One Word Coverage Promises
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com
Twitter: gnewell
Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell
A great tease will contain a solid promise of coverage that foreshadows a full and satisfying story. In the world of entertainment, the goal is to convey the depth and complexity of the story line. Any promises that smack of simplicity or shallowness just won't motivate a viewer.
We see this in movie trailers all the time. You will never see a promo that promises the basic plot of the movie. For example:” Will the hero get the girl?" Of course he will. "Can these clever thieves pull off the heist?" Of course they can. The goal of the trailer is to show the incredible depth of the story line and promise a tale that is unique to moviedom. "Can a ferret, two parakeets and a bank robbery lead to love for these midgets transvestites on a road trip across the Ukraine?" Now that sounds like a deep story line with some real twists. They have proven that the movie will have much more than the basic plot points.
The goal is the same in TV news promos and teases. Far too often, the components foreshadowed in a tease convey only a basic story. We make a specific promise of coverage, but we never convey the depth of the story line. The problem - we focus solely on facts, not on how those facts add up to a full and rich plot line complete with heroes, villains, twists and turns.
When writing in-show teases and promos, apply this simple test to determine the depth of your story line. Make a promise of coverage, and then see how many words it requires to fulfill that promise. If the answer is just a word or two, you've failed to show the intricacy of your story. For example:
The promise: "Tonight, find out who hid the fugitive after the escape."
The answer: "His sister."
The answer contains just two words and does not convey the cool parts of the tale. Let's try again:
The promise: The fugitive's hide and seek game that stumped police for more than a week."
Fulfilling this promise of coverage requires a long explanation and a very intricate story. That is a sign you've done a great tease. If the explanation of the promise takes several sentences, then you have successfully conveyed depth of coverage. After hearing that promise, I get the feeling that the full story will be a real adventure - something very entertaining.
It is the same principle with weather:
The promise: "Find out when it will rain this week."
The answer: "Thursday"
This sounds like a basic weather forecast I can get on any channel. The goal is convey an entire weather drama that promises unique coverage:
Better: "Some wild days of wind and rain are just around the corner. I'll show you when the heaviest showers will hit the Valley."
Same with sports:
The promise: "Who won the big game."
The answer: "The Broncos"
Sounds like basic scores and highlights I can get off the internet.
Better: The game-winning touchdown pass that blew this grudge match wide open in the second half."
In teasing and promos the goal is not the proverbial "KISS" formula -"keep it simple stupid." We want to convey complexity and a brain stimulating drama.
Next week: Simple writing tips that convey story depth in just a few words.
Graeme Newell is a broadcast and new media marketer who specializes in core emotional drivers. He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free. Find out more here. |
|
How to Write a Great Weather ID
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com
Twitter: gnewell
Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell
In past articles, I’ve talked about how to write a great news ID, but what about weather? Just as with other short promos, there is never enough time to properly convey the intricacies of complex weather coverage in a short ID. Conveying distinctive weather coverage usually requires large tracts of promo real estate. So shake off that eighth-grade English teacher guilt and resign yourself to writing IDs using sentence fragments. It is the only way to make them work.
The ideal weather promo will have three parts:
1) The attention grabber - "Rain coming..."
The sole goal of this line is to grab attention and let viewers know the weather is changing. These few words are the most important of the entire ID. Viewing of weather goes way up when inclement weather is on the way.
Most weather talent begin weather IDs the same way they begin a weathercast - with the current conditions: "Sure was a sunny day out there today." Weather promos should never be about current or past conditions. They should always be about the future and the changes that are inevitable. Don't promote past weather. All of us went outside today and don't need a recap in the promo.
What should you do if there is no weather in the forecast? There is NEVER no weather in a forecast. The changes may not arrive for a few days, but weather is always changing. Even in markets like San Diego and Los Angeles, the weathercaster will find a way to fill two or three minutes talking about how the weather is changing. Look west for the next storm.
Remember that clearing inclement weather is just as sellable as the next storm on the way. Promise the changing conditions as that current storm makes its way out of the area.
Keep the attention grabber as short as possible - two or three words at the most:
"Clearing finally..."
"Wild temperature swings..."
"Clouds on the way..."
"Big changes coming..."
2) The promise line - "Which cities will be completely destroyed..."
