Highlight the most important and interesting findings from your bulletin at a glance. Most users read the main points and nothing else.

Rank up to six main points in order of importance for your users.

Each main point should:

• be a single bullet point
• contain one message that is expanded on in the bulletin
• be a single sentence starting with what’s happened, followed by the significance of this; use a semicolon to split up the sentence if necessary

The UK unemployment rate was estimated at 3.8%; it has not been lower since October to December 1974.

Research shows that users want the headline figures quickly, so avoid prefacing your main points with any introduction or warnings. Do not introduce detailed definitions or quality warnings in your main points.

The content design team can help you to write impactful and user-friendly main points – email content.design@ons.gov.uk.

If the data do not change month to month and only provide enough detail for Main points rather than full analysis sections, it may be better to write a headline release, a streamlined version of the bulletin structure.