, or features Queen Mary speakers). 

Please note: We can’t guarantee submissions will be included if sent after the deadline of 12pm Friday the week before publication and will hold for inclusion the following week. We reserve the right to summarise copy in line with house style, and will prioritise stories for the newsletter based on their relevance and benefit to all staff.  

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