Consider Nine Factors During News Section Competitive Analysis
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Although conventional in-print news sections supposedly are slated for extinction, they remain alive, if
not necessarily well, in many publications. Consequently, any competitive analysis you undertake
should include a scoring system applied to news coverage strength/weaknesses. Recently I revised
my system to include evaluation of nine factors. What follows is a brief explanation of that system. In
the future, I expect further revisions. Reason? Section content must provide an increased analytical
slant. We also must dump all those "obligatory" puff blurbs in the interests of achieving a more
authoritative focus.
For me, news section competitive analysis starts with a 20-factor tabulation. I then narrow it down to
the following nine-factor scoring process:
(1) PERCENT OF NEWS PAGES ILLUSTRATED: 80-100% = 3 points; 50-79% = 2; under 50% = 1; 0% = 0.
(2) PERCENT OF PAGES USING INFOGRAPHICS: 80-100% = 3 points; 50-79% = 2; under 50% = 1; 0%
= 0. (Please note that for factors (1) and (2), calculations are based on the number of pages carrying
news. For instance, a news section may total four pages, but use of fractional ads may kick up the
total number of pages carrying news.)
(3) PAGES/GRAPHICS RATIO: You arrive at this number by dividing total section pages carrying news
content into total number of illustrations used. Then score: 2.0 or higher = 3 points; 1.5-1.9 = 2; 1.0-
1.4 = 1; below 1.0 = 0.
(4) STORY-START RATIO: In this case, divided total section pages into total number of articles. Then
score: 1.5-2.0 = 3 points; 2.1-3.0 = 2; 3.1-4.0 = 2; over 4.0 or under 1.0 = 0.
(5) HIGH-IMPACT LEAD STORY: "Yes" = 3 points; "No" = 0. "Maybe" can earn a partial score,
depending on article length and number of sources interviewed.
(6) URGENCY INDEX: 90-100% = 4 points; 80-89% = 3; 70-79% = 2; 60-69% = 1; 0-59% = 0. The
index is calculated by dividing the total number of items into the total number of high-impact items.
(7) TOTAL END-USER DIRECT QUOTES: 8-10 = 3; 5-7 = 2; 2-4 = 1; lower than 2 = 0.
(8) AVERAGE FOG INDEX FOR FIRST PAGE: 10.0-12.5 = 3 points; 12.6-13.0 = 2; 13.1-14.5 = 1; 14.6 or
higher = 0.
(9) FIVE-FACTOR HEADLINE EVALUATION: Scoring is a bit complex. Let's say your news section has
five headlines. Each headline can earn a maximum score of 100 points based on execution of five sub-
factors. Each sub-factor can earn a maximum score of 20 points. Sub-factors include: (a) headline
story-telling value; (b) absence or presence of story-telling deck; (c) presence or absence of numbers;
(d) presence or absence of "cute," (e) low-value phrasing; presence or absence of active verbs. Now,
final scoring of this factor is based on average score earned by the five headlines. Thus: 90-100 = 3
points; 80-89= 2; 70-79 = 1; lower than 70 = 0.
Using the above method means a perfect score = 28 points. Historically, when the scoring method
involved seven factors (pages/graphics ratio and headline evaluation are newly included), many
sections had difficulty scoring more than ten points. (Please note: This scoring system is explained
more fully in Chapter II of a competitive analysis guide that remains in a state of revision pending a
final chapter or two on Web site strengths/weaknesses assessment).
############
TABPI 'TWITTERFEST' TACKLES CHURCH & STATE ETHICAL CONCERNS
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
An important event focusing on B2B Church & State ethical concerns was TABPI's special "Twitterfest."
Held several months ago, the proceedings, surprisingly, have not been publicized. The array of tweets
posted stirred some thinking on my part about today's state of ethics and the real problems
confronting us. Subsequently, as current chairman of ASBPE's ethics committee, I circulated a summary
of the two-day session to my group. Here are a few excerpts from that report:
(1) One tweeter questioned whether salespeople ask editors to post specific press releases online.
My answer: Evidence exists that this is a regular occurrence. During my ongoing review of e-news
packages, I have encountered several cases where so-called "breaking e-news" was nothing more
than a euphemism for new product announcements, rep appointments, vendor plant expansions,etc.
Quite often, there was no apparent effort made to edit the material.
(2) There is no doubt that digital emphasis has challenged editors with new variations of ethical
impositions. Several tweeters confirmed this dilemma. In a separate comment offered to me during an
e-mail exchange with an editor-in-chief, he put it this way: "The move to on-line has severely tested
the 'advertising that stimulates editorial content' rule. We have said no to things we felt clearly
crossed that line. Editorial integrity remains a constant, but interpreting it for another medium can be
a difficult process. We take that day by day."
(3) Ad hyperlink is the most notable form of digital ethics line-crossing. In the past, ASBPE's ethics
committee led a successful fight to stop the practice by some publishers of inserting ad hyperlinks into
editorial copy without prior consultation with the editors. There is at least one known case where the
practice has not been abandoned.
(4) Some tweets probed pros and cons of linking back to vendor websites when their products are
covered in Web articles. The value of the practice is immediately providing additional useful information
to readers. Possible disadvantages have yet to materialize (or maybe they have). For instance,there
is the danger that ad types will view the practice as "entitlement" and push for inclusion of more
accounts in product-oriented reports that provide linkage.
