ARTICLE SERVICE& WRITING TIPS

Client submits articles for editing the 1st of the month, 2 months prior to

publication. If you need an extension, please let us know as soon as possible.

Ex. for December issue, all material must be received by October 1st. We release the December issue to the

media November 1st.

Articles are edited and recommendations are made by Fifth Story.

We make sure articles follow Canadian Press style (what all publications use),

have interesting topics, and correct grammar and spelling.

Once we receive approval for the final versions of the articles and an

accompanying image for each article, the content will go up on our

website within 1-2 business days.

Articles are picked up by a variety of print and digital publications from

across the country – mostly community newspapers.

Most pickup happens in the month of publication, with clips being found

3-4 months later.

HOW DOES FIFTH STORY'SARTICLE SERVICE WORKS?

HEADLINE6–10 words, Buzzfeed-style headlines. Short,

simple, and sexy. Begin with a verb (“start”), list (“5 ways to”), or “how

to…”

BRANDINGLess is more - 1 brand mention is powerful, 2 are risky, 3 will get cut by the media and mean you risk losing

pickup.

TOPICArticles must appeal to a

wide audience and be useful and interesting to someone who doesn’t know or care about your brand/product.

Lists/tips work best. Include one seasonal article with each

submission.

VISUALLifestyle, non-branded image.

Stock photos are fine, infographics are hard to see and

hard for the media to fit into their allotted space

LEAD SENTENCEUse quick, short

sentences. Hook the audience and don’t repeat the headline.

Don’t start with statistics or a brand

mention.

LENGTH150-450 Words.

1,000 word submission: 3-4 articles.

2,000 word submission 5-8 articles.

WRITING FUNDAMENTALS

• It’s not about the brand, it’s about the reader• Not accepting changes, especially grammar• Topic is too niche• Too many brand mentions• Using small talk, using marketing lingo• No image – the majority or articles without images perform very poorly• Late submission - articles that go up earlier do get more pickup• Articles are patient stories/testimonials• You don’t need a spokesperson – better to have none than use an unknown

person (e.g. needs to be very well known, like Debbie Travis or Mike Holmes)• Poor article type choice: Stay away from patient stories and FAQs

COMMON PITFALLS

EXAMPLE: HEADLINES

THE GOOD

PUNCHY ADJECTIVES, SHORT, SNAPPY, FOCUSED

• Creative ways to decorate a small space with big style• 5 practical tips for refreshing your closet• 5 gorgeous destinations for winter adventures

THE BAD

TOO LONG, BORING, NOT RELEVANT TO MANY PEOPLE• Leverage the power of mobile technology for your micro-business• Your health treatment journey: one patient’s story• Government wants your input to develop a financial literacy strategy

EXAMPLE: UNEXCITING TOPICS

Topic: toe nail fungus. GOOD SPIN: HOW TO PREVENT COMMON SPORTS INJURIES

Topic: taxes. GOOD SPIN: DISCOVER HIDDEN MONEY SAVINGS THIS SPRING

Topic: eczema. GOOD SPIN: 5 KIDS WINTER SKINCARE TIPS

AND HOW TO MANAGE

• Submit article drafts to Fifth Story BEFORE getting medical and legal approval• No patient stories – hurts relatability and credibility• No bylines – from patients, doctors, or experts• Use neutral reporter voice/perspective• Hook readers in with a headline and intro paragraph that appeal to a wide audience, then make the next few

paragraphs about your specific disease or drug• Keep it interesting – pharma articles can sometimes be quite dull without a great spin; spice them up with

general health tips, good writing, and a relatable intro

ARE YOU WRITING FOR PHARMA OR HEALTH CARE?SPECIAL NOTES

HOW TO CITE STATISTICS AND SURVEY RESEARCH

• Be careful of statistic overload – one or two can be powerful, but more than that and you risk the reader glazing over theentire paragraph and information

• Try to write statistics in a reader-friendly way. For example, if you’re saying “53 per cent of Canadians believe…” insteadsay “more than half of Canadians believe…” Or say “around three-quarters” instead of 73.5 per cent.

