Francesca Di Meglio

Nowadays, whenever I notice my headline is not grabbing attention, I turn to technology. ChatGPT and other available genAI platforms can offer recommendations on how to improve a headline. You can also use services, such as Moz to consider the keywords that drive the most interest. Finally, we all have the capacity to be creative and stretch those muscles. What's sounds good? Ask yourself these questions: 1. How can the headline draw out the most interesting part of this story, the reason this is in the news? 2. Should we make this more positive? Should we make it more negative? People read stories for the emotion they think it will elicit or the news they need to know. 3. Does it honestly tell us what the story is about?

If your competitors are winning over clients in a way you are not, you study them. Replicate what you can and fits well with your culture. Most importantly, make your product or service the best it can be and control what you can control. Be as responsive as possible. In your communication, always offer to help and find solutions and then follow through on all promises. Don’t overpromise and be sure to take on work that can be feasibly completed with the resources you have. Manage expectations throughout your interactions. Above all, be kind, courteous, patient, and responsive.

The best way to quickly adapt to a new culture is to start building relationships. Reach out to colleagues and set up informational meetings or virtual coffees (if you're remote). Pay close attention to the details. How do managers interact with employees? What are the teams like? What is collaboration like? Once you recognize the culture and the processes for accomplishing tasks, you will be able to match your strengths to demonstrate fit. But this will only work if you get to know the people first. The people are the culture. If they are not, then the culture is bad. That's important to figure out, too.

I think this is a vital and existential question for journalists. Trying to get soundbytes is what has gotten journalism a bad reputation, in fact. But I always look at audio and video in the same way as I do print journalism. I interview someone and before I even listen again, I jot down what they said that was most memorable. Of course, people don't speak in soundbytes, so there will be content that is extraneous, small talk, and repetition. Remove all that first. In the world of news radio, you simply speak the words that you would have written and use the audio quotes in the same way you would have in print. With investigative pieces, you may keep the audio in total and simply make sure it's audible.

Kickers do not get enough attention. A good writer is trying to hold the attention of the reader from start to finish, and the kicker is the way to make a lasting impression. It should summarize what's already been established in the story. More importantly, however, it should give the reader a sense of what comes next. This might accomplished with a call to action, a quote from an expert pondering beyond what has already been written, or a clever turn of phrase that can spark the imagination. I often choose my intro and kicker while going over my notes and outlining the story. It may change, but they are the bookends that help me figure out the map of the rest of the story.

Research always begins with people for me. If you're seeking to learn about a culture (or any beat), you should spend time with the people of that culture. This is true whether you're talking about an ethnic group, business, group of people with shared interests, etc. You must be respectful and develop a rapport that allows for transparency and the ability to sometimes tackle difficult subjects. People will come to you with news. As a college reporter, I immersed myself in the Greek-letter organizations on campus to address charges of sexual assault, hazing, and other criminal activity. By remaining objective, reaching out to the leaders, and attending all their public meetings, I made relationships that led to important news stories.