What’s Happening Today - PowerPoint Presentation

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What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms(+ wrap up) Slide3

What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms(+ wrap up) Slide4

Survey Results

97 Surveyed56 Respondents(nearly 58%)Slide5

Survey Results

RolesSlide6

Survey Results

But we all write.Slide7

Survey Results

We know our stuff.Slide8

Survey Results

We’re handling the web.Slide9

Survey Results

We’re handling the web.Slide10

Survey Results

We also manage newsletters and magazines.Slide11

Survey Results

…often enough…Slide12

Survey Results

…to a large number of constituents…Slide13

Survey Results

We manage or mess with social media.Slide14

Survey Results

While we don’t feel under resourced…Slide15

Survey Results

…only half of us are confident sharing about giving. Slide16

Survey Results

…about half know how to maximize Michigan News. Slide17

Survey Results

What do we want to get out of this…Slide18

What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms (+ wrap up) Slide19

Dynamite Content

1.) Goals + Content = Strategy Campaign case statements Best practices: Law School, Leaders & Best 2.) Lead with the dynamiteImpact!BackstoryEditorial guidelines3.) Connect to

broader news stories

if possible

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What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms (+ wrap up) Slide21

A Few General Web Tips

Remember that readers will jump around constantly—and write for that.More and more readers now search for the information they want vs. finding it through a site’s navigation—so use keywords in your text!Follow the 5/15 Rule: Within five seconds a user should understand the purpose of your web page. Within 15 seconds, a user should be comfortable navigating your page.Slide22

Imagine how the 5/15 rule could improve this site ….Slide23

Help Readers Understand

the Purpose of Your WebpageBe clear: don’t force web users to think.Be succinct: write 50% (or less) of the text you would have used in a print publication.Make text brief and easy to scan with chunks and subheads.Focus on benefits and not just features of a program, event, renovation, etc.Use testimonials.Slide24

Example of writing for ease of scanning:Slide25

Example of using chunks and testimonials:Slide26

Make Your Headlines Count

Clear trumps clever.Pique curiosity.Include action, if you can.Remember to use keywords for SEO value. (More on SEO in a minute.)Slide27

LSA Today

headline examples from May & June:Slide28

Compare those with Buzzfeed.com:Slide29

Or Aol.com:Slide30

Or even Harvard:Slide31

Writing for SEO

(Search Engine Optimization)Determined by keywords, links, page title, meta tags.And yet ..“Modern SEO is all about crafting content so compelling that other people want to promote it by linking to it or sharing it, which increases your trust and authority and helps the pages you want to rank well for certain keywords.” —copyblogger.comSlide32

Avoid these Common Pitfalls

Not getting to the point.Not writing with scanning in mind.Using acronyms and “insider” language.Not utilizing links and SEO.“Remember, even the best writing doesn’t matter if no one can find it.” —Mediabistro.com Slide33

What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms (+ wrap up) Slide34

Group Exercise

Campaign Case Study • The Department of Slavic Languages and and Literatures received a $250,000 endowment gift • The gift was given by an Michigan couple who want to provide students with the opportunity to study abroad, specifically in Poland. • The gift will generate six scholarships each year with an amount totaling $7,000 per student, with the remainder in an expendable account. The department director will report on the gift annually at fiscal year-end.

•

The

department has names of students who have studied in Poland. The couple met while studying abroad 30 years ago.

With Your Group:

Brainstorm a lead, or at least what you think you’d write about in the first paragraph

Brainstorm a title

Brainstorm a teaser (no more than 30 words)Slide35

What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms (+ wrap up) Slide36

What’s Happening Today

Welcome, introductionsSurvey results!Story best practices (The Campaign)Writing for the web Group exercise Idea roll-up One story, many forms (+ wrap up) Slide37

One Story, Many Outlets

Share the story with fundraisers and development colleaguesCarve the story into market segments: long for print, short for web, even shorter for Facebook, and 140 characters for TwitterShare the content with Michigan News for breaking stories Share the content with your unit communications team for placement in alumni magazines, e-newsletters, etc. Share your content, and ask to borrow content in return Slide38

LSA – Victors of discovery , Victors of

human thought and exploration, Victors of social understanding, Victors of invention, Victors of problems and solutions,Victors of knowledge Thank you!See you in 2014! Laura Lessnau Michigan News

writing