(Editor's note: ASBPE's ethics committee reviews matters of editorial concern upon receiving a written
request describing the situation. Each inquiry is carefully assessed by the entire committee, after
which a confidential advisory is submitted to the concerned party. For more details on how this
arrangement works, e-mail me at ethics.chair@editsol.com.)
############
Use This 5-Step Approach To Resolving Editorial Complaints
In my pre-consulting days, when I was VP/editorial of a leading B2B multi-publisher, proper complaint
handling was accorded high priority. First, we had a written policy in place. Second, we ran periodic
complaint-handling workshops for new editors and/or salespeople. The session usually was led by our
executive vice president. Here are five policy excerpts specifically directed at editors:
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How To Make Every Convention Issue An Editorial Showcase
The issue distributed at your industry's major convention plays a dual role: (1) It must be an editorial
showcase; (2) to a lesser degree, it focuses on at-show events (exhibits, program highlights, etc.)
However, Editorial Solutions competitive analysis projects focusing on at-show content continue to find
cases where factor (2) is dominant and factor (1) is barely executed.
To more clearly define the presence or absence of factor (1), you can apply the same scoring system
ES uses to analyze at-show content. Ordinarily, this analysis involves 22 factors. Once the overall
review is completed, ten key factors are isolated for scoring purposes. They include:
(1) Diversified presentation of material; (2) at least two in-depth, high-enterprise feature articles; (3)
results of an original research project; (4) urgent lead news article; (5) Q&A interview with industry big
wheel; (6) minimum of 20 end-users quoted; (7) major feature bylined by chief editor; (8) high-value
editorial page that steers clear of the overdone "it's show time" theme; (9) at least 20 photos of
interesting people (excluding shots found on personnel appointment pages); (10) one or more
controversial features or columns.
In practice, each factor earns a maximum score of ten points. Some factors are evaluated on a "yes"
or "no" basis. Others are scored on a sliding score basis. The passing grade is 90; this yardstick
makes an allowance for those nervous publishers who traditionally steer clear of factor (10).
Clearly, effective competitive analysis takes as many areas as possible into account, showcase issues
being one of them. Even if you choose not to use the information for promotional purposes, it can help
identify ways in which you can improve your own publications.
############
50-Site E-News Study Encounters Shortfalls In Enterprise & Basic Editing
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Our recently-completed analysis of 446 e-news articles confirms that many sites face content
upgrading challenges. The following summary is presented for the convenience of visitors who missed
any or all of the previously-published summary updates.
##########
More About Headline/Deck Combos: Eight Ways To Measure Reader Value
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Headline/deck writing once again will be evaluated during the upcoming Azbee editorial excellence
competition sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors. I have been judging
the Best Headline category since its inception. Invariably, there are certain habits that earn demerits
for many entries. Here are eight reminders of how to select entry material with winning potential:
(1) Covers using one or two "label" headlines should be replaced with at least four or five active
headlines. Space allowing for this change usually is available.
(2) Every contents page blurb should be viewed as a head/deck combination. Objective of each blurb
is to sell readers on story value. Some contents pages give the impression of being last-minute
conceptions with vague boldface heads accompanied by sketchy blurbs. In several cases,
departments are simply identified by stet heads.
(3) Although we know that business magazine readers are interested in quantitative data, very few
heads/decks contain numbers. This shortcoming definitely should be rectified, especially, when the
focus of the article is an important industry survey.
(4) Head/deck "overlap' remains the most prevalent pitfall for B2B editors. This snafu occurs when the
headline and deck essentially convey the same message . . . to the point of duplicate words appearing
in both elements.
(5) A key challenge requires us to raise the level of information contained in headline/deck combos.
This need will be met effectively if we shed the common mindset that heads/decks should be clever
teasers, requiring readers to seek out specific ideas in the article.
(6) Too many editorial columns are burdened by headlines of two or three words. In these cases, the
apparent emphasis is on being "catchy" as opposed to expressing an attention-getting opinion.
(7) Interesting letters to the editor are burdened by two- or three-word "un-headlines." If this is a
matter of style, it must be abandoned.
(8) Some writers still cannot distinguish between a headline that merely describes the topic covered as
opposed to indicating what the author discovered.
Unfortunately, many headlines subjected to criticism during an editorial competition evaluation are
considered passable by readers and writers. But more excitement/interest will be generated once we
make a concerted effort to incorporate higher reader value into every headline/deck element.
############
Consumer Audits: A Promising Path To Creating Editorial Excitement
Publications that successfully serve retail audiences strive to produce a steady dose of meaningful
statistics. One way to get there is via running your own consumer audit. It takes a bit of organizing,
but the results are worthwhile. Here's a typical procedure you might follow:
Via a concentrated effort over a period of four to six months, you should be able to accumulate input
from 350-600 respondents. An even faster way to tackle this project is possible if you have exhibit
management contacts that sponsor consumer shows. Management might be willing to provide you
with some free booth space where you would have thousand of show-goers to question.
############
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Talented writers promoted into management roles may not be up to speed on possible legal snafus.
In my VP/editorial director days, I ran periodic in-house workshops reviewing common oversights that
could bring on battlefield conditions. The trap that invariably lands even some most experienced
editors in hot water involves mid-stream reporting of unsettled disputes.
