Lost Remote » How to write for the web

How to write for the web

Cory Bergman May 9th, 2007

A few years ago, I wrote a step-by-step guide on how to convert TV scripts for the web. Well, times have changed. Now the best web stories are written from the ground up, and an increasing number of TV reporters are tasked with writing them. With that in mind, I’ve created a new how-to guide called, “How To Write for the Web” that’s written for broadcast journalists. Feel free to print it and distribute to your newsroom.

10 Comments Add your own

1. Bryan Murley | May 10th, 2007 at 8:45 am

One crucial point that’s missing from your guide is the use of hyperlinks to outside source material or other news sites. For instance, let’s say you’re writing a story about a local tornado and the daily paper has a section of user-contributed photos. Link to that section, or the newspaper’s story as well. Or the national weather service. Don’t just box readers into your internal links - that’s self-defeating.

Instead, link outside liberally - point readers to other good sources of information - and they’ll come to trust you as a source that cares about them, not just your own internal traffic stats. And that will keep them coming back.
2. !nvitedmedia | May 10th, 2007 at 9:03 am

links?

you’re kidding.

while i agree it would be a huge benefit, “they” don’t even link to their OWN properties. what makes you think they’ll link to the competition?

i guess the prevailing wisdom is they’ll leave the audience to the roll of the google dice.

kind of ironic in that they seem hung up on pageviews.
3. Jason | May 10th, 2007 at 10:17 am

Cory this should be must-read in every newsroom. I always log my tapes in my package slug in the newsroom software (that way the total log is saved as a prior version). When I write my web version of the story, I copy the entire log into MS Word, and start writing from scratch.

That helps me get details into the web story that were omitted for time, flow, or storytelling reasons in the TV version.
4. Safran | May 10th, 2007 at 11:02 am

Murley: Excellent point. Link to any and all resources. The idea is that you want to be the base of operations from which people gather information. They’ll keep coming back if you’re the solid and reputable source.
5. Michael | May 10th, 2007 at 12:01 pm

In my former job, I included your script conversion tips in the training/management manual (Credited, of course).

I just emailed them and told them to add this Great job.
6. Rob | May 10th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

Cory - Just to make sure, is this version any different from the one that’s been on the site for a while? I already incorporated your guide into our newsroom’s online publishing guide but wanted to make sure there haven’t been any significant changes recently.

Brian and Steve - We recently started aggregating links on our site to content not just from national content providers but from everyone in our local market. If we have a story and so does the newspaper - or a direct TV competitor - we link to that content. It’s just good customer service.
7. Cory | May 10th, 2007 at 1:11 pm

Bryan: good point, I’ll tweak.

Rob: it’s the same one that’s been up for a couple months.
8. !nvitedmedia | May 10th, 2007 at 2:18 pm

rob, good for you.

there’s no better way to demonstrate to your audience that you’re a leader than to LEAD.

by linking to even your competition, users will look at that as a sign of strength.
9. Rob | May 10th, 2007 at 7:18 pm

Cory, thanks for the clarification, just wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing anything.

Thanks for the kudos IM. We’re aiming for just that.
10. Giorgos | August 16th, 2007 at 12:24 am

Interesting…