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Writing for Newsletters
Content Writing for ImpactA Youth Summit Workshop
Hosted by BLS Youth CAN and MIT May 19, 2007
Nancy DuVergne SmithEditorial Director, MIT Alumni Association
Content: What you present
Information that meets readers’ needsRelevanceUrgency
Timely topicsConversational voiceRelevant factsFirst person stories
Readability: How you present it
Scanable: headlines, subheads, summaries
Chunks: short sentences & paragraphs Readable type Photos: tell the story Graphics: make a point
Who is your audience?
What interests them?What are your goals?What topics connect their interests to
your goals?What actions can they take?
Story ideas
Brainstorm five story ideas Interesting InformativeEngaging
Describe each idea in a sentence or two
Why write a good headline?
"Three little words (the headline, I mean) are the highest-value and highest-risk design decisions you make…."
Jacob Nielsen, Web usability guru
http://www.useit.com/
Powerful headlines
Using headlines & subheads Invites scanningRespects readers’ timeUnderscores the point
Student headlines
The Grizzly Gazette
Granite Hills High School, El Cajon, CA
http://www.grizzlygazette.net/
Topic to headline
Write a headline for one or two of your story ideas
Headline basics:Eight words or lessActive verbCaptures main idea
Dynamic writing
Writing about serious issues
“Local suicides cause concern in Newton”
The Lion’s Roar, Newton South High School, Newton MA
http://www.thelionsroar.com/index.php?method=article&id=2706
Writing tips
Be respectfulGive examplesOffer voices--expert or personalEmphasize solutionsShow, don’t tell
Inverted pyramid lead
Paragraph includes ConclusionWho, when, why, where, & howMakes sense on its ownFlavor
Inverted pyramid example 1
Does milk ruin tea?
Here's a ray of hope for milky-tea drinkers: new research shows that the quaint British custom of adding milk doesn't ruin the beneficial properties of the traditional drink.
www.nature.com
Inverted pyramid example 2
Sixteen Cities To Go Green Under Clinton PlanSixteen cities around the world will begin cutting carbon emissions by renovating city-owned buildings with green technology under a program spearheaded by former President Clinton's foundation.
Environmental News Network, www.enn.com/
Inverted pyramid example 3
Climate Change Linked to Higher Rates of Disease
Scientists fear that rising temperatures due to climate change may jeopardize the health of millions of people living in Colombia's mountains.
Conservation International, www.conservation.org
Resources
Campus WeblinesNYTimes guide to high school news writing
http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/specials/weblines/index.html
Resources
Poynter Institute OnlineWriting and editing tips and articles from noted journalism institute
http://www.poynter.org/subject.asp?id=2
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