When it comes to newsletters from our elected state representatives, I’m one of those people who subscribes and reads each newsletter.
It doesn’t matter to me whether it’s a print newsletter or an email newsletter.
I read each one.
In the past, many of my elected state representatives used their newsletters to only promote their own work.
Or the newsletters were too wordy and I would begin to lose interest.
Who wants to read a long-winded story or article?
So frustrating.
Which is why over the past few years, I’ve been impressed with Michigan State Senator Dayna Polehanki’s email newsletter.
Read on to learn why I’m giving a UX win to my Michigan State Senator Dayna Polehanki and her communications team for their email newsletter.
Senator Dayna Polehanki’s Newsletter
Published each month and sometimes twice a month, Polehanki’s email newsletters provide helpful, relevant, and timely information and resources for residents in our district.
Formatted for quick scanning and readability, Polehanki’s email newsletters are concise and easy to read.
I know that if I somehow miss reading the newsletter, I can visit her website for the archive of past newsletters.
That’s helpful!
What I Liked
Easy to read font, good white space, and headings make for a more pleasant reading experience with Senator Polehanki’s newsletters.
But what impressed me in her newsletters is something many newsletter publishers have either never implemented or somehow forgotten:
A quick summary of what you’ll find in the newsletter.
Hey, we’re all limited with our time.
Why not make it easier for email subscribers?
Let email subscribers know what’s in the newsletter up front.
Often email newsletters are filled with news, public relations stories, or other content, with no organization.
Forcing subscribers to wade through the content before finding what interests them.
Polehanki and her communication staff demonstrate their respect for subscribers’ time by providing a quick summary of each newsletter edition.
I’ve been involved with email newsletters since the early 2000’s, when I first started writing and designing nonprofit email newsletters.
When I worked at Washtenaw Community College, I worked on the student and parent newsletters, which were sent to more than 18,000 subscribers.
And I learned quickly the importance of providing a quick summary or table of contents for each newsletter edition.
What Could Be Improved
One change I recommend for Polehanki’s newsletter, which might impact the website color palette: increase color contrast for link text.
From what I can tell, the link text color appears to match the website logo color.
The low color contrast of the blue link text against a white background can be problematic for people with low vision or color blindness.
Who won’t be able to easily distinguish linked text from the text around it.
Using WebAIM’s free online Link Contrast Checker tool to increase color contrast would improve readability and accessibility for all of Polehanki’s newsletter subscribers.
Summary
State Senator Polehanki’s email newsletter offers an enjoyable reading experience, with a focus on a clean layout, good formatting, and readability.
I wish more newsletter producers would follow Polehanki’s lead: providing a quick summary at the beginning of each newsletter.
Well done, Senator Dayna Polehanki on your UX win.
