Making Reader Friendly Publications

How to produce Newsletters, Leaflets and Manuals that people will want to read.

An excellent guide produced by Social Change Media.

Contents

• Designing from the start 
  
• Deciding on a plan of content 
  
• Stop being logical 
  
• Texture Be interesting - be visual 
  
• Editing and revising 
  
• Writing hints 
• Sexist language 
  
• Checklist 
  

Designing from the start

Most people think "design" is something graphic artists do after a publication is written. However in an effective publication the writing itself must be "designed". This means thinking about the readers' attention spans and "learning curves". It also means finding out what the readers' interests, priorities and perceptions are and structuring the publication to represent them. For instance, your community organisation might think the director's annual address and the financial report are the most important contents of its newsletter. And yet what do your readers really want to know? Gossip and news of course! You don"t have to leave out the director's address - but the surest way to turn off your readers will be to put it on the front page. People will feel good about using your publication if they feel it is relevant to their needs, can easily grasp its structure and quickly find what they want to know. The first stage in designing a friendly publication should therefore be working out who the readers are and what they want to know.

Who are your readers?

Answer these questions

• Who are the readers?
• What is important to them?
• What are they looking for?
• What are their expectations?
• What are their needs?
• If it's for sale, why should they buy it?

Then put yourself in the readers' place. Ask:

• What's in it for me?
• Why should I keep reading?

Note: It's a good idea to be cynical when picturing the reader eg. a computer manual for a manager who has just been told her job is on the line, who is in a hurry to get results and has six other things to do before going home to feed the kids.

Deciding on a plan of content

What things are the readers looking for in your publication?

Once you have defined the readers (the 'target audience'), you should be able to make a list of the things they are wanting to find in your publication. Use that list when drawing up the contents of the publication. You may not have all the articles to suit the readers' needs but at least you will be structuring things according to their agenda, not your own. Remember that the readers' minds are focussed on their job. They don't really want to know about your subject; they want to know how your publication can help them. They want to find the information they need easily.

Stop being logical

Put yourself in the readers' place. Ask: why should I read this?

It's not good enough just to write about your subjects in the order which is logical to you. You know the subject, the readers do not. The readers' logic is the logic of learning. The presentation that makes sense to you may simply overwhelm the reader. A good way to match with the readers' learning curve is to layer the information. Start by creating motivation. Write interestingly and give an overall word picture or some basic facts. Then discuss your subject in a way that is relevant to the readers. Complicated points can be introduced in stages. Highly detailed information is often best given at the back of your publication, in reference chapters, where it won't be an obstacle to the reader. One of the best ways to reward readers is with the spark of understanding. If you make points that are clear, simple and illuminating you give readers the encouragement to continue.

Texture

Readers don't like to be swamped by information. Consider how you can break down your publication or article into easily digestible chunks of information. Why is "Column 8" one of the most read newspaper columns in Sydney? It has to do with attention span. Attention spans depend on the reader's stress level, available time, and business. What is a good article length for an intellectual journal will be completely unsuitable for a business newsletter or practical handbook. Consider how much time your readers have for your publication, then tailor the article or section sizes to suit. Often a range of sizes is appropriate. Remember that your readership will usually decline in proportion to the length of your articles. People just don't like to read long pieces unless they are especially interesting. If you are writing a manual or handbook for people in a hurry it's a good idea to break long sections into lots of small modules, preferably with illustrations and plenty of graphic signposts to help people find what they need quickly.

Remember:

• people are all slow learners and people in a hurry are worse. Try to make your publication match the learning curve of your readers.
• people read what they're interested in or what might be useful in their work. Your job is to understand the reader and highlight the things they will be especially interested in.

Be interesting - be visual

"People don't read a magazine at first. They look at it." -Roger Black (Designer).

Clarity, simplicity and a sense of humour are important in almost all publications. Many editors and administrators are frightened of humour or idiosyncrasy in informative publications. But think - what publications have you most enjoyed reading?

Cartoons and photos are the best ways to add interest to your publication

Even purely frivolous illustrations like these can be useful to set a tone and encourage readers to read on.

Photos

Photos are another great way to add interest to your publication. If there is one rule for the best use of photos it is 'the bigger the better".

Keep the following hints in mind

• Technically, photos should be of good contrast
• The subject should be strong, inherently interesting and fill the photograph
• People, emotion and action are the best subjects. Look for photos which are stories in their own right.
• Crop carefully, to direct the reader's attention.
• Always use captions. Don"t just describe what is obvious. Use captions to enlarge on the content, draw attention to the article, to tease, to set moods, to ask questions. Be creative - address the audience. Readers expect captions. After headings, they are the most read parts of a publication. Skimming readers use captions to tell whether an article is worth reading.

