I often joke that food is my second love, right after writing and before my longtime partner, and it’s not that much of an elastic take on the truth. (As for the partner, he doesn’t mind. Food is his great love, too.) This year, I was delighted to take on the part-time role of Communications Manager for the New York State Berry Growers Association, not only so that I could help the group spread the word about the amazing work their member farmers do, but also so that I could be surrounded by phenomenally flavorful and healthful local foods. Their monthly newsletter ranks among my favorite Berry Growers projects.

Like most trade newsletters, the NYS Berry Growers newsletter leans heavily on technical, informative content that berry farmers can implement in their day-to-day work. It also needs to convey the benefits of membership in the organization. From my perspective as a newsletter copywriter, having a distinctive voice is must in order to grab—and hold—the reader’s attention. In order to match the refreshed, more modern look of the newsletter, I developed a less academic, more accessible voice, and broke the content into a single, longer feature article and multiple smaller news bites. The result is a publication that the Berry Growers look forward to reading, and feel confident displaying at trade shows, conferences, and legislative meetings.