1. Title

  • The title of a story will appear in many places online, and will often stand alone. It should therefore explain what the story is about.
  • Bad title: “– A great guy!” Good title: “Professor receives royal order of honor.”
  • The best title is often a sentence with a subject, verb, and object. This will also make the story more searchable on Google.

2. The lead text

  • One to two short sentences that expand on the title.
  • As a rule of thumb, 25 words is the maximum for the lead text.

3. The body text

  • A good length for a story is around 300 words, or 2,500–3,000 characters including spaces.
  • An informative story answers the questions what, where, when, who, why, and how.
  • Start the body text with the most important information.
  • Use short paragraphs.
  • Feel free to use bullet points where it feels natural.
  • Use subheadings unless the story is very short. Use two or more (never just one subheading), and make sure not to start the body text with a subheading.

4. Using quotes in the text

  • In a news context, “quote” means statements and remarks from people.
  • – Use an em dash (a dash, not a hyphen!) to mark that something is a quote, says the Communications Division.
  • Quotes work best for commenting on the body text or expressing opinions, not for providing general information.
  • Quotes should be short and edited.

5. Image and caption

  • The image must be relevant, and illustrate the story.
  • Captions are often read in online stories. Should be one or two sentences.
  • Captions name the people in the image, and explain the situation if relevant.
  • Credit the photographer and rights holder.
  • Be aware of GDPR and consent

6. Using links in the text

  • Link to the employee page of the main person in the story the first time they’re mentioned in the text.
  • Use judgment about which links are relevant to include.

7. Fact box

  • The fact box contains background information for the story.
  • By putting heavy information here, you can make the body text easier to read.
  • A good use of the fact box is when it’s necessary to mention all the participants in a project.
  • Use bullet points.