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Your Overview and Why it Matters

Credit: Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of Laineys Repertoire

The editorial team recently completed a valuable and interesting DIY project with your Studio articles. Each of us chose a published Studio article and used it in our everyday lives. I was able to make my own holiday wreath to give as a gift, Jay Holzer of video production team built a Lego table for his daughter, and Johan Mengesha of the Studio editorial team taught himself to resurrect a house plant from the dead. After completing our tasks, we learned more about what matters to our audience at large. One of our most important discoveries is the tremendous importance of your overview/introduction.

Depending on what kind of article you write—be it a How to article on knitting, About article on dementia or maybe even a List article on Boston hotels—the overview should vary in tone and length. For example, we found long overviews on How to’s unnecessary, while short About overviews left us wanting more.

Perhaps the only common thread between various format overviews is that you should always use a distinct voice and sense of authority. After some research, the editorial team has created a list of tips, suggestions and habits to help you achieve those goals.

Contextualize your topic. For the title “How to Get Rid of the W32/Renocide.gen.d Virus,” let readers know this was one of the first widely known viruses in 2010.

Be clear and concise. In “New Jersey Restaurants,” don't spend two or three sentences describing New Jersey's history or tourist attractions. Dive into the restaurant scene right away and explain what unique culinary experiences travelers will find in New Jersey that they won't find anywhere else.

Bring something NEW. It is invaluable to bring new information to your overview. Especially in List articles, make sure to surface fresh information that is not repeated in the list.

For technical articles, define the primary usage of the product. This doesn’t mean you should launch into the details of all attributes and requirements of the Apple iPhone. Rather, describe the Apple iPhone for innovating the popular trend of apps for your smart phone or another general purpose of the product relevant to the title.

Provide an attributed quote, fact or statistic when appropriate. Don’t use quotes as filler; only use them if they’re uniquely worded and relevant to your article. For About formats and health related articles quotes or statistics are beneficial to include in the overview.

Introduce your reader to a destination in an inviting, interesting way. When writing “Costa Rica Vacation Tips,” don’t include dull, empty statements like, “Costa Rica is a beautiful, tropical destination.” Get to the meat instead with, “Surfers, honeymooners and spring break students flock to Costa Rica for its tranquil rainforests and secluded beaches.”

Unearth the unusual. Share information about the topic that most people would not know unless they are familiar with it. For example, most people know that Gatlinburg is in the Smoky Mountains, but how many people know they have a Midnight Independence Day Parade?

Avoid:
•    Generalizations such as, “Having a computer virus is frustrating.”
•    Empty adjectives like “beautiful,” “unique” or “fun.”
•    Inflated statistics like “99.9 percent of all women love chocolate.”

We are working on a workflow that will cover tips for each type of overview, so in the meantime, take notes and ask questions about the above tips. Also, we highly recommend saving and printing Travels Editor Anna Roth’s invaluable Overview Checklist, pasted below.

Overview Checklist:

1.    Is my lede as strong as it can be? Does it set up the topic in an authoritative way and draw me in?
2.    Does it contain information that everyone knows? If so, rewrite.
3.    Did I start with a question, and if so, how can I rephrase it?
4.    Can I swap in another location or topic for the subject, and have the article stay relevant? If so, rewrite.
5.    Do the adjectives add value to the piece, or detract from the message?
6.    Have I successfully avoided empty adjectives like fun, great, interesting, unique?
7.    Do I pack too much information in here? If so, are there facts I can move to the body of my article?

Use the overview to let your personality and voice shine through. Here is more information from Anna’s post, located on the blog: http://www.demandstudios.com/blog/overview-matters-good

9 Comments

Thanks, this is very helpful. I'm surprised though that the team seems to be wanting less info in a How To overview and more in an About overview. I always feel like the overview is most important in a How To, because that's the only place where we really provide any context beyond the actual steps to accomplish a task. With an About, I always struggle to find additional specific information to provide beyond what I've already included in five or more sections, as anything I put in an overview could just as easily be in a subheaded section.

I'm looking forward to seeing some examples of exemplary overviews for all the formats and for different types of subject matter.

thanks,
Heidi

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This is really useful. I'm a CE and predict I will be sending writers to this a lot in rewrite requests.

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Hi, I agree with almost everything you state in the article.

However, I've edited way too many List articles where the overviews encourage readers to "flock" to "tranquil," "awe-inspiring," "secluded," "exotic," etc. tourist locals. To my mind, overly promotional language, rather than being colorful, is just as empty as the "great," "unique," "beautiful," and "fun" adjectives we are asked to avoid. Too many of these List article overviews start to read like advertisements for a particular locale or hotel.

Other than this point, your ideas are something that all authors and CEs need consider.

Thanks, Beth

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I like the additional point from Elizabeth P. I spent many years editing travel content at Citysearch. And, Elizabeth's 'overly promotional' point was a common hurdle/problem. None of this is easy to do in execution, I know. But, all good things to keep in mind.

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These are fantastic reminders for writers. Thank you.

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Great article! I'm bookmarking it for those "senior" moments of forgetfulness. Thanks for the info.

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I think these should be required reading before you even take an assignment, like the "agree to terms" windows we have to read before installing software. Now, I have clarity.

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okay, so, I have to say, at first I was skeptical about this whole process. Now after using the information and getting feedback. "You guys Rock!" Thank you.

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I was intrigued by Demand staff doing projects from our writing. That simply tickled me, and I was happy to see not only the support but "spot checking" for ease of use. And like Beth, my instinct was to cringe at "flock" and "tranquil" as subjective and promotional, which may have made MaryK's important point in the first place. Cheers and thanks for the great resource!

--Rose

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Your Overview and Why it Matters

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