The glitch is simple enough to understand and should be included in every editorial manual. Namely,
never report in-progress developments of legal dispute until the matter is settled by written court
decree. There are many ways to go astray. For example, Party A in a bitterly contested makes a copy
of the complaint available to the unsuspecting editor. The complaint alleges all sorts of misconduct by
Party B plus the stiff penalties the defendant faces if convicted. Our editor proceeds to write a hot
story headlining the news that B has been charged with a possible prison term plus big penalties. The
editor mistakenly has treated the complaint as the final decision.
There is another common glitch that I've encountered more frequently in my consulting practice. This
problem stems from the vexing habit of excerpting content from daily newspapers or business
information websites. This hardly is a way of engaging in enterprise reporting. The trap from a legal
standpoint occurs when the editor neglects an obligation to perform pre-publication fact-checking.
A final reminder pertains to a bad habit that definitely can land you, at the very least, in complaint
territory pertains to misuse of "endorsement language." This usually arises when a new product
release from Manufacturer A is run virtually unedited. The published item includes alleged claims of
superiority vs. Manufacturer B's line. Or the release claims that A's product is the only one on the
market even though B, C and others provide comparable items. As a matter of policy, editors must
strike a neutral tone in all copy written for a new products section.
All cautions pertaining to legal pitfalls such as the above should be incorporated into a written policy
statement that is distributed to all editorial staff members.
############
Forming an Editorial Board? Have a Plan for Maximizing Feedback!
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Every so often, I field questions about the value of editorial boards. In fact, considering all the other
stuff on our plates today, forming and then overseeing a board is a time-consuming process. For that
reason, many of you might like to defer getting started. On the other hand, once you have an
authoritative, dedicated group of board members in place, benefits in terms of content improvement
can be significant.
There are four possible ways to get maximum input: (1) Send published articles to pre-selected
members for comment; (2) use a peer review board to review/recommend improvements for articles
prior to publication; (3) poll the group twice a year (I prefer telephone as opposed to impersonal snail
mail or e-mail surveys); (4) host a class dinner for your board during a major convention that most
members are likely to attend.
Of the above possibilities, (3) and (4) are the most promising. In the case of (3), first I drew up a list
of ten questions I wanted to discuss with board members. The objective was not so much to get
feedback on past issues as it was to determine what we should be doing next. I also wanted board
member perceptions on how they ranked us against the competition in terms of editorial strengths and
weaknesses. One of my key concerns was whether other magazines were doing a better job than we
were of maintaining personal relationships with the industry in question. Once my list was drawn up, I
wrote a letter to each board member (the typical group size was limited to 25 maximum) outlining the
agenda. I asked for 30 minutes of their time and advised that I would call soon to set up a date for
the interview. When board members were first recruited, they were told that these interviews would
be a condition of board participation. To make a long story short, depth of response was tremendous.
As for organizing a board, it helps if you've established contact with many of the executives you'd like
to have join your group. Your letter of invitation should outline benefits of membership. In my case, I
was able to offer exclusive information alerts that would be available to board members. Another perk
was the availability of a qualified staff editor to provide a special briefing to a board member's
executive group on current industry trends. Also worth mentioning were the usual amenities, like
being listed on the magazine's masthead and receiving a handsome plaque of board member
recognition.
Finally, if your arrangement is working smoothly, you should be able to poll board members
occasionally for a high-value, exclusive feature to appear in your magazine and/or on your website.
############
Productivity Reports Document Travel Efficiency, Writing Delivery
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Considering today's huge workloads, top management should be less inclined to question editorial
staff performance. Clearly, double-duty job descriptions requiring creation of high-quality content for
magazines and websites are pushing editors to new limits. If anything, top brass must be more tuned
in to the possibility that productivity breaking points may already have been reached.
Meanwhile, editorial managers also should be monitoring efficiency. This requires documentation in the
form of quantitative reports. Information derived is useful for internal supervision purposes. Two
areas of efficiency worth tracking are editorial travel and pages written per editor. Most B2B editors
apparently may not have much of a travel budget these days. In fact, even before the current
economic situation, some staffs were always chained to their desks. The point is that even more than
in the past, editorial managers must prove that every dollar devoted to field trips is well spent.
Information for travel performance analysis can be pulled from properly-constructed editorial expense
vouchers. Quarterly reports should show total travel days as well as average days per month per
editor. There is a separate calculation along the above lines for the editor-in-chief. This tabulation
indicates the degree to which travel is a staff-wide activity.
Another calculation should break down travel days in terms of grass roots visits as opposed to industry
conventions. Next, there is a "city spread" consideration. Sometimes you discover that on the surface
an editorial staff engages in extensive travel; however, such travel actually takes in a limited number
of cities. Lastly, your editorial expense vouchers must provide space for staff to itemize the number of
editorial pages or website reports generated via field work.
Pages written per editor also could be documented on a quarterly basis, even if you have just one
staff member reporting to you. If you believe in byline acknowledgement, it's easy to identify who
wrote what. In order for this report to have meaning, you need pre-established expectations for the
quantity of feature material per month from each staff member. You also need specific standards
pertaining to website content delivery. The number of hours spent per week per staff engaged in
website updates is bound to multiply as emphasis on original content increases. Ability to translate
this activity into pages per day per editor will become a necessity.
############
14 Ways to Put Top Value into Your Editorial Research
One of the most important values B2B can deliver to its readers and advertisers is high-quality editorial
research. High quality does not necessarily mean that you hire the most expensive research service to
conduct a national study for you . . . although quality certainly is implied when you use outside
agencies. What high quality does mean is that you are addressing a topic of some importance, that
you asked significant questions, that you obtained a decent response and that your conclusions were
highly instructive to readers.
