8/20/2015
General Philosophies and Suggested Tips
- Announcements that are published week after week after week will eventually be ignored by the
— Change up the length
- Change up the wording
- Publish less often!
- Announcements should be concise and to the point
- Long wordy pieces will lose the reader’s interest
- Flowery language will lose the reader’s interest
- Space in the Parish Notes and Circuit Rider is often an issue—consider providing a short, informative piece with a link to a longer, more detailed article (e.g., reports on mission trips)
- Inserts
- Generally, inserts are not included in the Circuit Rider
- Parish Notes
- Inserts must be coordinated with the church office prior to noon on Tuesday before publication
- Advance notice of a week or more is appreciated and helpful
- The number of inserts on a given Sunday may be limited
- Inserts may not be stuffed on Sunday mornings without prior approval
- Inserts must be coordinated with the church office prior to noon on Tuesday before publication
- Additional vital email addresses
St. Matthew’s Church News Guidelines
Parish Notes | Midweek Messenger | Circuit Rider | Alerts | ||
Publication | Weekly – Sundays | Weekly – Thursdays | Monthly
(around 25th of month prior) Note: December/January and July/August are double issues |
As needed—personal information must be requested/approved by family member | |
Submission | sharon@stmatthews- bowie.org | enews@stmatthews- bowie.org | circuitrider@stmatthews- bowie.org | alerts@stmatthews- bowie.org or call Church Office | |
Confirmation | If you do not get a “received” email response within 24 hours, you need to check to see if email was received | ||||
Deadline | Tuesday at Noon | Wednesday at Noon | 15th of each Month | n/a | |
Frequency | Announcements should be limited to 3 times—either 3 weeks in a row or spaced out over a month or two
Please specify the date(s) your announcement should run in subject line Inserts: see page 1 |
Announcements should be limited to 3 times—either 3 weeks in a row or spaced out over a month or two
Please specify the date(s) your announcement should run in subject line |
An event should be generally submitted no more than 3 times:
1. (optional) a short announcement in the month prior to the event 2. a full article with details for the month of the event 3. (optional) a short recap following the event |
One-time with possible updates
(e.g., prayer requests, weather emergencies) |
|
Compiler/ Editor | Sharon Heidenreich | Kim Huffman | George Huffman | Sharon Heidenreich, Lorri Meadows | |
Max Size | 80 words | 6-8 lines of text | 400 words | Case-by-case | |
Copy | All copy should be submitted in a “ready-to-use” format of appropriate length; however, the compiler/editors reserve the right to edit to achieve clarity and brevity. | ||||