Editorial Trainingwith Janet Murray and Lucy Jolin

www.lastwordgroup.com

+Outline of the day

Session 1: Defining your audience (and why it matters)

BREAK

Session 2: Commissioning quality content

LUNCH

Session 3: Selling your content (effective cover lines)

BREAK

Session 4: Effective writing and editing

+Say it in 140 characters…

+Say it in 140 characters…

Janet Murray @jan_murrayEducation journalist for @guardian & others, director of @lastworduk media training. Amateur singer, pianist, runner. Professional shopper

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Activity 1: Defining your audience

Working in pairs, look at two alumni magazines. What do they most remind you of from the following list?

- A Sunday supplement magazine- A supermarket magazine- An advertising brochure- A local council magazine- An airline magazine- A free ads publication

You might want to think about: content, subject matter, intended audience, pictures/images, layout and design.

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Activity 2: Defining your audience

Write a profile of your typical reader:

You might want to think about: name, age, marital/relationship status, job, what they have for breakfast, the paper they read/internet sites they use, favourite TV show, what's on their smartphone (pics of kids? music? games? good for gauging lots of stuff about status), what time they go to bed & so on…

+Activity 3: developing regular features/slots

Do you already have any regular features/slots in your magazine?

What are the advantages of having regular slots/features?

Could you develop any/more regular features/slots?

+Activity 4: writing an effective commissioning brief

Are you currently using any kind of commissioning brief/outline? How is it working?

What works well with these examples?

What doesn’t work so well?

What do you think you need to take into considering when commissioning writers (internal or external?)

+Activity 5: Commissining check list

Working in pairs, brainstorm ideas for a commissioning check list

+Commissioning checklist…

Working title

Word count

Deadline

Audience and purpose

Contacts and interviewees (including anyone not to speak to)

Style and tone – first person, second person etc

Any special instructions e.g. start with a story

Structure: box outs, case studies etc

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+Activity 6: Cover lines

Pick out three cover lines from the magazines provided. Which do you think are effective/ineffective in terms of persuading you to read what’s inside?

+Effective cover lines…

Short

Catchy

Dramatic/compelling

Mysterious

Don’t give the whole story away

Make people care

+Ingredients of effective copy…

Human faces

Simplicity

No selling

‘Zoom in’

+For more writing

and pitching tips…

www.lastwordgroup.com/training