An issue is the container for a single newsletter publication. Building it means setting up the structure (sections), collecting content (submissions) and assembling the final layout.
Creating an issue
Go to Newsroom → News Items → Issues → New issue.
Fields
- Title — what readers see at the top of the issue (e.g. Term 2 Newsletter — Week 4).
- Publication date — when the issue goes live.
- Category — grouping (e.g. Weekly Newsletter). Used for filtering and navigation on the public archive.
- Layout — the template defining the section structure. Pick from your school’s saved layouts.
- Status — Draft / Published / Archived.
Save to enter the issue editor.
Adding sections
Sections are the structural divisions of the issue — From the Principal, Sports, Music, Calendar Notes, Coming Up.
Add sections from the issue’s structure tab:
- New section — name, intro text, ordering.
- Configure submissions — who can submit, what’s required (image, summary, full article).
- Save.
For most schools, the same section structure recurs every issue. Saving a layout (see below) means new issues start with the right structure already in place.
Submissions per section
Each section can hold multiple submissions. A typical pattern:
- From the Principal — one submission per issue.
- Sports — multiple submissions, one per sport with fixtures that week.
- Music — multiple submissions, one per ensemble with news.
- Calendar Notes — one submission summarising upcoming events.
Submission permissions are configured per section — see Submissions and publishing.
Saving as a layout
Once you’ve configured a structure that works, save it as a layout:
- From the issue, Save as layout.
- Name it (e.g. Standard Weekly Newsletter).
- The layout is available when creating future issues.
Layouts include the section structure, default intro text and submission settings — so a new issue starts with the right shape and you only have to fill in this week’s content.
Section ordering
Drag to reorder sections. The order on the structure tab is the order in the published issue.
Common ordering: Important / Time-Sensitive first (From the Principal, Coming Up), Department News in the middle, Calendar / Reference at the end.
Issue images
Each issue can have:
- Cover image — shown at the top of the email and web version.
- Section images — one per section, shown next to the section heading.
Upload via the issue or section editor. Use reasonable file sizes (PortalHQ compresses but a 10 MB original makes loading slow).
Editing after publish
A published issue stays live. To make minor corrections:
- Open the issue.
- Edit the content.
- Save.
The web version updates immediately. The email version doesn’t update — what was sent is what was sent.
For significant corrections, send a follow-up email campaign linking to the corrected issue.
Archiving
Old issues stay accessible on the public archive indefinitely by default. To remove an issue from public view (e.g. content that’s no longer accurate):
- Open the issue.
- Set status to Archived.
Archived issues are hidden from the public archive but not deleted — staff with the right permission can still view them.
Tips
- Build a layout first. Even if your structure changes occasionally, having a base layout saves hours of setup each issue.
- Decide your section list with stakeholders. Department heads each want their own section — make sure the list reflects what’s actually being submitted regularly.
- Set realistic submission deadlines. Contributors need time; you need time to assemble. Most weekly newsletters need submissions by Wednesday for a Tuesday-morning send.
- Cover image matters. It’s the first thing recipients see. Use a school photo or a relevant image, not a generic stock image.