Editorial Solutions frequently focuses on editorial research during in-house workshops. Here are 14
ideas usually addressed in detail at such sessions:
(1) Once you've established the focus of a major research project, seek input on the questionnaire
from your readers.
(2) Follow the established principles of making a questionnaire easy to answer.
(3) Random sampling is for the birds. Make sure your respondent selection process is precise.
(4) Be wary of questionnaire length. When a questionnaire is especially complex, offer an incentive to
encourage response.
(5) Establish a written data-gathering timetable and stick to it.
(6) Plan on conducting some personal interviews so you can confirm whether the tabulations you are
seeing actually make sense.
(7) Beware of interpreting results based on straight averages.
(8) You don't need a high return quantitatively if you can draw a high-quality response.
(9) When you write the story based on survey response, interpret rather than recite.
(10) Proofread your charts and insist on seeing a final color key.
(11) Don't be guilty of publishing research that has no foundation.
(12) If your industry is hot on consumer research, go for it. The exploitation value will be super!
(13) Variety is the spice of editorial research. You can mix in-depth reports with single-page mini-polls.
(14) Plan on running research results at least monthly in your magazine and on your website.
############
Scoring E-News: Eight Factors That Reflect Content Value/Reading Ease
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Over the years during competitive analysis projects, I have developed various scoring systems
designed to assign quantitative values to qualitative content. My favorite system has been a seven-
factor tool used to assess news sections. Factors involved included percent of news pages illustrated,
percent of pages using infographics, story-start ratio, high impact lead story, total end-users quoted
and average Fog Index score for first page items. Maximum score achievable using that system is 22
points. So far, after applying the system to several hundred up-front news sections, the highest score
achieved is 18. The majority of monthly publications reviewed struggled to earn ten points or more.
Having recently engaged in several e-newsletter evaluations, I've begun tinkering with a scoring
system for e-news items highlighted in weekly newsletter content. The system probably will go
through several revisions. Meanwhile, you might try giving this pioneer approach a shot.
So there you have it -- an eight-factor system where the cumulative score per item is 100 points. An
average score of 80 or higher means you're doing something right. If you use this scoring method,
please be ruthless when evaluating impact and enterprise. So far in my competitive analysis projects,
these are the two factors that make a big difference when editorial strengths and weaknesses are
being compared.
############
Three Cheers for E-Newsletter Diversity; More Editors Should Get on Board!
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Editorial Solutions receives and reviews 72 e-newsletters every week. The current goal is to build the
review list to 100. Then go from there! If you've ever edited a newsletter (I have), you think of each
issue as a self-contained package of information. Content is as diverse as space allows. So far in my
e-newsletter reviews, I find several approaches that differ from my view (not surprising).
Some issues totally use e-news blurb as content. Others use a more diverse menu, mixing news with
blogs, contests, webinar and white paper alerts, highlights from hot discussions occurring in forum
sessions. As for the self-contained deal, there's not too much of that. Readers ought to be provided
with some e-newsletter items where it's not necessary to link to another location.
Apparently one leading industrial publication agrees with me. Recently, the editors sent a reader
preference survey to e-newsletter participants. The questionnaire was dynamite! At one point,
readers were asked to express interest in 13 possible content categories. Included: Employment
opportunities, research services/survey data, industry news/key issues, upcoming webcasts and
podcasts, best practices/case studies.
In the matter of e-newsletter format, editors offered the following options: (1) headlines with links to
the articles; (2) short summaries of articles with links to full articles; (3) full articles presented in the e-
newsletter without need to link.
Readers also were queried on preferred e-newsletter frequency. Options ranged from once or twice a
week to more than ten times a week. I wonder how respondents voted on that topic.
Finally, editors posed the very important question: "Out of every four issues received, how many do
you typically read?" This inquiry probably should have gone further to determine whether an individual
reads each entire issue. If that's not the case, what content usually is bypassed?
I've only received one study this thorough to date. More e-newsletter publishers need to follow suit.
############
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Although conventional in-print news sections supposedly are slated for extinction, they remain alive, if
not necessarily well, in many publications. Consequently, any competitive analysis you undertake
should include a scoring system applied to news coverage strength/weaknesses. Recently I revised
my system to include evaluation of nine factors. What follows is a brief explanation of that system. In
the future, I expect further revisions. Reason? Section content must provide an increased analytical
slant. We also must dump all those "obligatory" puff blurbs in the interests of achieving a more
authoritative focus.
For me, news section competitive analysis starts with a 20-factor tabulation. I then narrow it down to
the following nine-factor scoring process:
(1) PERCENT OF NEWS PAGES ILLUSTRATED: 80-100% = 3 points; 50-79% = 2; under 50% = 1; 0% = 0.
(2) PERCENT OF PAGES USING INFOGRAPHICS: 80-100% = 3 points; 50-79% = 2; under 50% = 1; 0%
= 0. (Please note that for factors (1) and (2), calculations are based on the number of pages carrying
news. For instance, a news section may total four pages, but use of fractional ads may kick up the
total number of pages carrying news.)
(3) PAGES/GRAPHICS RATIO: You arrive at this number by dividing total section pages carrying news
content into total number of illustrations used. Then score: 2.0 or higher = 3 points; 1.5-1.9 = 2; 1.0-
1.4 = 1; below 1.0 = 0.
