Writing for the Web Handout

WRITING FOR THE WEB: PERFECTING YOUR PROCESS

1. SET GOAL:Knowledge Action

Your agenda Their agenda

HOW?

2. DETERMINE TIME LINE:First draft

Revised

Finalize

Send/Publish Date

3. BRAINSTORM KEY WORDS (web content only):

4. ASSESS AUDIENCE:Will these factors impact effective delivery of your message? If so, how?

Communication style:

1 | P a g e www.MayeCreate .com | (573) 447-1836 | 307 Locust | Co lumbia , MO 65201

Interests

Income

Gender

Education Level

Commun-ication Style

Life Style

Age

Location

Relatio-nship

D I S C


Strong-Willed

Competitive

Demanding

Independent

Direct

Self-Centered

Decisive

Tough

Impatient

Sociable

Talkative

Open

Enthusiastic

Energetic

Persuasive

Spontaneous

Emotional

Impulsive

Steady

Laid Back

Modest

Trustworthy

Family Oriented

Sincere

Patient

Careful

Calm

Precise

Exact

Analytical

Systematic

Follows Rules

Quiet

Careful

Formal

Disciplined

Style writing tips

Brief and to the point

Results oriented

Focus on the future

Get to business

Positive and conversational

Quirky and friendly

Ask for feedback

Get personal

Be excited!

Take your time

Do what you say you’ll do – builds trust

Remember the little things

Human interest

Go into details

Keep it formal

Explain why

Reflect on the past (working results)

5. MAKE AN OUTLINE (What basic content do you want to cover?):

6. GET IT ALL OUT (free flow, don’t worry about the content or grammar):



7. REVISE FOR STYLE:

1.

2.

3.

Is it written properly for your medium?

Twitter: Max 140 characters, goal 124

Facebook: Max 63,206 characters, goal 100-119

Blog: Max unlimited, goal 205-500

Email Newsletter: Select your style, magazine, hybrid or single topic and follow suit

Is it written inverted pyramid style?

Does the intro grab the reader’s attention? Do you get the most important information first?

Is it properly formatted for easy skimming?

Consider composing in Word to easily recognize spelling and grammar errors Keep paragraphs short, 3 -5 sentences Break up every few paragraphs with a sub heading to help viewers skim for content Create visual hierarchy with text sizing and colors Bold key information

Break apart information into bulleted lists

Place captions with graphics to emphasize key elements

Use meaningful original graphics instead of clip art or stock photos whenever possible

Remove content that isn’t needed

Does your piece match the tonality of your company style?

Conservative Distinct


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Clinical

Traditional

Professional

Resonate

Powerful

Brave

Courageous

Heavy

Steady

Agreeable

Fair

Friendly

Pleasant

Helpful

Tender

Kind

Quaint

Innocent

Warm

Calm

Easy going

Gentle

Laid back

Neutral

Lively

Light

Charming

Curious

Thoughtful

Cheerful

Witty

Comfortable

Open

Encouraging

Energetic

Enthusiastic

Trendy

Youthful

Clever

Alive

Outrageous

Bold

Unusual

Wild

Funny

Different

Noisy

Edgy



8. WRITE A WINNING TITLE: Short and sweet is best, keep it 50 characters or less Pack a punch, make it interesting, the subject is the first thing viewers see and maybe the only thing if

it’s not intriguing Capitalize Letters of Each Word for Easy Recognition Consider starting emails with the business name so they know who the email is coming from AVOID: help, percent off and reminder, special, ALL CAPS, !!!!!!!, free Create urgency and the must read feeling

9. TEST YOUR CALL TO ACTION Close your eyes and open them, what do you see first? Think of your text as blocks

Put yourself in the shoes of a viewer, be objective

Do you know where to click instinctively?

Did you ask your viewers to take action? Is it front and center?

Don’t forget your contact information

10. FINAL EDIT: Plug in additional keywords (web content only) SPELL CHECK!!!

Read it out loud

Skim it backwards

Send to the proofing authorities in your process

Grammar

o Look for consistent punctuation and capitalization of bulleted lists

o Check for correct comma, semicolon and colon usage

Comma (,) Semicolon (;) Colon (:)

Separates a list of items Separates phrases Separate clauses, connected by

a conjunction such as 'but' Introduce a direct quote

Separates two independent clauses (one or both of the clauses are short and ideas expressed are usually similar

To separate groups of words that

Provides additional details and explanation

To introduce a direct quote (a comma can also be used



Separate appositives (noun, or noun phrase), or non-defining clauses

are themselves separated by commas

Semicolons are very effective when used appropriately

Example Free Flow Exercise

Our experience in Joplin.

Our taskforce was deployed to Joplin, MO to search for missing persons. We were assigned to search the Home Depot area. We piled in the car and drove toward the corner of Main and 20th Street. We drove in circles around the fallen 19th Street sign a few times in search of 20th Street, looking for Home Depot but didn’t see the store anywhere in sight. Finally we consulted our GPS navigation system and searched for the Home Depot. Turns out we were on the corner of Main and 20th Street all along! The street sign from 19th Street had been torn out of the ground by the tornado and thrown a full city block to the corner of Main and 20th were it lay impaled in the ground. All that was left of Home Depot was a bunch of shelves sticking out of a bunch of concrete that looked like a parking lot.

The people of Joplin would greatly appreciate all supplies and donations you can provide. Much needed items are water, bandages, blankets and canned food. Please contact Nancy with the Red Cross at [email protected] to coordinate supply pick up.

What will you write about?


mailto:[email protected]

