What are Newsletters and how are they different from standard TalkingPoints messages?
Newsletters are a rich, visual content format for school-to-home communications. These are often used by teachers for classroom updates, or by school leaders for monthly recaps, or all school bulletins. Unlike a standard text message, Newsletters are built with a drag-and-drop editor that supports images, formatted text, buttons, tables, and layout options. They’re published via a link, which the recipient would click on to access. Newsletters are tracked by view count, and can be saved as reusable templates.
Main Newsletters page and list of existing newsletters with tracking:
What content formatting is available in the Newsletter builder?
At this time, through a plug-in editor, we’ll have the following content formats and layout options:
Layouts: Two-column, divider
Content blocks: Heading, Paragraph, Image (upload or select from library), Button (call-to-action link), Table
The builder includes a Desktop/Mobile toggle for previewing how the newsletter will render across devices.
Newsletter builder:
Can users save their own newsletter templates?
Yes. There will be a "Save as Template" option and the user will be able to reuse the template.
How is newsletter performance tracked?
The main Newsletters page displays view counts for each published newsletter.
What is the difference between Newsletters and the new HTML Email Templates capabilities?
Under the hood, these two new features share the same underlying technology, a rich, visual email format that families will receive. The primary difference is in how users access and create them.
Newsletters are created from the Newsletters page, where users can build from scratch or start from a template, then attach the newsletter to a message via the compose modal. When a newsletter is attached to a message that includes email delivery, it is automatically sent as a formatted HTML email. For contacts without an email address on file, the text message will include a link to view the newsletter.
HTML Email Templates* are intended to let users compose and send a formatted email directly from the compose modal — without first creating a standalone newsletter. The goal is a more direct path for users who want to send a one-time HTML email communication without it living in the Newsletters library.
*Note: The specific user flow for HTML Email Templates is still being finalized.
Who has access to create and publish Newsletters? Do teachers have access, or is this school and district admin only?
Newsletters are accessible in both the TalkingPoints School (e.g., teachers, school leaders, staff) and District products via web only. Users cannot create or send via mobile. However, recipients can view on mobile.
How are Newsletters delivered to families?
Delivery depends on the channel:
Text and App: If the family receives the newsletter as a text message it will contain a link to the newsletter. Clicking the link takes them to a landing page to view it — the same experience used for documents and images today. If they’re using the TalkingPoints app they will be able to view the newsletter directly within the app.
Email: When email is enabled on the message, the newsletter is delivered as the email content itself. The newsletter renders directly in the family's inbox rather than as a link. Note: when a newsletter is attached to a message with email enabled, the standard text message content will not be sent via email; the newsletter takes its place.
For contacts without an email address on file, the text message will include a link to view the newsletter.
Can Newsletters be scheduled for future publishing?
Yes, a message, with a newsletter attached, can be created and scheduled to send at a specific time.
Can the Newsletter builder be used on the admin mobile app, or is it web only?
It can only be used via web in the TalkingPoints School & District products.