Writing news articles is an essential part of the job for journalists and writers. However, there are many pitfalls to avoid when writing news stories to sound like a professional journalist to your readers. If you want to improve your writing skills, keep reading!
| Takeaway |
|---|
| 1. Maintain a simple, informative, and engaging writing style to captivate readers. |
| 2. Utilize attention-grabbing headlines to draw readers into your news articles. |
| 3. Focus on delivering high-quality content to establish credibility as a news writer. |
| 4. Study expert writing tips from reliable sources to enhance your news writing skills. |
| 5. Apply storytelling techniques to make your news articles more compelling. |
| 6. Conduct thorough research to ensure accuracy and credibility in your news pieces. |
| 7. Practice active listening during interviews to gather valuable insights. |
| 8. Develop a journalistic approach to craft well-structured feature journalism articles. |
| 9. Connect with readers on an emotional level through impactful storytelling. |
| 10. Prepare thoroughly for interviews to extract valuable information from subjects. |
| 11. Strive to create content that resonates with your audience and leaves a lasting impact. |
1. Write It In The Third Person
For the most part, you should use the third person (“she” and “he”) when referring to other people. This is because it makes your writing more clear and concise.
However, there are some exceptions. For instance, if you’re writing a news article about yourself or your company, you might want to use the first person (I/we/me). It can also be useful for describing an object that belongs to someone else for example: “The bag was stolen from me.”
In addition to using “I” in such instances, it’s also important not to say things like “you” or “your.” These words are too informal when discussing serious topics like politics or economics;
They imply that the reader needs instruction on how they should think about a particular issue and we don’t want our readers thinking any less of us!
If there’s one thing we know about our readership at this point (and what we hope will continue).
It’s that these people are smart enough not to need any help coming up with their own opinions about things like public education reform or funding for mental health research (or whatever else comes next on our agenda).
Writing a news article that captivates readers requires a blend of simplicity, information, and engagement. Check out our guide on how to write a simple, informative, and engaging news article to create compelling content that keeps your audience hooked.
2. Use Active Voice
Active voice is a simple concept: the subject of a sentence performs the action or is responsible for it. For example, “The dog ate my homework,” versus “My homework was eaten by the dog.”
The second sentence is passive and weak. It’s wordy, and it doesn’t sound nearly as strong as the first example it doesn’t make it clear who did what or who should be held accountable.
In writing news articles, an active voice makes your writing concise and clear. Active voice helps you avoid passive constructions such as “It has been reported that…” or “A source said…”
These phrases can make your writing sound vague, which may come across as unprofessional to readers if you’re not careful about how you use them.
3. Eliminate Jargon
Jargon is a specialized language that is used by a specific group of people. It can be found in just about every industry, and it’s often so ingrained in the culture that it goes unrecognized as jargon.
However, you don’t want to alienate your readers by using jargon in an article because they won’t understand what you’re saying.
The best way to avoid this problem is to ask yourself if someone outside of your field would understand what you’re saying before writing it down and then make sure they do!
Ever wondered how to make your news content go viral? Learn from a professional news writer with these 5 tips for making your content go viral and watch your articles spread like wildfire across the internet.
4. Avoid Using Exclamation Points
You can use exclamation points sparingly in headlines and subheads, but avoid using them in body text. They’re okay to emphasize an important point or fact, but they should never be used to express emotion.
If you find yourself breaking this rule more than once per article, it’s time to re-evaluate how you approach writing news articles.
5. Avoid Using All Caps Or Multiple Exclamation Points!!!!!!!
- Use only one exclamation point at the end of a sentence.
- If you find that you need to use more than one, don’t put them all at the end of your sentence; instead, spread them out throughout your writing to avoid an overly-excited tone.
- Avoid using multiple exclamation points in the same sentence! This is not how professional journalists write news articles (unless they are doing something like reporting on an emergency).
- Avoid headlines that have all caps; it’s difficult to read and doesn’t sound professional at all!
6. Use Gender-Neutral Language
As a journalist, it’s important to use gender-neutral language. First and foremost, this means you should avoid using pronouns such as “he” or “she.” Instead, consider using “they” or the plural pronoun “their.”
Similarly, use gender-neutral job titles instead of ones like “firefighter” or “mail carrier.” It can be easy to forget that these terms are not inclusive of all genders when they sound so natural and commonplace but they don’t need to be!
Use words like firefighter/firefighter; mail carrier/postal worker; secretary/administrative assistant; baker/cake decorator; construction worker/construction laborer (or just say builder); police officer instead policeman…you get the idea!
