Writing for the Web

Agenda

• Why the web is different

(10 min)

• Four steps to make your writing awesome

(1 hour)

• Learn and practice

• Real world exercise: All the steps together

(45 min)

Why the web is different

• Screens are crap

• Users scan first

• Context isn’t fixed

Why mobile is different

• We’re the distraction

• Limited devices

• Surpassing desktop

Four steps to make your writing awesome1. Clarify call to action

2. Make words engaging

3. Trim the fat

4. Make it pretty

1. Clarify and improve the call to action• What one thing do you want them to do?

• Give the most persuasive reason - Significant, special, emotional

• Tell them to do it.

• Make it easy and obvious.

weird internet thing

Link text must be descriptive.NO: Click here to sign up. YES: Click here to sign up.

Paris to Geneva Cycling ChallengeThis exciting six day challenge links the two classic cities of Paris and Geneva, crossing the border with a fabulous climb in the beautiful Jura Mountains.

This challenge takes you across landscape that is dotted with small medieval towns and Romanesque churches as you cycle through the famous vineyard regions of Champagne and Burgundy. After tackling the hair-pin bends of the Col de la Faucille (1232m), you finish beside the lake in beautiful Geneva.

2014 Dates: 7 September / 2015 Dates: 14 June , 6 Sept

If you are interested in taking part and would like some more details, please email events@prostatecanceruk.org and we will get in touch with some more information.

One thing to do.

Most persuasive reason.

Tell them to do it.

Make it easy.

Fight for men’s health while cycling the Jura Mountains on this stunning route from Paris to Geneva.

Sign up and we’ll tell you when this year’s ride details are confirmed.

[SIGN UP]

2. Make words engaging

• Seek and destroy: Nominalisations, is/are/be verbs, has/have

• Passive voice Active voice

• Distancing, formal Direct, personal, emotive

Is/are/be verbs and words that describe qualities• Don’t use a sitting-still verb if you can use a moving-around one.

“The course is 25km long.” vs “The course stretches 25 km.”

• Don’t use words that describe qualities (adjectives) if you can use a great

action word.

“The winding route goes through the hills of Devon.”

vs “The route snakes through the hills of Devon.”

NominalisationsFrozen actions

meeting

discussionagree

mentnominalisation

action

demonstrationconclus

ion

treatment

information

Whether you’re facing a diagnosis or have concerns about prostate cancer, our Specialist Nurses are here to provide support and information. We also welcome contact from concerned partners, family members and friends as well as from health professionals.

Find the frozen actions – verbs that have been turned into things.

2. Make words engaging

• Seek and destroy: Nominalisations, is/are/be verbs, has/have

• Passive voice Active voice

• Distancing, formal Direct, personal, emotive

Active voice vs. Passive voice

A thing was acted on (maybe by someone)

Mistakes were made.

The giblets were snatched by Andy.

My car was blown up.

A person* actedon a thing.

I made a mistake.

Andy snatched the giblets.

You blew up my car.

Do-er vs. Do-ee

A thing was acted on (maybe by someone)

Mistakes were made.

The giblets were snatched by Andy.

My car was blown up.

A person* actedon a thing.

I made a mistake.

Andy snatched the giblets.

You blew up my car.

Action verbs vs. Boring verbs

A thing was acted on (maybe by someone)

Mistakes were made.

The giblets were snatched by Andy.

My car was blown up.

A person* actedon a thing.

I made a mistake.

Andy snatched the giblets.

You blew up my car.

Passive voiceZombie sentences

Stuff is happening but no one’s driving

What was human about these verbs has been removed leaving only a rotting shell

1. Prostate cancer can be detected with a simple test.

2. The prostate often grows larger as men get older.

3. Our Get back on track service is designed to help you manage your fatigue.

4. Get back on track has been shown to be effective in reducing fatigue.

Which of these sentences are Active voice…

And which are Zombie sentences?

1. Prostate cancer can be detected by zombies with a simple test.

2. The prostate often grows larger as men get older.

3. Our Get back on track service is designed by zombies to help you manage your fatigue.

4. Get back on track has been shown by zombies to be effective in reducing fatigue.

1. Prostate cancer can be detected by zombies with a simple test.

2. The prostate often grows larger as men get older.

3. Our Get back on track service is designed by zombies to help you manage your fatigue.

4. Get back on track has been shown by zombies to be effective in reducing fatigue.

1. Prostate cancer can be detected with a simple test. Doctors can detect prostate cancer with a simple test.

2. The prostate often grows larger as men get older.

3. Our Get back on track service is designed to help you manage your fatigue. We designed Get Back on Track to help manage your fatigue.

