Introduction to Interactive Media 13: Writing for Interactive Media.

Introduction to Interactive Media

13: Writing for Interactive Media


WHY DOES A CREATOR OF INTERACTIVE MEDIA CARE ABOUT WRITING?


Writing is Relevant

• Proposal writing

• Web audits / reviews

• Web site copy

• Help screens

• Blogging

• Web ads

• Social media calls to action


Proposal Writing

• General areas to cover should include– Problem statement– Proposed solution– Pricing information


More specific questions to answer

• Objective and Target Audience

• Outline of Content

• Technical Methods

• Maintenance

• Time Frame

• Estimate

• Terms of Contract


Proposal Writing Strategies

• Precision is important because it is the basis of your cost estimate.

• Be succinct – you want them to read it. • Be persuasive and positive – you want

them to be excited about the project.• Presentation counts• Depersonalize. This is not about you –

it’s about what the application will do.


Web Site Audit

• The objective is to determine whether the web site is achieving its primary purpose and if not, how the web site might be altered to better achieve it’s goal.

• Usually performed by a third party.


Web Site Audit Writing Strategy

• Make observation

• Explain the effect

• Avoid opinion statements

• Be positive, encouraging and persuasive.


Web Site Copy

• Web visitors have a limited attention span.

• How can you make it as easy as possible for your visitor to get the point?

• Headings and subheadings help visitors skip to relevant points– Consider jump down links.


Web Site Copy for SEO

• Search engines deem copy in certain areas more relevant for categorization than other. Areas of importance include– Page Title– Heading tags– Alt tags– Links


Help Screens

• Help screens are integrated into apps and software.

• Writing help screens requires clarity and understanding a user’s point of view.


Blogging

• Building a database of content around a particular topic.

• Can be powerful for getting traffic• To build followers blog must have

character.• Title of blog is important for search

engine traffic as title becomes part of the URL.


Web Ads

• Web ads are a limited length.

• Wording should match the search that led to the ad.

• Ad testing to determine which is the most effective is a common practice.


Social Media Writing

• Tweets, Facebook posts

• Like blog writing, regular posting is needed to build an audience.

• For marketing purposes, people who follow should be privy to special information.


The Perfect Post

• Ask a question that speaks directly to your target users’ needs, wants or interests.

• Provide some information: follow up question with some info but don’t disclose everything.

• Always provide a link• Keep it positive• Don’t bother yourself with a word limit if you

don’t have to (Twitter has limit, FB no limit)• Provide an image


General Guidelines for Writing for Interactive Media

• The writing style for interactive media is different then writing for other forms of media.– Be brief: user has many exit options from a

page.– Make text readable: screen is low res.– Be consistent: treat similar types of text

similarly.– Be respectful: content on Internet is

publicly available


General Guidelines for Writing for Interactive Media

– Combine text with other media: to help clarify points.

– Make text interactive: for further elaboration or to establish a rich system of cross-links in order to optimize for search engines.

– Be strategic: Text can be powerful tool for search engine optimization.

Introduction to Interactive Media 13: Writing for Interactive Media.

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