(4) STORY-START RATIO: In this case, divided total section pages into total number of articles. Then
score: 1.5-2.0 = 3 points; 2.1-3.0 = 2; 3.1-4.0 = 2; over 4.0 or under 1.0 = 0.
(5) HIGH-IMPACT LEAD STORY: "Yes" = 3 points; "No" = 0. "Maybe" can earn a partial score,
depending on article length and number of sources interviewed.
(6) URGENCY INDEX: 90-100% = 4 points; 80-89% = 3; 70-79% = 2; 60-69% = 1; 0-59% = 0. The
index is calculated by dividing the total number of items into the total number of high-impact items.
(7) TOTAL END-USER DIRECT QUOTES: 8-10 = 3; 5-7 = 2; 2-4 = 1; lower than 2 = 0.
(8) AVERAGE FOG INDEX FOR FIRST PAGE: 10.0-12.5 = 3 points; 12.6-13.0 = 2; 13.1-14.5 = 1; 14.6 or
higher = 0.
(9) FIVE-FACTOR HEADLINE EVALUATION: Scoring is a bit complex. Let's say your news section has
five headlines. Each headline can earn a maximum score of 100 points based on execution of five sub-
factors. Each sub-factor can earn a maximum score of 20 points. Sub-factors include: (a) headline
story-telling value; (b) absence or presence of story-telling deck; (c) presence or absence of numbers;
(d) presence or absence of "cute," (e) low-value phrasing; presence or absence of active verbs. Now,
final scoring of this factor is based on average score earned by the five headlines. Thus: 90-100 = 3
points; 80-89= 2; 70-79 = 1; lower than 70 = 0.
Using the above method means a perfect score = 28 points. Historically, when the scoring method
involved seven factors (pages/graphics ratio and headline evaluation are newly included), many
sections had difficulty scoring more than ten points. (Please note: This scoring system is explained
more fully in Chapter II of a competitive analysis guide that remains in a state of revision pending a
final chapter or two on Web site strengths/weaknesses assessment).
############
TABPI 'TWITTERFEST' TACKLES CHURCH & STATE ETHICAL CONCERNS
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
An important event focusing on B2B Church & State ethical concerns was TABPI's special "Twitterfest."
Held several months ago, the proceedings, surprisingly, have not been publicized. The array of tweets
posted stirred some thinking on my part about today's state of ethics and the real problems
confronting us. Subsequently, as current chairman of ASBPE's ethics committee, I circulated a summary
of the two-day session to my group. Here are a few excerpts from that report:
(1) One tweeter questioned whether salespeople ask editors to post specific press releases online.
My answer: Evidence exists that this is a regular occurrence. During my ongoing review of e-news
packages, I have encountered several cases where so-called "breaking e-news" was nothing more
than a euphemism for new product announcements, rep appointments, vendor plant expansions,etc.
Quite often, there was no apparent effort made to edit the material.
(2) There is no doubt that digital emphasis has challenged editors with new variations of ethical
impositions. Several tweeters confirmed this dilemma. In a separate comment offered to me during an
e-mail exchange with an editor-in-chief, he put it this way: "The move to on-line has severely tested
the 'advertising that stimulates editorial content' rule. We have said no to things we felt clearly
crossed that line. Editorial integrity remains a constant, but interpreting it for another medium can be
a difficult process. We take that day by day."
(3) Ad hyperlink is the most notable form of digital ethics line-crossing. In the past, ASBPE's ethics
committee led a successful fight to stop the practice by some publishers of inserting ad hyperlinks into
editorial copy without prior consultation with the editors. There is at least one known case where the
practice has not been abandoned.
(4) Some tweets probed pros and cons of linking back to vendor websites when their products are
covered in Web articles. The value of the practice is immediately providing additional useful information
to readers. Possible disadvantages have yet to materialize (or maybe they have). For instance,there
is the danger that ad types will view the practice as "entitlement" and push for inclusion of more
accounts in product-oriented reports that provide linkage.
(Editor's note: ASBPE's ethics committee reviews matters of editorial concern upon receiving a written
request describing the situation. Each inquiry is carefully assessed by the entire committee, after
which a confidential advisory is submitted to the concerned party. For more details on how this
arrangement works, e-mail me at ethics.chair@editsol.com.)
############
Use This 5-Step Approach To Resolving Editorial Complaints
In my pre-consulting days, when I was VP/editorial of a leading B2B multi-publisher, proper complaint
handling was accorded high priority. First, we had a written policy in place. Second, we ran periodic
complaint-handling workshops for new editors and/or salespeople. The session usually was led by our
executive vice president. Here are five policy excerpts specifically directed at editors:
- When you receive a complaint via telephone, take down all the information -- and make the
caller aware that you are doing so. Do not argue, and don't constantly break in to pass the
buck to your printer, the advertising department or anyone else. For the moment, you are the
magazine to the complaining party -- and that party expects results from you. - The very same day, a letter should be sent to the aggrieved party confirming the conversation,
offering a solution, or indicating a deadline by which you will get back to that person with a
solution. If appropriate, attempt to resolve the problem by offering to print a prompt correction,
a letter to the editor or "compensatory editorial" in an early issue. - Your readiness to resolve the complaint may in itself be the ticket to neutralizing the anger of
the person at the other end of the line. Before you end the call, always ask the complaining
party whether there are any other concerns that should be addressed. - If the complaint is serious to the point that you can't arrive at a solution, try bumping up the
matter to your boss. Attention from a superior often scores points with the complainant. - A conciliatory approach may make a friend and avert a crisis
############
How To Make Every Convention Issue An Editorial Showcase
The issue distributed at your industry's major convention plays a dual role: (1) It must be an editorial
showcase; (2) to a lesser degree, it focuses on at-show events (exhibits, program highlights, etc.)
