The 5 C's of writing news for mobile audiences

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Be conversational

What does this soaring audience for mobile news expect?

The 1st C: Be conversational. Imagine you're talking to someone you know.

Like your mom

Be conversational. Like this

Like this

Or like this

Or this

Which headline sounds more like you're talking to mom?

Be considerate: PYIRP tip 1

Please think about the last time you read news on your phone.

Were you filling a few minutes of down time while you were doing something else?

Were you distracted? Was your phone buzzing with alerts? Were you watching for your ride or your stop?

Were you reading on a small screen? The tweet says: "If this were your iPhone screen, would you want to read and engage?"

The 1st PYIRP tip: “Tell people why the story is about them.” -- Mark Jacob, former metro editor, Chicago Tribune

Read this head.

And read this one.

Which headline tells people why the story is about them? The Politico headline tells people why the story is about them: 5 cases to watch as Supreme Court term begins It has an implied "you." It could be written: 5 cases for you to watch as Supreme Court term begins. Unlike the other head: Supreme Court prepares to take on politically charged cases

Which headline tells people why the story is about them? The Politico headline tells people why the story is about them: 5 cases to watch as Supreme Court term begins It has an implied "you." It could be written: 5 cases for you to watch as Supreme Court term begins. Unlike the other head: Supreme Court prepares to take on politically charged cases

Be considerate: PYIRP tips 2-3

The 2nd PYIRP tip: Start strong Only a few words show up on small screens. Start with the most important stuff.

Which headline starts stronger?

Which headline starts stronger?

Which headline starts stronger?

The 3rd PYIRP tip: Prompt a reaction Make readers curious, mad, sad, happy or smarter. Just don't make them bored. And deliver what you promise.

Write a short tweet for your story first. That might also be the headline. This tweet says, "Audi's new $20,000 carbon fiber bike weighs just 12 pounds." Why write a tweet?

This headline was ignored by most Chicago Tribune readers.

Tap the quote bubble at upper right, and tell us why this head was being ignored.

This head was ignored because it does not prompt a reaction It lacks specifics to make readers curious, mad, sad, happy or smarter. It makes them bored.

This head prompts a "wow" reaction Editor Kurt Gessler went to the 11th paragraph to find specific, interesting details to prompt a reaction with this head, and the story became the second-most read that day.

Be concise: PYIRP tips 4-5

The 4th PYIRP tip: Avoid wordiness. Pretend each word will cost you $100.

“I would have written a shorter letter, but I did not have the time.” -- French mathematician Blaise Pascal

Take the time to choose each word carefully.

The 5th PYIRP tip: Write short headlines. Scanners want to know in SECONDS whether to read your story.

How short? 55 characters, the BBC says. This head is 52.

This head, at 69, verges on too long.

Quick review:

Pick the better headline

Pick the better headline

Pick the better headline

Pick the better headline

Be contextual

"The context of the stories is often more important than the event itself." -- David Halberstam, (left) 1964 Pulitzer winner for covering Vietnam for The New York Times

Which head provides context?

Which push alert provides context?

This New York Times story reports how North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's half-brother was slain. What questions could context answer? Tap the quote bubble at upper right and provide them in the comments.

This New York Times Q-and-A provides context on nerve agents.

How else to give context a family-tree diagram a bulleted list of what we know and don't know chunky bios* of the half-brothers. *More in the next lesson: Be chunky.

Be chunky

Examine this paragraph How many sentences long is it?

How inviting was that paragraph of 5 sentences? Paragraphs of five sentences or more form an uninviting wall of text.

How inviting was that paragraph of 5 sentences? Paragraphs of five sentences or more form an uninviting wall of text.

Why else should you chunk text? Which phone number is easier to remember?

Be chunky! Let's look at techniques to organize text and help readers.

What are 3 techniques to chunk this story?

A last tip on story length from the editor who co-founded the news start-up, Quartz, in 2012 and sold it for $75-$110 million in 2018.

"Between 500 and 800 words is the place you don't want to be." For greater reader engagement: Go short, focused and shareable, OR Go long, in-depth and insightful. Avoid the middle

Final review

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Which text alert provides context? The Quartz alert provides context: Jeb Bush's departure follows Donald Trump's win. The Washington Post alert does not: Jeb Bush suspends his presidential campaign

Which text alert provides context? The Quartz alert provides context: Jeb Bush's departure follows Donald Trump's win. The Washington Post alert does not: Jeb Bush suspends his presidential campaign

Which of these techniques could you use to chunk news stories? Pick as many as apply.

Test

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Pick the best headline

Which of these techniques could you use to chunk news stories? Pick as many as apply.

After-course survey