The document outlines 8 additional tasks required of digital journalists beyond traditional reporting and writing. These include writing multiple headlines for different devices and contexts, creating metadata for search optimization, formatting text for easy reading online, sourcing visuals, adding keywords, providing more contextual links and content, optimizing content length for online consumption, and identifying ways to expand coverage into other content types. Mastering these digital skills makes journalists more valuable in online newsrooms.

1. 8 Things Digital
Journalists Do
That Print Journalists
Don’t Have To
with
Margot Carmichael Lester
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

2. Session Overview
Slug: Digital copy has a few special requirements.
Story: All journalists focus on writing; digital
journalists have additional duties.
News: There are eight important tasks most
digital journalists have to do beyond reporting
and writing.
So?: Mastering these basics makes you more
valuable in the newsroom.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

3. Why We Care About
Digital Tasks
• Content that lives online isn’t of much
value if readers can’t find and consume it
on any device they want.
• Good writing is always priority one, but
there are a few other tactics online
writers deploy to increase engagement and
discoverability.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

4. Let’s Review
those 8 Things!
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

5. 8 Tasks for Digital
Journalists
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com
1. Write multiple heads
2. Create metadata
3. Format text
4. Source visuals
5. Add key words & phrases
6. Deliver more context
7. Optimize length
8. Identify other content

6. 1. Write multiple heads.
H1, mobile, emotional

7. 1. Write multiple heads.
The H1 head is main title of an online
article. Follow the same rules as for print.
The mobile head is shorter (usually 55
characters) and optimized for small
screens.
The emotional head is catchier and used
for social posts or homepage feature spots.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

8. Photo by kjetikor - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License https://www.flickr.com/photos/43642098@N06 Created with Haiku Deck
2. Create metadata.
search-related
"supplemental content"

9. 2. Create metadata
The meta/title tag (50-60 characters) are the
clickable heads in search results and crucial
for discoverability and social sharing.
The meta description (150-160 characters)
provides a concise explanation of page
content and often shows up on search engine
result pages to help people find what they’re
looking for.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

10. meta/title tag
meta description
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

11. Photo by Alex W McCabe - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/34339147@N03 Created with Haiku Deck
3. Format Text
skim, scan, read

12. 3. Format text.
Online content is read on TV-
sized monitors and watch-sized
screens. Keep paragraphs short
and concise, and use lists and
subheads to encourage
skimming, scanning and
reading.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

13. © 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com
lists
sub-
heads

14. Photo by gliak00 - Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/126219266@N06 Created with Haiku Deck
4. Source visuals.
photos, images, videos

15. 4. Source visuals.
Many digital journalists also
suggest or source graphics
from archives, video banks or
stock photo inventories, or
produce their own.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

16. Photo by Josh Kenzer - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/36908075@N03 Created with Haiku Deck
5. Add key words/phrases.

17. 5. Add key words/phrases
Pay attention to the terms you use
to research a story, the auto-
suggestions in the browser bar and
the related searches at the bottom
of the results page. Jot them down
and if they work for your text or
your headlines, use them to improve
discoverability.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

18. key
words
&
phrases

19. Photo by thedescrier - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/61502033@N02 Created with Haiku Deck
6. Deliver more context.
related content,
contextual links

20. 6. Deliver more context.
Add context with related online
content you can feature at the
top, bottom or inline. Create
contextual links within the text
to point readers to content that
provides additional insight, data
or credibility.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

21. contextual
links
related
content

22. Photo by Marcin Wichary - Creative Commons Attribution License https://www.flickr.com/photos/8399025@N07 Created with Haiku Deck
7. Optimize length.
not too short, not too long

23. 7. Optimize length.
Unlike print, the online news
hole is fluid, based on metrics
like time on site, engagement,
etc. The research changes
regularly — be aware of the
sweet spots for readership
and work within them.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

24. For now, preferred lengths are:
<400 words for short posts,
breaking/trending news and
contextualized/amplified content
>1600 words for features, in-
depth reporting and analysis
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

25. Photo by dickie pea - Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License https://www.flickr.com/photos/32676956@N06 Created with Haiku Deck
8. Identify other content.
atomize, enterprise

26. 8. Identify other content.
Suggest ways of getting more coverage
of a topic, or more use of information.
Showcase data from an article into an
infographic, chart or other visual.
Create a podcast or article series
from an interview. Build a photo
gallery/story or slide show to
amplify an article or q&a.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

27. So?
Even if you aren’t currently
expected to perform these
tasks, knowing how they work,
why they’re important and how
to execute them makes you more
valuable in future positions.
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com

28. 8 Things Digital Journalists Do
That Print Journalists Don’t Have To
with
Margot Carmichael Lester
Twitter: @word_factory
Blog: thewordfactory.com/our-blog
Instagram: @beabetterwriter
Thanks for attending
© 2017 by Teaching That Makes Sense, Inc. All rights reserved. For more information contact Margot Lester at margot@thewordfactory.com