Create a newsletter

Use this guide to learn how to add your school newsletter to your website in three different ways. 

You can:

• upload your newsletter as a PDF file
• link to your newsletter on another platform like School Enews, Schoolzine, Sway or Google site.
• link to your newsletter on AEM.

Step 1: Prepare your newsletter

Option 1: PDF newsletter from computer

• Save your PDF on the computer you are using.

Option 2: PDF newsletter from assets

• Upload your PDF into Assets

Option 3: Link newsletter 

• Prepare your newsletter in AEM, Sway or your usual platform. 
• Upload your PDF into Assets
• Note, when checking your Sway link, use a private/incognito browser window if you are the author of the newsletter otherwise the Sway newsletter might appear in your edit mode.
  

Step 2: Navigate to Home

• Log in to Adobe Experience Manager and select Sites.
• Your school's home page will already be selected.

Step 3: Create a new page

• Select Create in the top right-hand corner.
  
• The Create drop-down menu will display.
• Select Newsletter.

Note: This step will automatically create a new Year and Month folder if they do not already exist. For example, if you are creating the first newsletter for 2024, the 2024 section and month will be created for you at this time.

Step 4: Enter the newsletter title 

• Enter the Title of your newsletter. For example: Term 3 Week 8, 2023.
• Do not include any punctuation in the title, including full stops. 
• Do not fill out any of the other fields.
• Select Create.

Step 5: Open your newsletter page

• A success message will appear once the newsletter is created.
• Select Open to edit the newsletter.
• If you select Done you will need to edit your newsletter later.

Step 6: Edit your newsletter 

• Select Edit in the top right of the page. This button is next to Preview. 
• Select the date to activate the newsletter component.
• Select the spanner icon to edit your newsletter page. This is the Configure button. 

Step 7: Select a date for your newsletter

• Select the date for your newsletter. This will affect the order it appears on the newsletter page. 
  
• If you set the date to a day in the future the newsletter will be hidden from navigation and the homepage until the selected date occurs.

Step 8: Select the medium for displaying your newsletter

• Select the TYPE OF NEWSLETTER tab.

Displayed

Allows you to choose where the newsletter will be displayed once published. 

• Website and App - newsletter will display on both your school website and companion app.
• Website only - newsletter will display on your school website only.
• App only - newsletter will display on companion app.

Step 9: Add your newsletter to the newsletter page – PDF or Link

There are 3 options for adding a newsletter to your website.
Choose only one option and complete the steps before moving to step 10:

• Option 1: Upload your PDF direct from your computer
• Option 2: Upload your PDF from Assets
  
• Option 3: Link to your newsletter
• Option 4: Link to your newsletter in AEM

Option 1: Upload your PDF direct from your computer

• Select Uploaded newsletter file from the Type of newsletter file drop-down option.
• Drag and drop the file into the rectangle or select upload from your computer to navigate through your computer to find your school's newsletter PDF.

• Once you have found your PDF, select it.
• Select the Open button in the bottom right. 

• The pop-up will disappear and your file will appear in the Select file to upload area.
• You will need to add an Alternative text for screen readers.
• Next, you will need to populate details in Website description and App description tabs. 
• If you receive an error it could be because the file name is incorrect. Use the PDF guidelines to check your PDF file name is correct before uploading.
• Go to Step 10.

Option 2: Upload your PDF from Assets

• Select Uploaded newsletter file from the Type of newsletter file drop-down option.
• Select Search through Assets to navigate through your assets to your school's newsletter folder where you have previously saved your newsletter PDF.

• Once you have found your PDF, select the icon to the left of the file name. The tick will appear and your selection will turn blue.
• Select the Select button in the top right. 

• The pop-up will disappear and your link will appear in the File field.
• You will need to add an Alternative text for screen readers.
• Next, you will need to populate details in Website description and App description tabs. 
• Go to Step 10.

Option 3: Link to your newsletter

• Select the TYPE OF NEWSLETTER tab.
• Select External newsletter link from the Type of newsletter drop-down option.
• Copy and paste your newsletter's URL into the Link to the external newsletter (URL) field.  
• Next, you will need to populate details in Website description and App description tabs. 
• Go to Step 10.

Option 4: Link to your newsletter in AEM

• Select the TYPE OF NEWSLETTER tab.
• Select Internal newsletter page from the Type of newsletter drop-down option.
• Copy and paste your newsletter's URL into the Link to the internal newsletter (SWS page) field.  
• Select the little tick in grey box on the Link to the internal newsletter (SWS page) field.
• Select NSW Department of Education folder and navigate to the newsletter you would like to link to. 
• Select the icon to the left of the newsletter. The tick will appear and your selection will turn blue.
• Select the Select button in the top right of the pop-up.
• Next, you will need to populate details in Website description and App description tabs. 
• Go to Step 10.

Step 10: Advanced – optional

• Select the ADVANCED tab.

• If you would like to add a thumbnail to display your newsletter, you can add a newsletter thumbnail image to the newsletter page.
  Use the fields in Add a custom thumbnail image to the newsletter to add a custom thumbnail.
  PDF newsletters automatically generate their own thumbnails for you. This is an optional step.

• Select the tick on the top right of the pop-up to save the newsletter settings.

• The Alert below will appear if you have set your newsletter to publish in a future month.  The system will automatically move the page to the correct month and year. 
• Select OK.

• Your newsletter is now ready to be published. 

Step 11: Publish your newsletter page

• For changes to be updated on your live school website you will need to publish the page and the year and month folders. 
• Select the slider icon in the top left corner. This is the Page Information button.
• Select Publish Page from the drop-down. 
• If you don't see Publish Page you are an Author and will need to select Start Workflow instead. Go to our Author publish a page for more information.

Published newsletter

Example of the updated latest newsletter link on your homepage:

Example of a newsletter page showing the current and back issues in chronological order:

Note: External newsletter platforms and the homepage latest news component

If you are using external newsletter platforms such as SchoolEnews, then the latest newsletter component on the homepage will not automatically update.

You can copy the URL of the latest newsletter and add it to the component on the home page then publish the homepage.

You may also find useful

• Upload a .pdf document to assets
• Edit a newsletter
• Delete a newsletter