Ten Useful Tips for Writing Compelling Stories

Clear story-telling and language is at the heart of good journalism. Want help telling your brand’s stories? Whether you’re sharing a new blog post, writing an article or crafting a simple tweet; following journalist style guides can make all the difference in engagement and entertainment.

Here are a few useful tips to get you started.

1. Start with a strong lead paragraph and finish with a compelling close.

2. Remember to answer the questions Who? What? Where? When? &  Why –  should the reader even care?

3. Write in the third-person – news style for briefs and most articles (remember – them, they, those, etc.)

4. Avoid the less formal second-person ‘you’.

5. Use a clear, logical order when writing.

6. Use action verbs and try to avoid the past tense.

7. Use plain language and briefly define technical terms. No industry jargon.

8. Do not describe your story as good, bad or shocking. Let the reader/viewer decide.

9. Include brief anecdotes or case studies to illustrate key points.

10. Add credibility by adding important studies, statistics and updates on trends.

Stuck on grammar? AP offers Lingofy by Tansa Systems which will check your writing

National Geographic offers tips at http://abt.cm/PN0Rng

Need helping writing and sharing your stories?  Feel free to contact us today.