• As per Canadian Press standards, we don’t use the % symbol and write “per cent” instead• If it’s something that can be considered common knowledge (e.g. exercise is good for your health),

statistics/citations/sources aren’t necessary• News publications never use footnotes, but if it’s a survey or study that an agency is talking about, it can be incorporated

within the body of the article.• However, if it was a survey commissioned by the client, we recommend not including this fact as it hurts credibility.

– For example, if the client is, say, Kleenex…• “A recent Government of Canada survey showed that…” à Is OK• “An Ipsos Reid survey conducted on behalf of Kleenex showed that…” à is not OK. If you’re dealing with something like this, it’s best to

simply say “A recent survey showed that…” Or if you must, say an “Ipsos Reid/Kleenex survey”

FAQsQ: WHY IS THE ISSUE RELEASED ONE MONTH PRIOR?A: This allows for some editors who plan their editorial content in advance to find your content. The vast majority of editors will use the articles in the issue month. For Example, the March Issue is released to the media on February 1st.

Q: HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE TO REACH THE GUARANTEED IMPRESSIONS?A: While every campaign is different and quality articles rise to the top, the following provides guidelines on average results from the past.

The monitoring process takes on average four months from the issue date to collect and process all the clips.

Example: Content To Appear in September Issue

One Month Prior To Issue Date19% Of Total Impressions Found

19% Of Total Guaranteed Impressionsat end of August

Issue Date Month71% Of Total Impressions Found

71% Of Total Guaranteed Impressionsat end of September

One Month After Issue Date89% Of Total Impressions Found

89% Of Total Guaranteed Impressionsat end of October

Two Months After Issue Date96% Of Total Impressions Found

96% Of Total Guaranteed Impressionsat end of November

Continued…

Q: CAN WE INCLUDE HYPERLINKS WITHIN THE ARTICLE?A: Each website has its own content management system that the articles will be uploaded to. Within CMS, hyperlinks are not transferable, and it is the responsibility of media staff to determine what words to hyperlink. If the media includes clickable links it is generally to other stories or content on their website as they don’t want readers clicking off their site unless it is for advertising.

Q: CAN WE INCLUDE A URL IN THE ARTICLE?A: Yes but we recommend using a neutral tone such as “More information is available at xxx”. For the URL, don’t use call-to-action phrasing such as ‘go to’ or ‘visit’.

Q: CAN WE INCLUDE FOOTNOTES IN THE ARTICLE?A: All sources, information and statistics should be qualified within the body of the article. Footnotes are not used in newspaper stories and your article could be dismissed if one appears.

FAQs

Q: CAN WE INCLUDE A BYLINE?A: A by-line names the person writing the article, technically the “reporter”. The by-line therefore, cannot be one of the public associates with your company, a spokesperson, or management and they are never the name of the person quoted in the article. When editors see that an article is written by someone else, it can deter them from picking it up as they want readers to think that they were the ones who crafted the story.

Q: CAN WE INCLUDE TRADEMARKS OR COPYRIGHT SYMBOLS?A: Trademarks appear in advertisements not in editorial pieces and are not permitted.

Continued…FAQs

Q: HOW MANY IMAGES CAN WE SUBMIT AND WHAT SIZE SHOULD THEY BE?A: You can submit up to two images per article and they should be 300dpi. Minimum one image per article – an image plays a critical role in maximizing results and pickup. Most articles without images perform poorly, even if the content is otherwiseexcellent. Lifestyle images and stock photos are fine.

Q: CAN WE SUBMIT A BRANDED IMAGE?A: No as this will deter pickup. It’s best to find lifestyle images with limited wording. Simple lifestyle images entice editors and give you a competitive edge over other articles on the News Canada site. Once published, general and applicable photos attract audiences to read into the article.

Q: CAN WE SUBMIT A CHART OR INFOGRAPHIC FOR THE IMAGE?A: No -- newspapers vary in size and as a result it is difficult for us to know the appropriate dimensions of a chart or infographic to fit in the columns of a newspaper and if that space would be available. The same is true for websites as the layout and content placement needs to respond to desktop, tablets and mobile devices. If charts are used, they can look distorted when picked upand if the media feels that they need to adjust the image, they simply won’t pick up the article.

IMAGE FAQs