NFPW

Newspapers Aren’t Dead; New Era Beckons

My communications career began as a newspaper reporter so I will always have a great fondness for newspapers. I still receive mine each morning tossed in my.

Christofferson and Haddad

Brooke Christofferson and Richard Haddad discuss a new era for newspapers with NFPW. (Photo by Cynthia Price)

I’ve watched with sadness as reporters are laid off and newspapers fold. For years, it has been doom and gloom. During the NFPW 2012 Conference in Scottsdale, Ariz., I heard a different story – one that promises a new era for newspapers.

The focus is on community. “Gannett is producing content in local markets, embracing and being part of the community fabric,” said Brooke Christofferson, vice president of marketing and business development, Republic Media and Gannett West Group marketing director.

She noted that for years subscriptions only paid for the delivery cost. Today, newspapers are offering full access subscriptions that include the print newspaper and digital, which includes mobiles, tablet and desktop.

Christofferson said Gannett is investing in content and “how we tell our story.”

For now, individuals can go to Gannett newspaper website and view a limited number of pages. “Once they reach a certain point we want to have shown them the value of the content,” Christofferson said. “We want them to subscribe.”

She added, “The print product has an important place in society but to be viable we have to rethink our business model.”

Newspapers are valuable, echoed Richard Haddad, digital director of Western News & Information, because they remain the most trusted of the media. “Part of being trusted is being there,” he said.

“The news media needs to recognize the quality of what we do is worth paying for,” Haddad said. “It’s about credibility. It’s about reliability. It’s about trust.”

He is opposed to even offering free paragraphs to view online. He urged the use of compelling headlines to lure in readers. “We need to market our value and market our content better,” he said. “Your headlines are a promise to come in and deliver.”

Both stressed that content is king. And while I was encouraged about the future of newspapers, I am still waiting to hear when media companies are going to invest in the reporters.

Want to Get Your Story Read? Write a Good Headline

“How many of you have written a really good story only to have an editor throw a headline on it that has no point?” It’s a question that Richard Haddad, digital director of Western News & Information, asked participants in his workshop at the 2012 NFPW Conference.

Without a good headline, your article is not likely to be read. Haddad noted that 8 out of 10 people will read a headline, but only 2 out of 10 will go on to read the content. Making that headline compelling is the key to having content read.

In Sunday’s blog, I shared Haddad’s five tips for writing great headlines. Today, I’ll share two additional approaches to headline writing.

Haddad says that when writing headlines, there are six questions we should ask about each headline.

  1. Does your headline offer the reader a promise?
  2. What specifics can you add for more intrigue?
  3. Does it trigger a strong actional emotion?
  4. Can it present a proposition that instantly engages the reader?
  5. Can you include a proposed transaction?
  6. What element of intrigue would drive the prospect into your opening copy?

If the answer is “no” to all of these, it’s best to rewrite the headline.

He also suggests using the “U Approach.” Is the headline useful to the reader? Does it provide a sense of urgency? Does the headline convey the benefit as unique? And finally, is the headline ultra specific? This refers back to avoiding the seven deadly flag words, which add no meaning to the headline.

Since the workshop, I spend considerably longer on my headlines. I usually start with the headline before I write my copy. It’s been a challenge, but the result is that, for the most part, my headlines are stronger.

5 Tips for Writing Great Headlines

Tip 1: Have a benefit that is clear.

That is exactly what I did with the headline on this post. I told you I was going to give you five tips for writing great headlines. Full disclosure: These are not my tips, but rather those of Richard Haddad, digital director of Western News & Info, who presented on the topic at the 2012 NFPW Communications Conference in Arizona.

Headlines that focus on benefits such as “better, easier and happier” will get more attention. Lists also are popular, Haddad said, because they become a “how-to” for readers.

Tip 2: Avoid the seven deadly flag words.

Haddad challenged his audience to write a headline with the following words: budget, council, agenda, meeting, taxes, discuss, still. We labored over the assignment but most of were thinking, “What do these words tell us?”

The answer, Haddad said, “is they don’t tell you anything.”

“A bad headline is a lid to a jar that will remain locked,” Haddad said. “If no one reads, all is lost.”

And yet the goal of a headline is to entice the reader into the article. His recommendation is for reporters to always submit two headlines when submitting a story.

Tip 3: Optimize your headlines for web readers and search engines.

You will need to inject keywords into the headline. “The headline alone must provide enough information scent to let users predict what they’ll get if they follow the link,” Haddad said.

