Writing Tips and Best Practices

You can help audiences feel better connected to the South Carolina story by creating smart, compelling content that draws their attention and keeps them engaged. Here are a few best practices to keep in mind when writing university communications.

Know your audience.
Identify the audience you’re trying to reach. You won’t reach your audience effectively if you haven’t identified who they are.

Focus on one clear message.
Emphasize a single message, and get to the point as quickly as possible. Use clear, direct statements to keep your reader’s attention. Where applicable, support your statements with points of pride.

Show, don’t tell.
Paint a picture for your audience — rather than making abstract claims, provide specific examples. It’s always more powerful to engage an audience by presenting individual experiences through storytelling than through programmatic language. 

Be welcoming and avoid jargon.
Our communications express who we are as an institution: welcoming, collaborative and inspiring. Make your writing approachable. Aim to communicate to a nonspecialist audience. 

Make it personal.
Include real, honest stories of the work the university is doing. Always communicate with authenticity.

Make data matter.
Statistics, rankings and rates of success aren't the story; they are evidence that supports the story. Numbers can add to your message, but they can't take the place of it. 

Give the reader something to do.
If you want your reader to take action, be clear and direct: "Make a gift," "apply," "sign up," etc. Make your call to action more personal by using "you" and "your" language.

Make headlines work harder.
A headline might be the only thing an audience reads, so make sure it is informative and leaves them with a takeaway.

Mix it up.
Vary the cadence of your writing. Mix short sentences with longer ones to avoid a repetitive feel. Check for rhythm and flow by reading aloud. Don’t be afraid to write like you speak.

Write for the platform.
Social content needs to be quick and easily digestible. Web content should also be on the shorter side. A long-form, visually compelling print piece can do more storytelling. Long-form web stories need multiple elements — engaging photos, video and/or audio, pull quotes, subheads — to keep the reader engaged.

Stay positive.
When discussing how South Carolina is different from other schools, show the tangible benefits gained by studying on our campus. Emphasize specific positive examples as much as possible.

 

Four Writing Traps to Avoid

Acronyms
Stick to well-known abbreviations and minimize the use of acronyms. When using acronyms (first letter of each word), use full caps with no periods.

Clichés
Don’t rely on predictable phrases and tired jargon to express your idea. Instead, pursue ideas that feel new and will make your readers notice what you write.

Exclamation points
If the message isn't something you'd yell in person, then don't yell at your audience by using an exclamation point. Exclamation points should be used extremely sparingly, if at all. 

Taglines
It’s tempting to rely on the same phrases over and over when communicating, but we don’t want to be limited by only a few ideas. Keep it fresh, and don’t hesitate to be more specific when necessary.