However, Editorial Solutions competitive analysis projects focusing on at-show content continue to find
cases where factor (2) is dominant and factor (1) is barely executed.
To more clearly define the presence or absence of factor (1), you can apply the same scoring system
ES uses to analyze at-show content. Ordinarily, this analysis involves 22 factors. Once the overall
review is completed, ten key factors are isolated for scoring purposes. They include:
(1) Diversified presentation of material; (2) at least two in-depth, high-enterprise feature articles; (3)
results of an original research project; (4) urgent lead news article; (5) Q&A interview with industry big
wheel; (6) minimum of 20 end-users quoted; (7) major feature bylined by chief editor; (8) high-value
editorial page that steers clear of the overdone "it's show time" theme; (9) at least 20 photos of
interesting people (excluding shots found on personnel appointment pages); (10) one or more
controversial features or columns.
In practice, each factor earns a maximum score of ten points. Some factors are evaluated on a "yes"
or "no" basis. Others are scored on a sliding score basis. The passing grade is 90; this yardstick
makes an allowance for those nervous publishers who traditionally steer clear of factor (10).
Clearly, effective competitive analysis takes as many areas as possible into account, showcase issues
being one of them. Even if you choose not to use the information for promotional purposes, it can help
identify ways in which you can improve your own publications.
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50-Site E-News Study Encounters Shortfalls In Enterprise & Basic Editing
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Our recently-completed analysis of 446 e-news articles confirms that many sites face content
upgrading challenges. The following summary is presented for the convenience of visitors who missed
any or all of the previously-published summary updates.
- Evidence of enterprise is lacking in 296 articles reviewed -- a disappointing 66.4 percent of the
total items assessed. Apparently there are several cases where enterprise existed, but such
effort was not distinguished in any way. Possibilities for doing so include (1) bylining the article;
(2) mentioning that information was obtained via telephone interview or e-mail exchange; (3)
labeling the article as a Web exclusive. - Foggy writing managed to ruin readability of many high-value stories. Of the 446 articles
assessed, 219 (49.1%) defied readability thanks to Fog Index levels exceeding 13.0. Further,
178 articles (39%) had average sentence lengths exceeding 25 words. Finally, if e-news is
supposed to launch quickly into an article, some of us persist in heading in the opposite
direction. I found 192 articles (43.1%) where opening sentences ran 30 words or longer. - Direct quote usage -- particularly of the end-user variety -- is inconsistent. Of the 446 articles
reviewed, 166 (37.3%) used no quotes. Another 163 (36.5%) used one quote. Running a
single quote in an article would be okay if obtained via personal interview with a source.
However, many quotes read as if they were lifted straight off a press release. - For the most part, lead values stayed within the -10 guideline. Lead value indicates the number
of words used in an article's first sentence before a key story point is reached. However, there
still were dozens of leads in the -25 range. In those cases, the key stumbling block was the
tendency to write source-first, lead-second opening sentences.
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More About Headline/Deck Combos: Eight Ways To Measure Reader Value
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Headline/deck writing once again will be evaluated during the upcoming Azbee editorial excellence
competition sponsored by the American Society of Business Publication Editors. I have been judging
the Best Headline category since its inception. Invariably, there are certain habits that earn demerits
for many entries. Here are eight reminders of how to select entry material with winning potential:
(1) Covers using one or two "label" headlines should be replaced with at least four or five active
headlines. Space allowing for this change usually is available.
(2) Every contents page blurb should be viewed as a head/deck combination. Objective of each blurb
is to sell readers on story value. Some contents pages give the impression of being last-minute
conceptions with vague boldface heads accompanied by sketchy blurbs. In several cases,
departments are simply identified by stet heads.
(3) Although we know that business magazine readers are interested in quantitative data, very few
heads/decks contain numbers. This shortcoming definitely should be rectified, especially, when the
focus of the article is an important industry survey.
(4) Head/deck "overlap' remains the most prevalent pitfall for B2B editors. This snafu occurs when the
headline and deck essentially convey the same message . . . to the point of duplicate words appearing
in both elements.
(5) A key challenge requires us to raise the level of information contained in headline/deck combos.
This need will be met effectively if we shed the common mindset that heads/decks should be clever
teasers, requiring readers to seek out specific ideas in the article.
(6) Too many editorial columns are burdened by headlines of two or three words. In these cases, the
apparent emphasis is on being "catchy" as opposed to expressing an attention-getting opinion.
(7) Interesting letters to the editor are burdened by two- or three-word "un-headlines." If this is a
matter of style, it must be abandoned.
(8) Some writers still cannot distinguish between a headline that merely describes the topic covered as
opposed to indicating what the author discovered.
Unfortunately, many headlines subjected to criticism during an editorial competition evaluation are
considered passable by readers and writers. But more excitement/interest will be generated once we
make a concerted effort to incorporate higher reader value into every headline/deck element.
