Millions of news and posts are shared daily on the net. Blogs and digital media gain adherents among communication professionals and users incorporate among their habits to be informed through the Internet and social networks. The digital journalism is not a trend, it's a new way to tell what happens around us. Should we write the same as for traditional media?
One of the main mistakes that journalists make is to consider that nothing has changed and that they can continue to use the same journalistic writing techniques. However, the users evolve and we are faced with a medium with different qualities:
Digital readers do not behave the same as those who read your newspaper while having breakfast, for example. Those who read news or articles on the web often come to them by chance and above all go straight to read what interests them most or has caught their attention. In addition, it should be borne in mind that users usually combine this task with other activities so the content should be clear, concise and not very dense.
Along with the characteristics of online readers, it is necessary to highlight the nature of the medium itself. Internet stands out for the immediacy and speed, reason why the journalist has less time to elaborate the information. However, the contents are open to possible improvements and introduction of new information to complement the event. Being persuasive, creative and original is also decisive: how many media will publish the same as you? Think about it!
Before seeing which writing techniques are the most appropriate for writing on the web, we must indicate that, as a medium is constantly changing, there are no strict rules so they can be valid today but not tomorrow. Journalists and media will be in charge of seeing what works and what not to investigate the trends that are made in other websites or blogs, especially international.
If you have a blog or are thinking about creating your digital newspaper, these tips on online writing can be useful:
- Conciseness. Usually, the reader does not have much time to read the news, so write short sentences and avoid unnecessary lengthening of sentences. Avoid constructing paragraphs and lengths and separate them with double space; the "targets" are key so that the users can differentiate the different parts of the information. Also a lot of editing service companies help you to get the right content.
- Structure your news. Make the reader have a global view of the content with a simple glance. To achieve this best option is to include headlines, banners, bullets and annexed blocks of information that summarize the content. A post is more than the body of text! You can also highlight what you consider using bold, so you will attract attention.
- Information based on how we read it. To organize everything you want to tell it is important that you know how users read online. According to a study by the Nielsen Norman Group on ocular follow-up, netizens do not read linearly but rather do a brief tour that scans the entire screen; Read the first two lines and then lower their gaze on the left side to end up stopping in the center. It is what is known as "reading in F".
- Headline. You can write great text and not get visitors. One of the main causes will be found in the title of your article. Keep in mind that it is the first thing readers see and it should be interesting enough for them to continue reading. Bet on the AIDA model (Attention, Interest, Desire and Action) and improve the engagement of your publications. Also think about how users would look for them in the network and do not forget to optimize them for SEO.
- Talking about SEO ... Yes or no? According to your interests and objectives. Of course, do not forget that your means is online and that, therefore, if you want to get visits or some type of conversion, the positioning is necessary. Before you write think about the user: how you will look for it and what you want to read. From there define your word or keywords and optimize content based on them. Tools like Adwords can help you. But most of all, he writes in a natural way!
- Images. Do not forget the value of the images. In addition to illustrating what we have in the text, it is one of the main demands for readers.
- Links. Take advantage that you can link your article to other similar content. Adding links will allow users to find supplementary data and take them to other articles that interest you. Access to sources of information (such as surveys or surveys) also adds credibility to what your account for.
These are some of the tips on writing for online media but surely you know many more. Do not hesitate to share them! And if you are thinking of starting an online communication project or want to specialize in digital journalism, you now have the opportunity to do so. Know our postgraduate in this link. Make the jump to the net!