Poynter released today the results of a research study called EyeTrack07. Key findings include:
- Readers remember more when Q&A boxes, lists, timelines and other forms of storytelling supplement traditional text in paragraphs in a story.
- Big pictures get noticed in print. Small pictures? Not so much.
- Same thing for headlines: Big headlines get read more often than little ones.
- Online readers finished entire articles more often than print readers.
Try breaking your storytelling into smaller pieces in print. Use Q&A boxes, lists, graphics and other devices to report some of your facts. This will help you focus your stories more tightly and hold your readers’ interest while still conveying all of your best information.
When designing pages, consider a larger font for your main headline. Remember that large photos will have a greater impact. If you have a great image but run it small, readers may overlook it.
And keep in mind that more readers are getting their information online than ever before. How good is the online version of your newspaper? Is it interactive, with lots of links, easy navigation and teases to other content?
Today’s student journalists are tomorrow’s professionals and the consumers of the next generation of news. Use your student newspaper — in print or online — as a laboratory to experiment with ways to tell stories. But have reasons for the decisions you make. EyeTrack07 can help.
