Post on 23-Aug-2014
description
SARA QUINN / THE POYNTER INSTITUTE FOR MEDIA STUDIES
The importance of writing in the digital age
Writing is the commondenominator in media.
What sort of writing is needed for:
What sort of writing is needed for:
social media?
What sort of writing is needed for:
social media? a newspaper?
What sort of writing is needed for:
social media? a newspaper?a TV news report?
What sort of writing is needed for:
social media? a newspaper?a TV news report?tablet or a mobile phone?
How do you read?
How do you read?a novel?
How do you read?a novel?a breaking news story?
How do you read?a novel?a breaking news story?about buying a new camera?
How do you read?a novel?a breaking news story?about buying a new camera?about medical symptoms for child?
How do you read?a novel?a breaking news story?about buying a new camera?about medical symptoms for child?about the best weekend getaway?
Instapaper.com
Instapaper.comLongform.org
Instapaper.comLongform.orgLongreads.com
98%
80%
71%66%
62%73%65%
56%50%
52%
75%
66%55%
49%
In our study, more text was read online, regardless of length.
1 THRU 4INCHES
5 THRU 7INCHES
8 THRU 11INCHES
12 THRU 18 INCHES
19 OR MOREINCHES
OnlineTabloid
Broadsheet
Story length:
67%
Aver
age
perc
ent o
f sto
ry re
ad
Does this mean thatall online stories should be long?
Nope.To be practical, it really depends on the device and the situation.
What do people want?How much time do they have?Where do they want it?
A brand new observation while studying how peopleread on iPads and tablets:
An overall average of a minute and a half (98.3 seconds) was spent on the first storya person selected to read.
THE BEHAVIORS:
An overall average of a minute and a half (98.3 seconds) was spent on the first storya person selected to read.
Of the people who did not finish reading a story,they read for an average of 78.3 seconds before leaving the story entirely.
THE BEHAVIORS:
An overall average of a minute and a half (98.3 seconds) was spent on the first storya person selected to read.
Of the people who did not finish reading a story,they read for an average of 78.3 seconds before leaving the story entirely.
We’ve been calling this the “bail out point.”
THE BEHAVIORS:
And it might be a good benchmark for establishing a “gold coin” to keep the reader engaged about halfway through a long story.
THE BEHAVIORS:
This could be a simple pullout quote from someone who has yet to appear in the story.
THE BEHAVIORS:
This could be a simple pullout quote from someone who has yet to appear in the story.
Or, an informative visual element that keeps the reader interested.
THE BEHAVIORS:
This could be a simple pullout quote from someone who has yet to appear in the story.
Or, an informative visual element that keeps the reader interested.
Or a quick summary of key points to help the reader feel satisfied withwhat they’ve learned.
THE BEHAVIORS:
How do you readwhen you are searching?
Scanning readers are searching the page, rather than reading word for word.
When they are looking for information, theyread subheads and the first words of paragraphs.
Some might call this information foraging.On the Web, we hunt for facts.
When people are looking for information, theyread subheads and the first words of paragraphs.
There are times when youmight want to keep thingsshort and sweet.
Our buddy, Roy Peter Clark argues that any story can be told well in just …
Our buddy, Roy Peter Clark argues that any story can be told well in just …
800 words
A few tips for writing:
Never bury the lead.You can’t usually afford to bury the lead because if you do, few readers will get to it.
Don’t pile on.In an effort to seem as current as possible with breaking news, sites will often put the latest development in a story at the top — no matter how incremental the development.
Write tight and lively.Write actively, not passively.
Write tight and lively.Good broadcast writing uses primarily tight, simple declarative sentences and sticks to one idea per sentence.
Write tight and lively.Good broadcast writing uses primarily tight, simple declarative sentences and sticks to one idea per sentence.
It avoids the longer clauses of print writing.
Write tight and lively.Good broadcast writing uses primarily tight, simple declarative sentences and sticks to one idea per sentence.
It avoids the longer clauses of print writing.
You’re writing for the ear. How can youhelp the listener to see what you’re saying?
Write tight and lively.Writing for the web, tablet and mobile should be a cross between broadcast and print
-- tighter and punchier than print-- more literate and detailed than broadcast writing
Put the power at the end.This is a broadcast tip. It’s also magical for print.
Put the power at the end.This is a broadcast tip. It’s also magical for print.
Powerful stories have powerful sentences.
Put the power at the end.This is a broadcast tip. It’s also magical for print.
Powerful stories have powerful sentences.
Identify the most important or surprising part of every sentence and order the information accordingly.
SEOSearch engine optimization
Write searchable headlines.
Write searchable headlines.Punny headlines need context.
Your head will likely be read on a mobile phone, too.
Your audience is global.
Does this work for digital?
Does this work?
Write searchable headlines.Most people don’t go to your homepage tofind what they want to read, they use RSS feeds, etc.