The promise line should contain a specific promise of enterprising weather coverage. The goal of this line is not to give away the forecast, but to whet the appetite for more information.
We want to leave the audience with the impression that a lot of interesting weather changes are on the way, but there is just too much to tell in a simple ID. They need to tune in the newscast to get the full story about these wildly varying weather conditions. We want to convey a complexity in the forecast.
The most important thing to avoid here is any sort of question. When we ask questions about the weather, we are toying with viewers. "Will it rain? I know and you don't!" Most importantly, the answer to this question is "yes" or "no." This one-word answer does not properly convey the depth of your forecast. I can get "will it rain" from any web site in the nation. If I'm to tune in your weathercast, you better show me how incredibly in-depth and complete your forecast will be.
3) The time and channel - "Next on ten."
Again, keep this tag to an absolute minimum number of words - two or three at the most. No marketing lines, no "newscenter" or "eyewitness news" lines - just time and channel number.
Sometimes weather conditions are so volatile that more time is needed to alert viewers to the severity. In situations like this, it is okay to forgo the promise line. For example:
"A big storm threatening metro neighborhoods. Next on Eight."
If time is tight, then leave out the promise line, but make sure that the attention grabber foretells a major weather change. Just remember that this kind of ID encourages viewers to watch ANYBODY's weather, not just your weather.
Graeme Newell is a broadcast and new media marketer who specializes in core emotional drivers. He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free. Find out more here. |
Rules for Tagging Time and Channel on News IDs
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com
Twitter: gnewell
Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell
In last week's column I talked about how to pack loads of information into just a few words when writing news IDs. Sentence fragments are the key to successful IDs. You can pack a lot of information into a four or five second ID but will your audience remember that the report is on your newscast and the time it appears? Unfortunately, most IDs do not contain enough time to include both a compelling tease line and an adequate station ID line. Most of the time you'll be forced to make the hard choice between the two. Which one gets preference depends on your position in the market, the nature of the story, the time the ID runs, and the appeal of the presenter.
Just as in the set up and tease lines of an ID, cut the time and channel number line down to a sentence fragment with the absolute minimum number of words. This means time and channel only - no verbs.
There is also no time for amenities like "please join us" or "those stories and more." Use three or four words - max. For example, "at eleven on eight," or "next on twelve." Leave out any and all slogan lines or tag lines. Leave out any words like "newscenter" or "eyewitness news." In a perfect world, you could include your branding moniker, but with IDs, that is just not an option. Including words like "action news" means you will need to leave out tasty promises about your coverage of the story. Which words would make you more likely to watch, station identifiers like, "news station" or compelling facts like, "how he killed her?" These are hard choices you must make when writing IDs. The promise of coverage is the most important part of an ID. Any extra seconds of time can be put to best use selling coverage, not reinforcing the slogan.
The closer to the newscast, the less important time stamping becomes. If you are in the show immediately prior to the news, make maximum use of the word "next." It time stamps in one word and eliminates confusing lines like "at ten on eleven." If you don't have room for a time stamp, can you make room for one extra word like "tonight?"
If your news is on at a non-traditional time, put more energy into time stamping. If your newscast is on at 11pm like most of the other newscasts in the market, you may be able to get away with not time stamping at all.
If you must choose to eliminate either time or channel number, I recommend eliminating the time. Most viewers assume you will be on the next newscast on that channel.
If your anchor is the dominant talent in the market, logo stamping is less important. If your team is more obscure in the viewer's mind, seeing and hearing your channel number is more of a priority.
If you're the dominant station promising coverage of a huge news story that will be on all newscasts in the market, spend more time promising interesting story angles and less on logo and time stamping. Studies show that as many as 40% of the viewers who see your competitor's ID's will turn to your channel anyway - it's great to be the king.
If you're the upstart station in the market, make sure viewers clearly understand that you have enterprising coverage of a big story that goes beyond the basics. Viewers must clearly get that you have more in-depth coverage of this important event. If they don't get this, most will succumb to the pavlovian response of tuning to the leader. In situations like this, make sure your channel number is big and bold.
Make sure to logo and time stamp graphically. Start your ID with great video - no talking heads. End your ID with a huge logo and time on the screen. If you have time to reinforce that with copy, great, but if not, you can still make the point on screen.
