crafting long-form content - transitioning to digital-first publishing
TRANSCRIPT
Transitioning to Digital-first Publishing
CRAFTINGLONG-FORM CONTENT
Presented by John Osterman, @johnaosterman
Lisa Drobek,@ldrobek
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IntroductionsWelcome!
Forum One is a digital agency that partners with influential organizations to craft solutions
for the world’s most pressing problems.
OpenSource Since
19962000Successful
Projects
750Influential
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Introductions
Lisa Drobek Senior User Experience Designer,
Forum One
John Osterman Deputy Director for Communications
and Publications,Center for Global Development
of what theyread
20%
Digital-first Publishing and Long-form Content
● extends your reach
● is easy and can scale
● has been done effectively
First Great Example
First Great Example
The more senses you engage, the more memorable the experience will be.
of what theysee
80%of what they
read
20%hear
10%of what they
ADVANTAGES OF DIGITAL-FIRST Accessibility of Content and Engagement
Source: Shutterstock
% of mobile traffic on websites is steadily rising
Accessibility
SEO Benefits
● Higher rank in Google (SEO)
● Higher rank for long-tail keywords
● Attracts backlinks and sharing on social media 50x
LONG-FORM CONTENT WITH VIDEO
MORE LIKELY TO SHOWON THE FIRST PAGE OF GOOGLE
THE AVERAGE WEB PAGE THAT RANKSON THE FIRST PAGE OF GOOGLE HAS OVER
2,000 WORDS
12%INFOGRAPHICS CANIMPROVE TRAFFIC BY
Increased Engagement
Source: Shutterstock
● Thought leadership
● More visibility and sharing on social media
● Drives action
● Long-form is a great platform for telling stories.
Allows for Storytelling
“Do.. or do not... there is no try.”
DIGITAL-FIRST PUBLISHINGLEVELS OF EFFORT
HighOne Flagship Reading
Experience
MediumA Couple Noteworthy
Reports
LowThe Majority of Your
Publications
DIGITAL-FIRST PUBLISHINGLEVELS OF EFFORT
HighOne Flagship Reading
Experience
MediumA Couple Noteworthy
Reports
LowThe Majority of Your
Publications
DIGITAL-FIRST PUBLISHINGLEVELS OF EFFORT
HighOne Flagship Reading
Experience
MediumA Couple Noteworthy
Reports
LowThe Majority of Your
Publications
HIGHER LEVEL OF EFFORTDIGITAL-FIRST Publishing enhanced long-form content
Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesnotes.com/2015-Annual-Letter?page=1&lang=en
Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesnotes.com/2015-Annual-Letter?page=1&lang=en
Gates Foundation
http://www.gatesnotes.com/2015-Annual-Letter?page=1&lang=en
AAMC
Source: Report Series
http://aamcdiversityfactsandfigures.org/
● TablePress
● Visualizer
● Highcharts
● Google Analytics
Under the Hood
● TablePress
● Visualizer
● Highcharts
● Google Analytics
Under the Hood
AAMC Analytics Findings
36% of readers spend more than 3 minutes on the report - Averaging 1-2 minutes per page
Minutes
% o
f Use
rs
Pew ResearchCenterhttp://www.pewresearch.org/next-america/#Two-Dramas-in-Slow-Motion
Pew ResearchCenterhttp://www.pewresearch.org/next-america/#Two-Dramas-in-Slow-Motion
Pew ResearchCenterhttp://www.pewresearch.org/next-america/#Two-Dramas-in-Slow-Motion
Pew ResearchCenterhttp://www.pewresearch.org/next-america/#Two-Dramas-in-Slow-Motion
● Readable 1 column of text
● Imagery to break up text
● Call outs and quotes to emphasize key information
● Give context to data visualizations and timelines
● Use video to explain complex pieces
● Add animations to delight users
Best Practicesfor Reading Experience
MEDIUM LEVEL OF EFFORTUSING DIGITAL TOOLSNot just text, visuals and data too
Farm to Schoolhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/
Farm to Schoolhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/
Farm to Schoolhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/
Farm to Schoolhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/media
Farm to Schoolhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/media
53%11%
Farm to Schoolhttp://www.fns.usda.gov/farmtoschool/census#/media
Increase in conversion from
to
The Opportunity Agendahttp://opportunity-survey.opportunityagenda.org/
