My first job out of college was working for the Boston Globe’s website, which afforded me the opportunity to write a lot of headlines. Perhaps the best (or worst) headline I ever wrote, after a Boston Celtics victory, was “Pierce nets 40 as Celtics pierce Nets.” Clever, eh? “Clever” could be an apt description for many headlines you read. The goal of the headline is to tell you what a story is about, establish its tone, and entice you to read … [Read more...]
Content Strategy as Problem Solving
December 17, 2013 by
How many times has someone come to you and asked, “Can you make me a video?” or “Can you help me create this email newsletter?” or “We need a website, can you do this?” What do these requests have in common? In each instance, the requestor is leading with the solution, rather than articulating the problem. You might ask, why a video? What are you trying to communicate, and to whom? Is a video the best content type to support your message? … [Read more...]
Respect Your Audience With Readable Content
September 16, 2013 by
Recently, I was reviewing a website and came across a page geared toward international students. Reading the copy, I realized English would not be the first language for the target audience. Immediately, I felt my brain shift into a different gear. Beyond assessing the value of the content, I began closely scrutinizing diction and syntax. How many syllables in this word? How many clauses in this sentence? Would the density and complexity of … [Read more...]
Results: A Look at Content Strategy in Higher Education
August 20, 2013 by
Last month, we opened up our inaugural survey looking at content strategy in higher education. The goal of the survey was to gauge exactly how content strategy is practiced in higher ed. Thanks to 130 of you, we have a lot of information to help tell that story. Here, we present the results from the survey, with some commentary of our own—but we’d love to hear your thoughts and follow-up questions in the comments. Thank you again to … [Read more...]
Content Strategist Job Descriptions in Higher Ed
August 8, 2013 by
From conversations with our peers and an occasional scan of the job boards, we observe that more universities are beginning to hire content strategists. This is great news! It means that administrators and senior leaders are recognizing the value of their web content and the work required to manage it well—and hiring accordingly. But what should go into that job description? What are the key responsibilities and tasks we need to … [Read more...]