13: Writing for Interactive
Media
Introduction to Interactive Media
WHY DOES A CREATOR OF
INTERACTIVE MEDIA CARE
ABOUT WRITING?
Introduction to Interactive Media
Writing is Relevant
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Proposal writing
Web audits / reviews
Web site copy
Help screens
Blogging
Web ads
Social media calls to action
Introduction to Interactive Media
Proposal Writing
• General areas to cover should include
– Problem statement
– Proposed solution
– Pricing information
Introduction to Interactive Media
More specific questions to
answer
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Objective and Target Audience
Outline of Content
Technical Methods
Maintenance
Time Frame
Estimate
Terms of Contract
Introduction to Interactive Media
Proposal Writing Strategies
• Precision is important because it is the
basis of your cost estimate.
• Be succinct – you want them to read it.
• Be persuasive and positive – you want
them to be excited about the project.
• Presentation counts
• Depersonalize. This is not about you –
it’s about what the application will do.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Web Site Audit
• The objective is to determine whether
the web site is achieving its primary
purpose and if not, how the web site
might be altered to better achieve it’s
goal.
• Usually performed by a third party.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Web Site Audit Writing
Strategy
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Make observation
Explain the effect
Avoid opinion statements
Be positive, encouraging and
persuasive.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Web Site Copy
• Web visitors have a limited attention
span.
• How can you make it as easy as
possible for your visitor to get the point?
• Headings and subheadings help visitors
skip to relevant points
– Consider jump down links.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Web Site Copy for SEO
• Search engines deem copy in certain
areas more relevant for categorization
than other. Areas of importance include
– Page Title
– Heading tags
– Alt tags
– Links
Introduction to Interactive Media
Help Screens
• Help screens are
integrated into apps
and software.
• Writing help screens
requires clarity and
understanding a user’s
point of view.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Blogging
• Building a database of content around a
particular topic.
• Can be powerful for getting traffic
• To build followers blog must have
character.
• Title of blog is important for search
engine traffic as title becomes part of
the URL.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Introduction to Interactive Media
Web Ads
• Web ads are a limited
length.
• Wording should match
the search that led to
the ad.
• Ad testing to determine
which is the most
effective is a common
practice.
Introduction to Interactive Media
Social Media Writing
• Tweets, Facebook posts
• Like blog writing, regular posting is
needed to build an audience.
• For marketing purposes, people who
follow should be privy to special
information.
Introduction to Interactive Media
The Perfect Post
• Ask a question that speaks directly to your
target users’ needs, wants or interests.
• Provide some information: follow up question
with some info but don’t disclose everything.
• Always provide a link
• Keep it positive
• Don’t bother yourself with a word limit if you
don’t have to (Twitter has limit, FB no limit)
• Provide an image
Introduction to Interactive Media
General Guidelines for Writing
for Interactive Media
• The writing style for interactive media is
different then writing for other forms of media.
– Be brief: user has many exit options from a
page.
– Make text readable: screen is low res.
– Be consistent: treat similar types of text
similarly.
– Be respectful: content on Internet is
publicly available
Introduction to Interactive Media
General Guidelines for Writing
for Interactive Media
– Combine text with other media: to help
clarify points.
– Make text interactive: for further
elaboration or to establish a rich system of
cross-links in order to optimize for search
engines.
– Be strategic: Text can be powerful tool for
search engine optimization.
Introduction to Interactive Media