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Because news articles are extremely short (200 to 300 words might seem like a lot here, but when you actually try to write an article, they'll seem like a paltry amount). To make sure that you keep within your word limit, you need to have a sharp focus for your article.
An elevator speech is a technique used by people in business to help them focus their efforts. In an elevator speech, you state in 20 seconds or less the purpose of your activity. In this case, you explain the purpose of the article.
A format to help you prepare the elevator speech:
After reading this article, who should be able to do what. Examples:
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In an inveted pyramid, information is presented in order of decreasing importance. That is, the most important information is first, second most important information is second, third most important information is third, and so on.
The inverted pyrmaid offers advantages to readers and to you.
A lead is the opening paragraph of a news story. The lead serves two purposes:
Because you follow the inverted pyramid style, it must convey the most important information in the news story. That is, it must tell the "who, what, where, when, why, and how" of the story. (Subsequent paragraphs elaborate on these issues.)
It must also entice readers to continue reading. Therefore, the writing style must be sharp and engaging.
Depending on the type of article that you're writing, you might find the following tips helpful:
| Feature articles | Maintain a tight focus. Although the advice makes sense now,
when your research for the article yields more information than you can include, you might
have a hard time removing information. If that's the case, place related information in a sidebar (a related article taht appears beside the main article). |
| "Tips and Tricks" articles | Separate each tip or trick with a sub-heading. That is,
if you have six tips, you should have a separate tip for each. When possible, provide examples for each tip. In many instances, the idea sounds good, but some readers might have difficulty seeing how to apply the concept. (This website is an example of a tips and tricks article.) |
| Events Listings | Limit the listing to 1 paragraph, especially if another
organization is sponsoring the event. Readers are most interested in the purpose,
topic, time, location, cost, and contact information about the event. (This provides
them with enough information to find out whether the event interests them and, if it does,
when and where to go.) They rarely need additional details. Note that most press releases provide much more information to increase the likelihood of coverage. If you have additional space to fill, you might use this additional information. |
Credible information is information that others can trust. Some common issues in credibility:
Verify facts. Printing March 7 rather than March 8 looks like a typo to you, but to the person who shows up on March 7 for an event that's scheduled March 8, that typo wastes time and causes embarrasment. In addition to dates, verify telephone numbers, financial figures, correct names of other organizations, and spellings of people's names (volunteers are not paid in cash, so having their names misprinted feels all the more like an offense.)
Perform background research. When conducting a personality profile, for example, do not rely solely on an interview with the subject of the article. Also interview others to get a more balanced background.
Cite all sources of information. For example, do not lift articles from other newsletters or web sites without permission. (That's plagiarism.)
Credit all photographers and illustrators. Also note that you cannot take visual images like photographs and graphics from other sources and reprint them (or alter them) without permission. This is a violation or copyright laws.
Typically, time-challenged readers merely scan newsletters. They only read articles of interest. The articles most likely to receive attention are those whose headlines "speak" to readers. To write headings that speak to readers, consider the following:
Clearly indicate the purpose of the article in the headline. For example, if you're writing an article with tips for programming in Visual Basic, then title the article "Tips for Programming with Visual Basic."
Always include a verb in headline.The verb gives readers the sense that they'll accomplish something in the article. Otherwise, the headline is merely a phrase. Example: "Fans flock to 'Star Wars'" rather than "Large Attendance at Event".
If you have a long article (more than 6 paragraphs), break it up with subheads. Use the same guidelines to write subheads that you would use to write headings.
Also, include at least 2 subheads. One rule of thumb suggests placing a subhead at least every 2 to 4 paragraphs.
Place subheads in the same type font as the body text. Like all headings, however, place subheads in bold text.
Limit headlines to 35 characters. This offers two benefits. First, it forces you to write succinctly. Second, by keeping headlines brief, you have more space copy or photos.
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(c) Copyright. Saul Carliner. 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002. All rights reserved.