How to Write News Stories That Have an Impact

How to Write News Stories That Have an ImpactHow to Write News Stories That Have an ImpactSend a group of news reporters to cover the saatkorn story and each one will write something different, even while using the same facts. But, if youre a reporter who wants to stand out from your competition, there are ways to write news stories that have an impact and make your coverage stand out from the crowd. Focus on What the Audience Wants to Know Most The mayor holds a news conference to list all of his accomplishments. Hes presenting information the way he wants it told so that it benefits himself. Look at what he said and consider what the audience wants to know. If the mayor is proud he negotiated a new sewer deal, tell that information in a way that interestspeople at home. Will their sewer bill be less? Thats the information to highlight. If the mayor presents information that doesnt have an impact on the people at home, drop it from your story. For instance, if he says he reorgan ized his staff, readers or viewers wont likely see as important,unless theres a reason it helps them. Convince Viewers or Readers on Why They Should Care Sometimes, viewers or readers dont have to be convinced why they should care about a news story. If youre writing a story on their taxes going up, they will pay attention. Other times, theyll need to be told. If your city is repairing a bridge on one side of town, people on the other side may think the project doesnt affect them. As a reporter, find out how to make your story have a broader reach. You can write a line like, Even people who never use the bridge will benefit from it. Thats because it will ease traffic all over town. Or, The bridge will cost so much to fix that the citys plan to put a new park downtown is now on indefinite hold. Write Shorter Stories That Are Also Complete Writing shorter news stories can dramatically increase the impact of your writing. Thats because you will start eliminating the clutter tha t interferes with the important content you want to present. Shorter news stories are more focused and memorable. Be careful leid to ignore the information that your audience needs to know. That includes the background information that makes your story understandable. For instance, if youre covering a murder trial, you cant simply cross out sentences about what the defendant is accused of doing. Just work on presenting those sentences succinctly. Look for the Emotion in Your News Writing If youre writing a story about a nursing home thats closing, sticking solely to the facts means youll likely miss an opportunity to reach the hearts of your viewers and readers. Thats why you should always write about a news storys emotional component. Look for the families of the nursing home residents and tell their personal stories. They will have to find a new place to put their loved ones. The workers at the home will have to find new jobs. These emotional hooks will help people at home und erstand and appreciate what these people are going through. Even if the audience has never heard of the nursing home, youve created a riveting emotional connection. Sell Your Story Through an Effective Headline Creating a news story with impact starts with a compelling beginning. That may be a great website headline, newspaper headline or TV news lead-in for the news anchor to read. Decide if generating that great beginning is better for you to do first, before you write your news story, or last, once you get the body of your story finished. Its usually a matter of personal preference. School Officials Outline Goals is a flat headline because theres no emotion or a reason for people to care. School Officials Want Tax Hike to Pay for Teachers Insurance will get those people to read on because their money is at stake and theyll want to know whether itll be put to good use. Before you write a news story, prioritize all the facts and information you have on this 5-point checklist. Y oull discover you can quickly get to the heart of any news topic, which will improve your reporting skills and help your media career.