Best Practice: Writing Impactful News Stories

News stories have the potential to reach a broad audience across search engines, social media, and direct traffic. This article covers practical tips for writing stories that are engaging, well-structured, and built to perform online.

Put the Reader First

George Mason University has compelling stories to tell. It's tempting to optimize for search engines and social media trends, but no algorithm substitutes for content that genuinely serves the reader.  Google advises creating people-first content, and that's the standard recommended for George Mason's news stories.

Before publishing, ask yourself:

• Does the story have a clear focus or narrative?
   
• Does it answer the question or topic it sets out to address?
   
• Does it demonstrate depth of knowledge without sacrificing readability?
   
• Does it add something new to what's already been written on this topic or event?
   
• Will readers finish feeling informed, with enough context or links to learn more?

Write a Title That Works on Its Own

Your headline is sometimes the only thing a reader ever sees. It may be truncated in search results, social media previews, or email digests. 

A good title:

• Leads with the subject. Headlines are often cut short. Put the most important information first. The first words in a title should not be 'GMU' or 'George Mason'.
   
• Be specific and energetic. Vague headlines underperform. Compare these two examples:
   
  • Weak: George Mason team is one of six Tier A recipients of Spectacular Organization Prize 
     
  • Strong: Breakthrough in Something Awesome wins George Mason team a top prize from Spectacular Organization 
     

Check How Your Story Looks on Mobile

Most readers access news on a phone or tablet. SiteMasonry CMS automatically adjusts page layouts for mobile displays, but it's worth checking how your story looks before publishing.

• Chrome: DevTools (F12) > Toggle Device Toolbar
   
• Edge: DevTools (F12) > Toggle Device Emulation
   
• Firefox: DevTools (F12) > Responsive Design Mode
   
• Safari: Develop menu > Enter Responsive Design Mode

You can also view the published page on your own phone or tablet.

Prepare Your Story to Be Shared

Web content is highly shareable. A well-prepared story can travel far beyond your original audience through social media, email, and search results.

Every news story requires a thumbnail image and summary text. These fields control how your story appears when it is shared or surfaces in search results. Without them, platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Google will display whatever text and image they find first, which may not represent your story accurately.

• Summary: Summary text should sizzle! A one to two sentence description of your story appears in search engine results and social media previews. A strong summary tells readers what the story is about and gives them a reason to click.
   
• Thumbnail image: This image travels with your story everywhere it is shared, appearing in search results, social media posts, and news feeds. Choosing an image that represents the story visually makes a significant difference in whether readers stop and engage. Thumbnail images are square (1:1 ratio) with a minimum dimension of 300x300 pixels and a maximum dimension of 600x600 pixels.

Use OpenGraph.xyz to preview what a story will look like when shared.

Make Your Story Accessible to Everyone

Accessible web content ensures that all site visitors can perceive, navigate, and interact with information on George Mason University websites. It also directly supports search performance. The web content best practices that make information accessible also help search engines understand and rank pages more effectively than content that isn't easily understood by assistive technology.

Every news story must meet basic accessibility standards, including these three: 

• Alt Text on Images: Alt text is a short written description attached to an image. Screen readers use it to describe images to users who cannot see them. Search engines also use it to understand image content. Every image in your story should have descriptive alt text that explains what the image shows and why it is there.
   
• Descriptive Link Text: Link text should describe where the link goes or what it does. This helps screen reader users navigate the page and makes links more meaningful to all readers. Avoid generic phrases like "click here" or "read more." 
   
• Correctly Nested Headings: Screen readers use headings to help users navigate directly to sections of a page. Use heading levels consistently: H2 for main sections, H3 for subsections. Never skip a heading level or use headings just to make text look bigger.

For additional accessibility best practices for content editors, please read Web Accessibility Made Easy: Essential Best Practices for Content Editors.