4. Get back on track has been shown to be effective in reducing fatigue. A pilot study showed that Get Back on Track is effective in reducing fatigue.

2. Make words engaging

• Seek and destroy: Nominalisations, is/are/be verbs, has/have

• Passive voice Active voice

• Distancing, formal Direct, personal, emotive

Distancing vs. Direct

Talking about ourselves in the third person or our audience as

hypothetical.

Inanimate objects or concepts supposedly doing things.

‘offers’, ‘provides’, ‘makes for’, ‘opportunity’

We / You.

Real things doing real actions.

Emotive. (Awesome manly feelings)

Distancing vs. Direct

The Jurassic Classic offers cyclists the opportunity to take

in stunning scenery while raising funds to support

Prostate Cancer UK.

You’ll take in stunning scenery while raising funds to support us.

You’ll take in stunning scenery while raising funds to save men’s

lives.

You’ll be stunned by the beauty of Devon while pushing yourself for a

vital cause: saving men’s lives.

3. Trim the fat

• Don’t use two words where one will do.

• Don’t use a long, formal word where you could use a short, conversational one.

3. Trim the fat

• Watch out for extra fatty phrases and words:

due to the fact that following a route from

at the latest for example

that

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

The volunteers who are part of our One-to-one support programme Our volunteers can offer support to men with a diagnosis of prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their knowledge, advice and experience about many topics that may be of interest.

Our volunteers support men with prostate cancer or prostate disease by sharing their experience.

Prostate Cancer UK’s volunteer programme is currently recruiting for awareness volunteers. Awareness volunteers raise awareness of prostate cancer by giving talks and sharing their experience of prostate cancer with others. We're currently accepting applications for the volunteer position! If you’d like to be part of the programme, please apply by 28 September at the latest.

Slash and burn this overgrown abomination. Be brutal. But cut no substantive detail.

Fewest words wins.19 words

We're looking for volunteers to help raise awareness by sharing their experience of prostate cancer. Apply by 28 September.

Talk to someone who has been there.

The important thing to remember when you’re affected by prostate disease is that you’re not alone.

Are you a diagnosed man?Our volunteers can offer support to men with prostate cancer and prostate disease by sharing their experience of the following:

• Active surveillance• Open surgery• Keyhole surgery

Call our Specialist Nurses on 0800 074 8383 to speak to a One-to-one support volunteer.

A B

Talk to someone who has been there.The important thing to remember when you’re affected by prostate disease is that you’re not alone. Are you a diagnosed man? Our volunteers can offer support to men with prostate cancer and prostate disease by sharing their experience of the following: active surveillance, open surgery, keyhole surgery. Call our Specialist Nurses on 0800 074 8383 to speak to a One-to-one support volunteer.

Whitespace

4. Make it pretty

• Break up text to make it inviting and scannable

• Max 13 words per line, 5-6 lines per paragraph.

• No more than 3-4 paragraphs without a subheading/image/list/button.

• Use bullets for lists

• Links only when useful

4. Make it pretty

Header images:

• People – but not too many

• Colourful, sharp, high-resolution

• Emotive

In-page images:

• Illustrate the text to help you scan

4. Make it pretty

Consistent with house style:

• Dates: 29 June 2014, not 29th June. Times: 9pm or 9.15pm.

• Use endashes – not hyphens - or double-hyphens --

• Organisation, not charity

• And everything else in the style guide (it’s on the blackboard)

5. Test. Or at least pretend to.

• Pretend you know nothing. Do you understand it all?

• Pretend you’re clicked from an ad. Does the page sell?

• Pretend you only have five seconds to take the action.

Big group exercise

• Take one page from our web site and make it better.• Clarify and improve the call to action• Replace distancing words with engaging words• Trim the fat• Make it pretty

• Explain what you changed and why.

• 30 minutes

prostatecanceruk.org/writingfortheweb

• Template

• House style guide

• This presentation