Write searchable headlines.Most people don’t go to your homepage tofind what they want to read, they use RSS feeds, etc.
Be realistic about what people will search for.
Write searchable headlines.Most people don’t go to your homepage tofind what they want to read, they use RSS feeds, etc.
Be realistic about what people will search for.
Use unique, proper nouns: places, people, things.
Write searchable headlines.The first one to four words are the most important.
Write searchable headlines.The first one to four words are the most important.
Be clear and concise. You have just a few seconds.
Be straight forward.When people click on something that’s not worth it, they lose trust in you as a source and are less likely to come back and click on things in the future.
Write the invisible text.About 10 percent of text is read only by machines.
It’s called metadata, and it’s incredibly important.
Write the invisible text.Use the words that your audience will look for most.
Use free keyword help services like Google.
https://adwords.google.com/o/Targeting/Explorer?__c=1000000000&__u=1000000000&ideaRequestType=KEYWORD_IDEAS
Here’s what you need to write for most pages:
Don’t fear the link.Linking back to your own workis crucial to SEO.
Don’t fear the link.Studies suggest that links to supporting informationimprove the credibility of your content.
People go to sites that do a good job of compilingclick-worthy links.
• Connect your audience with everything you have published previously about a topic
Friday, January 27, 2012
• Connect your audience with everything you have published previously about a topic
Friday, January 27, 2012
• Connect your audience with everything you have published previously about a topic
Friday, January 27, 2012
• Connect your audience with everything you have published previously about a topic
Friday, January 27, 2012
• Connect your audience with everything you have published previously about a topic
Friday, January 27, 2012
Don’t fear the link.Don’t worry about writing: “for more information, here’s a link.” The visual cue will be enough.
Remember Fitz’s Law.
Help people skim and dive.Boldfaced or highlighted words grab the eye.
Help people skim and dive.Highlight about three times as many words online as you would in a print article.
Bullets and lists draw attention to important points.
Use subheads to keep people reading.
Make the most of conversation.
Make the most of conversation.When people make it to the end of your story,give them someplace relevant to go.
Don’t make them scroll all the way back to the top.Let them respond.
Talk about a story.
Share a story.
Recommend a story.
Give readers a way to
participate.
Take care of your baby.Update your stories with new developments, links,supporting data.
When it comes to the digital world,your work is a living thing.
“Always get the name of the dog.”
Advice from Roy Peter Clark,Poynter vice president and senior scholar:
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Dig for theconcrete and specific, details that appeal to the senses.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
“I remember a police story in the St. Pete Times.
It was an oppressively hot, humid Florida day, and things
started to go badly for a family who lived in town.
“First the air-conditioner broke down, making it
unbearably sticky for the husband, wife, and mother-in-law.
The mother-in-law’s irritation increased when the TV went
on the blink.”
(The reporter didn’t tell me, but I wanted to know what she was
watching at the time. Was it Jeopardyor Wheel of Fortune or The
Dating Gameor One Life to Live?)
The old woman complained to her son-in-law that the television was
not working. So the son-in-law did what any Florida man would do
under such circumstances: He shot out the screen of the television
set with a handgun. What followed was a stand-off with police and
his eventual surrender.
The reporter, Doreen Carvajal, does tell us, bless her, that the man’s
foul mood and subsequent violence were influenced by his imbibing
24 cans of beer that day. Black Label beer. Not Heineken or
Budweiser or Coors. But Black Label.
No wonder he shot out the television.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
“The reporter didn’t tell me, but I wanted to know …
what was the woman watching at the time? Was it Jeopardy?
Wheel of Fortune? Maybe One Life to Live?
“The older woman complained to her son-in-law that the TV
wasn’t working. So the son-in-law did what any Florida man
would do under such circumstances: He shot out the screen
of the television set with a handgun.”
What followed was a stand-off with police and his eventual
surrender.
The reporter, Doreen Carvajal, does tell us, bless her, that the man’s
foul mood and subsequent violence were influenced by his
imbibing 24 cans of beer that day. Black Label beer. Not Heineken
or Budweiser or Coors. But Black Label.
No wonder he shot out the television.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
“What followed was a stand-off with police and the man’s
eventual surrender.
“The reporter, does tell us, bless her, that the man’s foul mood
and subsequent violence were influenced by the fact that
he drank 24 cans of beer that day. Black Label beer.
“Not Heineken or Budweiser or Coors. But Black Label.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
“What followed was a stand-off with police and the man’s
eventual surrender.
“The reporter, does tell us, bless her, that the man’s foul mood
and subsequent violence were influenced by the fact that
he drank 24 cans of beer that day. Black Label beer.
“Not Heineken or Budweiser or Coors. But Black Label.
“No wonder he shot out the television.”
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Roy Peter ClarkPoynter Vice President
“Always get the name of the dog.”
(Or, the beer.)
Saturday, March 22, 2014