Content Marketing Tips
Content Marketing for the Web
(Profiles, Listicles, etc.)
- Keep in mind the audience can be anyone, in particular those unfamiliar with WJC or psychology, so the writing should be informative/explanatory. Don't assume anyone already has knowledge on the topic.
- Make sure your writing is clear and concise. You should have simple sentences and an easy-to-follow flow of information. Your voice here can be more informal or conversational (i.e. using second-person)
- In particular, when writing about scientific studies or psychological topics, ensure that the information is presented in a non-academic way that the average person can understand.
- Try to answer the 5 W's (who, what, where, when, why) throughout the article to ground your story and provide the reader with this simple, but important information.
- Online readers are typically less engaged (scanning the article or clicking away before reading to the end). Your writing should be engaging from the start and easy to digest. Make sure you are presenting important information early.
- Your article should be formatted so it is visually clear on the page. No one wants to read a huge block of text, so make sure your paragraphs, quotes, even titles are not too long.
- Consider SEO strategies when writing (both the article and the title). Again, use simple sentences, vocabulary that the average person knows, and important keywords for the topic. Consider using headers or bullets to break up information if necessary and utilize hyperlinks to cite sources or encourage readers to learn more.
Rapport and Print Writing
- Readers of Rapport are typically internal or at least connected to William James in some way. Your writing can be more in-depth and assume the reader has a little more familiarity with the topic.
- These articles generally provide a deep dive into different aspects of the College or the field and your writing should provide a full picture of that topic. They should be written in a more detailed, narrative style.
- Your voice here should be more formal and polished. Your paragraphs can be longer and you can use more complex vocabulary and sentence structure.
- There are no SEO considerations in print, so instead, you should focus on engaging your reader through immersive storytelling. You can be more descriptive and creative, feeling less pressure to dive into the important facts right away.
- The reader is generally drawn in by the title, photos, topic, or other design elements of the page. They will likely not be turned off by things like length of the article or a more formal/descriptive writing style.
For specific grammatical questions, please refer to our Editorial Style Guide
Question Prompts for Alumni Profiles
(Approximately 600 words)
- Can you tell me a little bit about your career journey and your current role?
- What inspired you to join this field or pursue this career?
- How has your education at William James influenced your career? Are there any courses, faculty members, or other experiences that stand out to you?
- Why did you choose William James for your education? How was your experience here? (Be sure to ask about all programs/concentrations attended at WJC, not just current or most recent)
- Is there anything else I didn鈥檛 ask about that鈥檚 been an important part of your story or that you鈥檇 like to mention?