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Consumer Audits: A Promising Path To Creating Editorial Excitement
Publications that successfully serve retail audiences strive to produce a steady dose of meaningful
statistics. One way to get there is via running your own consumer audit. It takes a bit of organizing,
but the results are worthwhile. Here's a typical procedure you might follow:
- Arrange with a key group of reader contacts -- such as editorial board members -- to allow an on-
premises audit desk to be set up at selected stores or offices. - An editor or experienced, thoroughly-oriented freelance writer at the desk asks customers
leaving the premises to participate in a five-minute audit. There is an appropriately-worded
poster visible by the desk explaining the project. - Promise cooperating retailers an advance summary of information gathered.
Via a concentrated effort over a period of four to six months, you should be able to accumulate input
from 350-600 respondents. An even faster way to tackle this project is possible if you have exhibit
management contacts that sponsor consumer shows. Management might be willing to provide you
with some free booth space where you would have thousand of show-goers to question.
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by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Talented writers promoted into management roles may not be up to speed on possible legal snafus.
In my VP/editorial director days, I ran periodic in-house workshops reviewing common oversights that
could bring on battlefield conditions. The trap that invariably lands even some most experienced
editors in hot water involves mid-stream reporting of unsettled disputes.
The glitch is simple enough to understand and should be included in every editorial manual. Namely,
never report in-progress developments of legal dispute until the matter is settled by written court
decree. There are many ways to go astray. For example, Party A in a bitterly contested makes a copy
of the complaint available to the unsuspecting editor. The complaint alleges all sorts of misconduct by
Party B plus the stiff penalties the defendant faces if convicted. Our editor proceeds to write a hot
story headlining the news that B has been charged with a possible prison term plus big penalties. The
editor mistakenly has treated the complaint as the final decision.
There is another common glitch that I've encountered more frequently in my consulting practice. This
problem stems from the vexing habit of excerpting content from daily newspapers or business
information websites. This hardly is a way of engaging in enterprise reporting. The trap from a legal
standpoint occurs when the editor neglects an obligation to perform pre-publication fact-checking.
A final reminder pertains to a bad habit that definitely can land you, at the very least, in complaint
territory pertains to misuse of "endorsement language." This usually arises when a new product
release from Manufacturer A is run virtually unedited. The published item includes alleged claims of
superiority vs. Manufacturer B's line. Or the release claims that A's product is the only one on the
market even though B, C and others provide comparable items. As a matter of policy, editors must
strike a neutral tone in all copy written for a new products section.
All cautions pertaining to legal pitfalls such as the above should be incorporated into a written policy
statement that is distributed to all editorial staff members.
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Forming an Editorial Board? Have a Plan for Maximizing Feedback!
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Every so often, I field questions about the value of editorial boards. In fact, considering all the other
stuff on our plates today, forming and then overseeing a board is a time-consuming process. For that
reason, many of you might like to defer getting started. On the other hand, once you have an
authoritative, dedicated group of board members in place, benefits in terms of content improvement
can be significant.
There are four possible ways to get maximum input: (1) Send published articles to pre-selected
members for comment; (2) use a peer review board to review/recommend improvements for articles
prior to publication; (3) poll the group twice a year (I prefer telephone as opposed to impersonal snail
mail or e-mail surveys); (4) host a class dinner for your board during a major convention that most
members are likely to attend.
Of the above possibilities, (3) and (4) are the most promising. In the case of (3), first I drew up a list
of ten questions I wanted to discuss with board members. The objective was not so much to get
feedback on past issues as it was to determine what we should be doing next. I also wanted board
member perceptions on how they ranked us against the competition in terms of editorial strengths and
weaknesses. One of my key concerns was whether other magazines were doing a better job than we
were of maintaining personal relationships with the industry in question. Once my list was drawn up, I
wrote a letter to each board member (the typical group size was limited to 25 maximum) outlining the
agenda. I asked for 30 minutes of their time and advised that I would call soon to set up a date for
the interview. When board members were first recruited, they were told that these interviews would
be a condition of board participation. To make a long story short, depth of response was tremendous.
As for organizing a board, it helps if you've established contact with many of the executives you'd like
to have join your group. Your letter of invitation should outline benefits of membership. In my case, I
was able to offer exclusive information alerts that would be available to board members. Another perk
was the availability of a qualified staff editor to provide a special briefing to a board member's
executive group on current industry trends. Also worth mentioning were the usual amenities, like
being listed on the magazine's masthead and receiving a handsome plaque of board member
recognition.
Finally, if your arrangement is working smoothly, you should be able to poll board members
occasionally for a high-value, exclusive feature to appear in your magazine and/or on your website.
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Productivity Reports Document Travel Efficiency, Writing Delivery
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Considering today's huge workloads, top management should be less inclined to question editorial
staff performance. Clearly, double-duty job descriptions requiring creation of high-quality content for
magazines and websites are pushing editors to new limits. If anything, top brass must be more tuned
in to the possibility that productivity breaking points may already have been reached.
Meanwhile, editorial managers also should be monitoring efficiency. This requires documentation in the
form of quantitative reports. Information derived is useful for internal supervision purposes. Two
areas of efficiency worth tracking are editorial travel and pages written per editor. Most B2B editors
apparently may not have much of a travel budget these days. In fact, even before the current
economic situation, some staffs were always chained to their desks. The point is that even more than
in the past, editorial managers must prove that every dollar devoted to field trips is well spent.