As authors we have about three seconds to catch the reader’s attention, Haddad said. Using clear, immediate-read keywords to draw people into the story is essential.

Tip 4: Get the first two words right.

Haddad said it’s important to front-load headlines with compelling keywords, even if the headline is passive voice. Several audience members cringed at that having been taught to always write in the active voice. Yet, when Haddad showed several examples where headlines were written in the passive voice, it was obvious those examples were more compelling because the strong keywords were immediately recognizable. As Haddad said, “Get me the meat!”

This tip also holds true for subheads, summaries, captions and bulleted lists.

Tip 5: Write your headline first.

That’s exactly what I did with this blog. I reviewed my notes to confirm that Haddad had indeed provided the audience with five tips and that became my headline.

Haddad said more news writers should follow the practice of marketing copywriters, which is 50 percent research and 50 percent writing the headline. Of course, writers need time to write, but the point is – headlines are critical.

“Your headline is a promise to readers,” Haddad said. “Writing the headline first, commits you to fulfilling a promise.”

What if you attended a boring meeting? Haddad’s solution is simple, don’t write a story. Instead create a grid that outlines what was discussed and the actions taken. If one action stands out that becomes the story with a compelling headline.

I hope you agree that with the content of this blog I kept my promise to you that I made in my headline.

Crisis Communications Impacted by Technology

When it comes to handling a crisis today, it’s a whole new world.

Julie Rodriguez, public information manager of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport, shared at the National Federation of Press Women 2012 Communications Conference how the world has changed technologically and how those changes impact news.

When she started in the business, press releases were still faxed to reporters. Today communications is instant and includes tools such as email, websites, 24-hour media texts, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, blogs, apps and direct email lists.

“When something starts happening we immediately go to Facebook and Twitter,” said Rodriguez. “The reporters follow us.”

It’s also how news gets out. “We hear about something. We see it on Twitter. We see the photos posted on Twitter. We see it on CNN,” she said. “That’s the progression.”

Rodriguez added, “I love social media, especially Facebook. We can have a conversation.”

When a crisis happens, Rodriguez says it’s important to follow a timeline that includes:

  • Fact finding
  • Communicating with all agencies and business partners involved
  • Returning media calls
  • In-person media briefings

Beginning with the fact finding ensures that you have the needed information or have identified what you still need before speaking to the media. It’s then important to communicate with partners, Rodriguez said.

“We have to stay in our lane,” Rodriguez said. “We can’t share information that is out of our area of control or authority.”

She and her staff, though, will assist reporters in finding the person who can give them the necessary information.

Once you have done these two steps you can return media calls, post to social media and send group emails. Then, she said, schedule in-person media briefings.

Following these steps and using the new technology, Rodriguez, said will help you dispel inaccurate rumors and enable you to quickly contact news outlets.

NFPW Conference Renews Spirit

 

Hotel Valley Ho set the stage for the 2012 NFPW Conference.

It’s 4 a.m. in Scottsdale, Ariz., as I write this. I’m awake only because it’s time for me to check out of my outstanding accommodations at the Hotel Valley Ho and leave behind my friends and the annual NFPW conference and return to the real world.

For a few days each year at this conference I rekindle friendships, renew my spirit and reawaken my thirst for knowledge.

I attended my first conference many years ago for the same reason I suspect many members do – I was receiving an award in the annual communications contest. As a young reporter, I was excited to learn what place I had won and to learn how I could improve my writing from the judges’ comments.

Of course once you are at conference, you are going to attend the workshops, which almost always are outstanding. This year, I learned about communicating a crisis using the latest technology, writing headlines for the Web and accessing my muse.

I had conversations and laughter with friends. That’s a given, but breakfast speaker Steve Saffron reinforced the value of laughter and humor during his presentation. As he encouraged us to dance our way out of the room to our next workshop, he turned on the tunes and the next thing you knew, we were all dancing.We celebrated NFPW's 75th with cupcakes.

This year I didn’t participate in the pre- or post-tours because of my schedule, but I managed to squeeze in a few hours to explore Scottsdale. I enjoyed summer for a few more days with 100+ degree days and plenty of sunshine.

Now, though, it’s time to say good-bye and return to the chilly autumn days of the East Coast. I already have marked my calendar for Aug. 22-24 in Utah for the 2013 conference knowing all the wonderful benefits it will provide. Will you be there?