The Opportunity Agendahttp://opportunity-survey.opportunityagenda.org/
The Opportunity Agendahttp://opportunity-survey.opportunityagenda.org/
The Opportunity Agendahttp://opportunity-survey.opportunityagenda.org/
Online Tools ● creatavist.com
● hatchforgood.org
● marquee.by
● causevox.com
LOWER LEVEL OF EFFORTTHINK DIGITAL-FIRST Making your full text available online
Center for Global Development
CASE STUDYCENTER FOR GLOBAL
Our Transition to Digital-First Publishing
DEVELOPMENT (CGD)
Listing page > Summary page > Publication (PDF)
Our Beautiful PDF on Your Mobile Device
zoom & pan
Version 1. Standalone HTML
Analytics: Audiences read full text more than PDFs
Version 2: Full Text in Detail Page
Bypass Summary Pages
with custom CSS and JavaScript without
Process: Word Doc > Clean > Adjust > Enter into CMS
word2cleanhtml.com
Some adjustments
<style> <script>Optional
But STILL Offer Printable Option—Meaning Print CSS
But Does It Work? Analytics
But Does It Work? Analytics
7x MORE NEWSLETTERSIGNUPS
But Does It Work? Analytics
7x MORE NEWSLETTERSIGNUPS
4x MORETWEETS AND FACEBOOK LIKES (USING THE SHARE BUTTONS)
But Does It Work? Analytics
7x MORE
4x MORENEWSLETTERSIGNUPS
TWEETS AND FACEBOOK LIKES (USING THE SHARE BUTTONS)
2x FEWER(IT’S OK, MORE PEOPLE ARE READING CONTENT ONLINE)
PDF DOWNLOADCONVERSIONS
Essays and other long-form
CGD’s Digital-first Publishing Steps
1. Convert your Word Doc to HTML.a. Clean up Doc with tools like
Word2CleanHTML.
2. Input content into your existing CMS.
3. Make minor adjustments to your CSS styles (font sizes, etc) to ensure a good reading experience.
TAKE AWAYSDigital-first Publishing
● Extends your reach
● Is easy and can scale
● Has been done effectively
● Positions you as thought leaders
● Attracts target audiences
● Increases engagement
Extends your reach
● Low barrier for entry
● Start small
● Scalable for your organization
Is easy and can scale
● Examples from each section
● CGD case study
Has been done effectively
Learning Curve: The first report that you create digital-first will take more time to implement, but subsequent reports will be quicker and easier.
Questions?
● Use the “Questions” window or
● Tweet @ForumOne and use hashtag #F1Webinar
ResourcesDigital-first Transition
● Blog Posts
● Steps for creating projects based on level of effort
Lisa Drobek’s Blog Posts
Crafting Long-form Content: Transitioning from Print-centric PDFs to Digital-first Publishing - http://forumone.com/insights/crafting-long-form-content-transitioning-from-print-pdfs-to-digital-first-publishing/
Repurpose Your PDFs as Long-Form Content on the Web - http://forumone.com/insights/repurpose-your-pdfs-as-long-form-content-on-the-web/
Steps for most publications (low)
1. Convert your Word Doc to HTML.a. Clean up Doc with tools like
Word2CleanHTML.
2. Input content into your existing CMS.
3. Make minor adjustments to your CSS styles (font sizes, etc) to ensure a good reading experience.
1. Think about the story you want to tell and how you can best tell that story online:● What action are you driving
your audience toward?
● What tools will help you achieve your goals?
Steps for that Noteworthy Reports (Medium)
2. Find an online tool or organization to partner with
● The more complex projects may require you to get some outside help.
Steps for that Noteworthy Reports (Medium)
Steps for that Noteworthy Reports (Medium)
● Storytelling
● Imagery
● Graphics and Charts
● Infographics
● Small Animations
Steps for that Flagship Reading Experience (High)
1. Think about the story you want to tell and how to best tell that story online (like steps for medium):● What action are you driving
your audience toward?
● What tools will help you achieve your goals?○ Think about your imagery○ Think about interactives for
your data
2. Get some outside help.● Modify your current CMS
● Stand-up a stand-alone reading experience (like a microsite)
● Develop an experience from scratch for data rich experiences
Steps for that Flagship Reading Experience (High)
● Storytelling
● Imagery
● Graphics and Charts
● Infographics
● Video/Audio
● Animations
Flagship Reading Experience Features (High)