When creating job descriptions for your news articles (or in your career search), remember to use neutral descriptors for jobs where possible: words like secretary rather than woman secretary, nurse rather than female nurse…
Crafting attention-grabbing headlines is crucial for news articles. Discover 10 examples of great headlines that will draw readers in and leave them eager to delve into your latest news piece.
7. Write Shorter Sentences, And Use Fewer Complex Words
It’s important to write shorter sentences, and use less complex words. This can be difficult for some people, especially if they’re used to writing academic papers.
However, you should try your best to make your writing more accessible by using simple words instead of more advanced ones.
You should also avoid using long, elaborate sentences that are often written in academic writing. If you find yourself struggling with this one, it might help if you think back on how someone would explain what happens in the article to their friend over coffee or lunch:
Would that person use an extremely complicated sentence structure? Probably not! So just keep it simple!
8. Use Bullet Points To Simplify Information
Bullet points can be a great way to get the job done. They’re easy to read, they make your article look more professional, and they help readers remember your article.
Using bullet points is one of the fastest ways to make your content more digestible for readers who aren’t interested in reading long-form articles or blogs.
We all know that writing news articles can be tough especially if you don’t have much experience writing them!
Luckily there are some tips out there that will help improve both your writing skills as well as how much traffic comes through from Google searches related to those topics later on down the road.
To excel in news writing, one must master the art of delivering high-quality articles. Enhance your skills with these 15 tips for writing high-quality news articles and become a reliable source of informative and well-written news.
9. Eliminate Cliches And Slang
You want to sound professional as you write articles, and that means avoiding slang and cliches.
Cliches are phrases that have been overused to the point that they’ve lost their original meaning.
For example, “the cat’s out of the bag” is an idiom that has become so common it no longer makes sense when used in everyday conversation. If you’re not sure what a cliche is, look it up online there are probably thousands of examples!
Slang is informal language used by a particular group (like teenagers or sports players). Again, there are too many examples to list here.
But if your writing sounds like it’s coming from someone who speaks like this all day every day, then chances are you’ll need to revise some sentences until they sound more formal.
10. Don’t Use A Comma Where A Semicolon Should Be Used, Or Vice Versa
Use a semicolon to separate two independent clauses that are not joined by a conjunction. Example: You will be able to see the bears; however, the wolves might be nearby.
Use a comma to separate two independent clauses that are joined by a conjunction (and, but, for, nor, or yet) or an adverb such as however or nevertheless. Example: You will be able to see the bears; however they may have moved away from their usual hunting grounds by now.
11. Use Sentence Case For Headlines
Use sentence case for headlines. Sentence case is a style of writing where the first letter of the first word in each sentence is capitalized and, sometimes, other important words like names or places.
It’s also known as sentence style or sentence case, and it’s very common in news articles.
Don’t use all-caps unless you want to sound angry or excited. Using all caps for headlines can be great for emphasis (think about how much more impactful “I AM SO MAD” sounds compared to “I am so mad”).
However, using all caps tends to have a negative connotation; people who use all caps too much are seen as being aggressive, angry, or even rude!
Becoming a proficient news writer involves adhering to certain principles and guidelines. Explore these 13 rules that will make you a better news writer to refine your journalistic approach and produce impactful news stories with finesse.
Conclusion
As you can see, the job of a journalist is very different from that of a novelist or poet. It’s much more about facts and figures than it is about creativity.
But there’s still room for some creativity within this rigid framework—and that means that you can bring your unique voice to every article you write!
Further Reading
Brilliant Writing Tips: Discover expert tips and strategies to enhance your writing skills and craft compelling content.
5 Tips on Writing a Feature Journalism Article: Learn valuable techniques to create engaging and well-structured feature journalism articles.
11 Tips for Giving a Great Interview: Improve your interview skills with these practical tips to conduct impactful and insightful interviews.
FAQs
How can I improve my writing skills?
Enhancing your writing skills involves consistent practice, seeking feedback, and studying exemplary writing from renowned authors and resources like Copyblogger’s Brilliant Writing Tips.
What makes a feature journalism article stand out?
A standout feature journalism article is characterized by in-depth research, captivating storytelling, and the ability to connect with readers on an emotional level.
How do I prepare for a successful interview?
To excel in interviews, research your interviewee and their work thoroughly, formulate insightful questions, and actively listen to their responses to generate engaging content.
What are the key elements of a great interview?
A great interview incorporates thought-provoking questions, candid and detailed answers, and a conversational tone that makes readers feel like they are part of the discussion.
How can I give a compelling and informative interview?
Providing a compelling and informative interview requires clarity, conciseness, and the ability to convey complex ideas in a manner that resonates with your audience.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.