Got a great story but don't know how to convert it to attention-grabbing news article? Then, follow these tips and you'll be all set:
First step is to write a compelling headline. Keep in mind that your headline is your one shot to get your target audience to pay attention to your article. Write a great one and you'll easily get these people to read on. Use a boring title and you can be assured that they'll pass all your hard work by. One technique to make your headlines very effective is to tell the main points of your chosen story using 6-12 words. Ensure that it's compelling enough to make your readers want more. It will help if you target the emotional hot buttons of your readers.
Make your first or lead paragraph equally compelling. It's not enough that you're able to get your target audience to open your articles. You need these people to read your copies until the end. I suggest that you get them on the edge of their seats and hook them as early as possible by making your lead or first paragraph as compelling as your headlines. Give your readers the summary of your story and tell them all the important information that they need to know. Be very straight forward and avoid using fluffs and fillers.
Write tight. Unlike when writing articles for the web, you really don't have much space to fill when writing for newspapers. This is the reasons why editors will always ask you to keep it shot, to the point, and sweet. This simply means giving your readers with lots of information using as few words as possible. This maybe difficult for you especially if you're used to writing essays and research papers that are generally longer. When writing your news articles, it's important that you find your focus and that you avoid beating around the bush. Cover only the essentials and throw out those information that are considered waste of your readers' time.
Use the inverted pyramid technique. It's important that you follow the acceptable structure when writing your news articles. Present the information you've gathered using inverted pyramid technique. This simply means putting the most important information in the beginning and placing the least important info or supporting details in the end. You need to do this as most people who are reading newspapers do not really read the articles in their entirety. By giving them the information they need as soon as possible, you can be assured that you'll still be able to educate them even if they just read the first paragraph. This technique will also make the job of your editors a bit easier. Should they need to cut down your articles to save some space, they will just need to remove your last paragraphs and that will not affect your story.
No comments:
Post a Comment