How can journalism teach us to be even better writers?

Newspaper sales aren’t what they once were, but the power of the written word is no less important.

Even though how we consume news and media has changed, many of the underlying rules are the same as ever.

Here are few important lessons from journalism school that can help improve your content writing.

Get your reader’s attention

A lot of people talk about the inverted pyramid and it’s a great metaphor for how to structure your story. All the vital, newsworthy elements up front, followed by the rest of the information in descending order of importance.

But the best advice I’ve clung to since my journalism days is a bit simpler.

“Think how you’d tell it to someone down the pub.”

Try to imagine telling a friend the best story you’ve ever heard – and you think they’ll love too. Or, if you’d prefer it, think of talking to a work colleague over your coffee break.

Take too long to set up your story, or go down too many side roads, and you’ll lose their interest.

You don’t always have to strictly follow the pyramid rule. Sometimes it’s ok to weave a story and not hit them with a news headline. The most important thing is to tease the interesting details along the way.

(This works for longer documents too – that’s why the executive summary on something like corporate brochure is so important.)

Find the angle

Whatever you do, don’t bury the lead.

If there’s a killer statistic, or a great fact, make sure it’s prominent.

One of my specialities as a journalist was pouring through doorstop-sized council reports to find stories. Often the most interesting aspects were buried deep inside, or even left right until the end.

It can be like mining for gold. Searching for a nugget that will stand out. It’s normally something new, or that will surprise your audience.

In most cases, if you get the right angle, the rest of the story should flow from there. And, if you’re struggling too hard to find it, that might a sign you need some more information.

Don’t overwrite

Tl;dr.

The dreaded response to your carefully crafted post or article. Too long, didn’t read.

No matter how much you love your subject, doesn’t mean your reader will feel the same way, so beware of overwriting.

How long is too long? That’s a tough one. The response I got from news editors was “write what it’s worth”. But that’s what it’s worth to your audience – and not to you. I’ve read article of 300 words or less that seem like they take forever, and multi-page reports that are as compelling as an airport blockbuster.

The best advice is, be ruthless and make sure every paragraph pulls its weight. If it doesn’t add anything, take it out.

Know your audience

Every successful publication, whether it’s a high-end newspaper, a tabloid, or a digital media company, knows its audience.

Everybody has different ways of consuming information. The Financial Times won’t be publishing listicles (usually) and LADBible, one of the UK’s most popular social media and entertainment publishers, won’t be publishing lengthy exposés. Neither is wrong. The best outlets are those that recognise what their audience want and deliver it.

Need to make your words stand out to your audience? I can help. Get in touch here