You’re a writer for a Web site. Here’s what you’re up against (or at least what Web writing “experts” tell you you’re up against): You have to grab readers in three seconds or less, or they’re gone. They want info fast and frill-free. They don’t read anything but headlines and links. They don’t read anything over 500 or 600 words. Maybe they don’t read anything at all.
The challenges seem daunting. But even with all that’s working against a Web writer, there’s something working for you, too: storytelling.
This is the idea we apply to our homepage features, which are stories that promote some aspect of the University, be it research, sports, students, etc. The goal is to produce tight, entertaining stories that tell people something they probably didn't know. A bit of narrative goes a long way, even if it's just there to add flash to a lead.
Case in point: A mathematician announces results that may open the door to solving the old and frustrating so-called “Cocktail party problem,” which basically deals with isolating recorded voices from background noise. The obvious approach would be to throw up a portrait of this mathematician along with a story that leads with the simply stated facts. It might work, but it might also bore the 10 people who click on it to tears. The storytelling approach would be to use an appealing and colorful photo illustration that matches the “cocktail party” idea, then write a narrative lead that paints a picture for readers and then transitions into technical explanation. Before readers know it, they’ve been tricked into reading about math. Realistically, even if they just read the first section, they know the gist of the story.
Case number two: Maya Angelou, a world-class poet, gives a speech on campus. You could write a lead that says, “World-class poet Maya Angelou gives a speech on campus.” Would that do justice to a woman who is obviously no slouch when it comes to writing? Instead, you go to the event and spend a little time with Angelou, and you get details. You get a gem of a story about a little girl named after the poet and a mom who brought her daughter to see her.
This stuff works (and it worked in other media long before we ever tried it). We know this because analytics results show us it does. Some of our features have cracked the top 20 content spots — no small task considering most users come to the University’s site looking for specific information. Not only that, but readers are spending enough time on our feature pages to let us know that they’re actually reading them.
The point? Never underestimate the value of narrative. Whether it’s a short online piece, a long print piece or a 15-second YouTube clip, a touch of storytelling helps. So much for frill-free.
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