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Thank you for sharing

Features go viral more often, says Reuters Institute

While news stories make up the bulk of the content on three European news sites, most of the most-shared stories are features.

Thank you for sharing
Share, but not alike Features are more likely to get shared than news stories, according to an analysis of three European news sites. Image by bronwyn quilliam

Or so says Satu Vasantola, Journalist Fellow at Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.

85% of the articles Helsingin Sanomat publishes are news stories, and just 15% are features. But 34% of the most shared stories were features.

Read full article >

Related stories

Shatter the pyramid

Shatter the pyramid: Three ways to create more feature-style stories

A way around the pyramid

A way around the pyramid: Lift ideas off the page with display copy

“Prose is architecture. It’s not interior design.”
— Ernest Hemingway, Nobel Prize-winning novelist

Go Beyond the Inverted Pyramid

Our old friend the inverted pyramid hasn’t fared well in recent research.

This way
This way Want to reach your reader? Move beyond the traditional news structure. Image by Mario Klingemann

According to new studies by such think tanks as The Readership Institute and The Poynter Institute, inverted pyramids: 1) Reduce readership and understanding; 2) Fail to make readers care about the information; and 3) Don’t draw readers across the jump. In short, researchers say, inverted pyramids “do not work well with readers.”

At Catch Your Readers — a two-day writing Master Class on Nov. 2-3 in Houston — you’ll learn a structure that can increase readership, understanding and satisfaction with your message. Specifically, you’ll learn:

  • How to organize your message to grab readers’ attention, keep it for the long haul and leave a lasting impression
  • Three elements of a great lead — and five leads to avoid
  • How to stop bewildering your readers by leaving out an essential paragraph. (Many communicators forget it)
  • Five ways to avoid the “muddle in the middle”
  • A three-step test for ending with a bang

This is your last chance to learn to Catch Your Readers in 2016. Don’t miss out! Register now.

Register now

“I learned as much in 48 hours as I have for the past two years writing for my company.”
— Jeanina Miniano, strategic communications specialist, Maxim Healthcare Services

Polish your skills at our upcoming Master Classes

Learn to Master the Art of the Storyteller, Catch Your Readers, Get Clicked, Cut Through the Clutter and more

Register for Online writing workshop in New York on Sept. 28-29
Register for communication measurement workshop in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 12-13
Register for writing workshop in Houston on Nov. 2-3
Register for Creative writing workshop in Los Angeles on Feb. 23-24, 2017
Register for persuasive writing workshop in Las Vegas on March 22-23, 2017
Register for Tight writing workshop in Washington, D.C. on April 6-7, 2017
Register for PR writing workshop in San Francisco on July 26-27, 2017

Rather bring Ann in to train your whole team?

Invite Ann

Catch Ann on the road

Save when you book a workshop while I’m in your neighborhood

Ask about piggybacking on my upcoming engagements in:

  • Geneva: Sept. 13 & Nov. 29
  • Houston: Nov. 2-3
  • Indianapolis: Oct. 24
  • Jackson, Mississippi: Nov. 9
  • Las Vegas: March 22-23, 2017
  • Los Angeles: Feb. 23-24, 2017
  • New Orleans: Nov. 7
  • New York: Sept. 28-29
  • Norfolk, VA: Oct. 10
  • San Francisco: Oct. 16 & July 26-27, 2017
  • Washington, D.C.: Oct. 12-13 & April 6-7, 2017
  • White Plains, New York: Dec. 13

Keep up with my calendar.

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Jan. 31, 2025

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