Web Writing & Web Original StorytellingOct. 2, 2012Kim Perry, Digital News Training

Kim Perry | Digital News Training | 202.513.2424 | kperry@npr.org

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Why text?

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Online News Cycle

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Frequency

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Visual Medium

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What doesn’t work…

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What doesn’t work…

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What works…

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What works…

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What’s the purpose of the story? Get to it quickly.

Why does it matter? Give me context.

Story structure

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WEBIFYING RADIO SCRIPTS

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Webifying

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14Kim Perry | Digital Trainer | 202.513.2424 | kperry@npr.org

Compare: Introductions or ledes

“Is bottled water better for you than tap? Or should you choose vitamin-enriched water over sparkling? Experts say, skip it all. None of these products are likely to make you any healthier. Below, we look at five major myths about the benefits of drinking water.

But first, how do you know if you're drinking enough water? Experts say there's an easy way to judge. If you're not thirsty, you're fluid intake is likely "just right."

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1. The journey isn’t as important as the ending – so give me that first

2. I will judge you for poor grammar and spelling (including names)

3. You can say it better than your source, summarize4. Multiple ideas in one story won’t confuse me – I can

reread5. Details, details, details – this proves you know what

you’re talking about

Five Differences: Web vs. Radio Writing

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1. Not all radio stories are meant to be web stories2. Try writing web text first3. Consider what your audience already knows and what

you’re adding to the story4. Conversational language speaks to your strengths

Looking Ahead

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WEB ORIGINAL STORYTELLING7 ways to signal webbiness

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1. Create web-only stories

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2. Link out to relevant material

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3. Embed content

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4. Update stories

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4. Be a curator

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5. Make it easy

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6. Let the format fit the story

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7. Listen & respond to your audience

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CASE STUDY: KPLU

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Web Checklist (must hit at least 2)

1. Is it timely? (Are we ahead of others?)2. Are you adding something NEW to a known story?3. Does it have a unique angle or perspective?4. Does it ask users to take action or express an

opinion?5. Is it shareable? (Would YOU share it?)6. Does it celebrate an idea, person or place?

Radio stories treated differently online

Broadcast first Web days later

Web firstBroadcast week later

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Web to Air

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What to ask…

1. What’s next?2. Who are the key players?3. How did we get to this point? 4. Why does this matter?

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Questions

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Assignment

1. Webify a radio story 2. Write a web-original story (before writing radio story)

Please send assignments to dseditorial@npr.orgDeadline: COB Thursday

Subject: (YOUR STATION) web writingExample: KERA web writing