PS. set captions 'ragged' (left justified) and in a distinct type eg. italic or smaller. size.

Illustrations and cartoons

These are the very best way to make your publication approachable and interesting. No matter how serious your publication is, cartoons are still a great way to make it more interesting. The essence of a good cartoon is irreverence and 'risk'. Cartoons need not follow the editorial line.

Boxes

Small articles or sections can be boxed for interest or emphasis, often with a light screen background. Use these to break up a page but not another article (ie. avoid interrupting the flow of reading).

Remember that captions, pull-quotes and breakouts need thought. They are usually the first parts of a page that are read. Skimming readers use them to judge whether to read more deeply on that page.

Editing and revising

"Perfection then, is finally achieved, not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away." - Antoine de St. Exupéry

It is vital that your publication be edited by an objective person. A writer is often too close to their work to edit it effectively. They know their subject too deeply to see it from the readers' simpler perspective. They often become attached to their writing.

The editor stands between the writer and the reader. A good editor is someone who understands language, the needs and perspectives of the audience and the subject.

If you have a large project remember that you can hire editors and proof readers for as long as you need.

Be brief, be simple

Remember that people prefer short, simple, easy things to long, complex, difficult things.

Easiness means making the choices seem few.

Shortness means finding the most concise way of saying something. It also means letting the reader imply all the qualifications (if's, but's, whereas's), that the writer thinks are really important, but which readers don't actually care about. Sometimes it means making what seem breathtakingly general statements. Sometimes it means wholesale excision. It almost always means replacing generalities with concrete words.

Look at this example, from a manuscript prepared for a children's service:

"What is a Mobile Service?
Mobile Services provide programmes for a particular target group on a part-time basis at a number of venues. Most services transport equipment to one or two different locations on a day, weekly or on a fortnightly basis. They operate their programmes in halls, schools, parks, churches, community centres or other available venues."

This could be re-written as....

"What is a mobile service?
A mobile service is a vehicle that transports toys, books and and advice from place to place, setting up wherever it can."

It may not be precisely correct to the writer but it gets the message to the reader. That's what matters. You want to interest them first. Detailed information can be placed later when the reader is more ready to absorb it.

Once again, remember that the size of your readership usually declines with the length of your text. People just don't have the time or interest to read long technical texts unless they are specially interested in the subject matter.

The hard part when editing is to maintain the overall structure in your head, and bend the text to it. This may mean brutally cutting lines or sections that sound great but don't really contribute to informing the reader.

If you are editing regularly it is essential and also very convenient to use standard proof-correction marks. They are listed in The Style Manual, from the Australian Government Publishing Service bookshop.

Writing hints

• Communicate in specifics and concrete terms, rather than generalities and abstractions, use word-pictures wherever possible.
• Be careful of ambiguities. Your audience doesn't think like you; at least half of them will get the meaning you didn't expect.
• One way to write clearly is to speak it. Everyone gets stuck in a grammatical quagmire from time to time. A good way out is to imagine an audience and to try to explain yourself to them verbally.
• The complexity of the book/article should not be greater than the readers' own needs. Build your writing on the readers' knowledge, not your own.

Things don't actually have to be simple. They can be very complicated. But they should APPEAR simple to the reader.

Sexist language

Don't let your publication alienate readers through thoughtless use of sexist or discriminatory language.

• Avoid "man"-based words: eg.
  • mankind (= humanity)
  • chairman (= chairperson)
  • ancient man (= ancient people)
  • watchman (= guard)
  • foreman (= supervisor).

• Avoid female diminutives: eg.
  • conductress (= conductor)
  • authoress (= author).

• Don"t use 'he' for mixed sex groups: try s/he, she or he, one, you, they. If necessary re-work the sentence to avoid using a pronoun.
• Don't use Miss, Mrs, Mr: use full names instead.
• Avoid sexist stereotypes in text and graphics.
• Be aware also of language that discriminates against races, ethnic groups, nationalities, the overweight, the old, the disabled and against people not living in heterosexual nuclear families.

Checklist

Editing

• Write titles, heads, subheads, captions, pull-quotes.
• Could any items become boxed or subsidiary stories?
• Have the facts and phone numbers been checked?
• Do the figures add up?
• If the writing is about someone, has a comment been sought from them?
• If the article is critical is there evidence to back it up?
• Have all comments been attributed?

Sub-editing

• Keep sentences short.
• Keep paragraphs short.
• Use active instead of passive words.
• Be concrete, use word-pictures, avoid abstract words.
• Avoid acronyms.
• Check for consistency in spelling, punctuation and capitalisation.

For further information

Contact	:	Social Change Media
Phone	:	(2) 9519 3299
Fax	:	(2) 9519 8940

WWW

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http://media.socialchange.net.au