Font your time and channel as a lower third throughout the ID. Eliminate cute cut lines and boldly show viewers where they can find your story.
Next week - writing a great weather ID.
Graeme Newell is a broadcast and new media marketer who specializes in core emotional drivers. He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free. Find out more here. |
How to Write a One-Sentence ID
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com
Twitter: gnewell
Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell
In last week's teasing tip I showed you how to write a great news ID using two short incomplete sentences. But what's the plan when you have even less time to describe your coverage? Many shops require a time and channel number at the end of an ID. This leaves just a few short seconds to convey the reason to watch - one sentence at best.
An ideal ID will contain two components - a build and a promise. If you don't have time for both parts, then it is necessary to imply one of the two components while plainly spelling out the other. Which part is implied depends on the type of story promoted.
If the story is a big one with lots of obvious coverage angles, then create an ID that is all build with no specific promise of coverage. The goal of this ID is to toss a grenade into the viewer's living room and let the big facts of the story do all the talking. For example:
"A gas tanker explodes on a downtown freeway."
Although you didn't spell out the specific coverage your team will be providing, this is such a big event that interesting story angles are assured. There is little doubt this story will be an exciting one.
"Coach Smith sacked in a huge scandal."
It is implied that your team will have all the juicy details on why he was fired. There is no need to spell it out in the ID.
The problem is that most news IDs promote smaller stories with less interesting details. In situations like this, viewers may have real doubt that the story will be interesting. You must prove it with a solid promise that proves you don't have hackneyed coverage of the event. These IDs will be all promise but should weave the build right into the sentence as well. For example:
"How a small dog caused a big pile up."
We accomplished the build with three words: "big pile up." Now the rest of the sentence is dedicated to a solid promise of coverage.
"What you'll pay if taxes increase."
This sentence is the same situation. "Tax increase" accomplishes the build in two words. "What you'll pay" is the promise. All this was done in a single sentence.
News IDs are so short that sentence fragments are usually a must. In this case, all we've done is to take the build and promise sentence fragments and combine them into one complete sentence.
Graeme Newell is a broadcast and new media marketer who specializes in core emotional drivers. He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free. Find out more here. |
How to Write a Great News ID
by Graeme Newell
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
http://www.602communications.com
Twitter: gnewell
Facebook: facebook.com/gnewell
In the teasing world, three to five second IDs are always the most challenging promos to write. How can you convey the best stuff from your story in such a short amount of time? When you break down the elements of a great ID, it has two main parts.
The first sentence is the build. This first part must create intrigue and present just enough information for viewers to get excited about your story. It should grab attention and leave viewers with the idea that big stuff is going on. If viewers miss the news, they'll miss something interesting or important. Think of it as a big exclamation point, meant to make viewers look up and pay attention.
The build should be done in as few words as possible. Most producers make the mistake of trying to tell the story in the tease. The purpose of a tease is to sell, not to tell. Let the news report tell the story. A tease is meant to excite, not explain. Try to always use a sentence fragment in the build. This first sentence should be short and choppy, composed mainly of adjective/noun combos. You probably won't have time to use verbs.
"Four dead in a huge fire."
"Fuming airport travelers."
"Critical win!"
Remember that any extra words in this part of the tease will leave you short on time for the important second part - the promise.
The promise should clearly convey your coverage of the news story. The goal is to showcase your team's enterprising reporting, not to further explain the details of the event. Many times, these sentences will start with "who, what, where, when, why or how." Just as before, use sentence fragments on the promise. Now, combine the build with the promise.
"A huge crash. How a dog caused the accident."
"Crushing defeat. The coach's new defense strategy."
"The mayor arrested. How police found the embezzled money."
Most IDs lack this critical promise of coverage. News producing is all about conveying the facts of the story and most writers try to make their IDs little mini news reports. Remember that the best part of a tease is always the last line. Make it a practice to literally count the number of words in this first line. If you have more than three or four, cut it down.
Next week - how to combine the build and the promise into a single sentence that's even shorter.
Graeme Newell is a broadcast and new media marketer who specializes in core emotional drivers. He guarantees that his teasing seminar will immediately increase your news ratings or his workshop is free. Find out more here. |
|
|