Information for travel performance analysis can be pulled from properly-constructed editorial expense
vouchers. Quarterly reports should show total travel days as well as average days per month per
editor. There is a separate calculation along the above lines for the editor-in-chief. This tabulation
indicates the degree to which travel is a staff-wide activity.
Another calculation should break down travel days in terms of grass roots visits as opposed to industry
conventions. Next, there is a "city spread" consideration. Sometimes you discover that on the surface
an editorial staff engages in extensive travel; however, such travel actually takes in a limited number
of cities. Lastly, your editorial expense vouchers must provide space for staff to itemize the number of
editorial pages or website reports generated via field work.
Pages written per editor also could be documented on a quarterly basis, even if you have just one
staff member reporting to you. If you believe in byline acknowledgement, it's easy to identify who
wrote what. In order for this report to have meaning, you need pre-established expectations for the
quantity of feature material per month from each staff member. You also need specific standards
pertaining to website content delivery. The number of hours spent per week per staff engaged in
website updates is bound to multiply as emphasis on original content increases. Ability to translate
this activity into pages per day per editor will become a necessity.
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14 Ways to Put Top Value into Your Editorial Research
One of the most important values B2B can deliver to its readers and advertisers is high-quality editorial
research. High quality does not necessarily mean that you hire the most expensive research service to
conduct a national study for you . . . although quality certainly is implied when you use outside
agencies. What high quality does mean is that you are addressing a topic of some importance, that
you asked significant questions, that you obtained a decent response and that your conclusions were
highly instructive to readers.
Editorial Solutions frequently focuses on editorial research during in-house workshops. Here are 14
ideas usually addressed in detail at such sessions:
(1) Once you've established the focus of a major research project, seek input on the questionnaire
from your readers.
(2) Follow the established principles of making a questionnaire easy to answer.
(3) Random sampling is for the birds. Make sure your respondent selection process is precise.
(4) Be wary of questionnaire length. When a questionnaire is especially complex, offer an incentive to
encourage response.
(5) Establish a written data-gathering timetable and stick to it.
(6) Plan on conducting some personal interviews so you can confirm whether the tabulations you are
seeing actually make sense.
(7) Beware of interpreting results based on straight averages.
(8) You don't need a high return quantitatively if you can draw a high-quality response.
(9) When you write the story based on survey response, interpret rather than recite.
(10) Proofread your charts and insist on seeing a final color key.
(11) Don't be guilty of publishing research that has no foundation.
(12) If your industry is hot on consumer research, go for it. The exploitation value will be super!
(13) Variety is the spice of editorial research. You can mix in-depth reports with single-page mini-polls.
(14) Plan on running research results at least monthly in your magazine and on your website.
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Scoring E-News: Eight Factors That Reflect Content Value/Reading Ease
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Over the years during competitive analysis projects, I have developed various scoring systems
designed to assign quantitative values to qualitative content. My favorite system has been a seven-
factor tool used to assess news sections. Factors involved included percent of news pages illustrated,
percent of pages using infographics, story-start ratio, high impact lead story, total end-users quoted
and average Fog Index score for first page items. Maximum score achievable using that system is 22
points. So far, after applying the system to several hundred up-front news sections, the highest score
achieved is 18. The majority of monthly publications reviewed struggled to earn ten points or more.
Having recently engaged in several e-newsletter evaluations, I've begun tinkering with a scoring
system for e-news items highlighted in weekly newsletter content. The system probably will go
through several revisions. Meanwhile, you might try giving this pioneer approach a shot.
- Using your next e-newsletter blurbs as a basis, connect to the first eight-ten news items
highlighted via blurbs. (Note: If your e-newsletter just lists a bunch of headlines and no blurbs,
you're doing something wrong). - Starting with the first news blurb -- which presumably is your most important story -- evaluate
each item using my scoring system or applying one of your own. - Maximum average score achievable per item is 100 points. For the sake of this exercise, let's
assume your most current e-newsletter features ten items. - Begin by evaluating impact. Maximum score achievable is 20 points.
- Next comes evidence of enterprise. This means the article clearly offers much more than a press
release rewrite. For example, the author sought additional information from the original sources
and/or additional sources. Maximum score achievable is 20 points. - Use of direct quotes from your end-user group is worth separate consideration. Each item can
earn a maximum of ten points depending upon how many direct quotes appear. In the recent
study I refer to above, the typical item quoted one person. - What is the Fog Index for each item? Hopefully you are familiar with this useful tool. Maximum
score achievable is ten points. To earn a full score, an item should be written at a grade level
within the 10-12 range. - Another readability factor to consider is the average sentence length (ASL) of each article's first
paragraph. If you are a Fog Index adherent, you are shooting for a 20-word ASL. The study I
just finished involving 67 e-newsletter lead articles suggests that the 20-word goal is not
happening. In that case, only 15 articles managed to hold the line on ASL. Many opening
paragraphs consisted of one long sentence with a word count exceeding 30. If an item's initial
ASL is on the beam, it deserves a maximum score of ten points. - Word count is worth a maximum score of ten points, but the details still need some thought.
Some e-news sections typically will have word counts in the 200-300 range. The lead story
ought to be somewhat longer. Articles that run no longer than 50 words should be lumped into
a "briefs" blurb as opposed to receiving individual focus. Maximum score possible is ten points. - "Lead value" is another factor to consider. Here we are talking about how many words are
wasted before the actual article begins. Items would earn a maximum score of ten points if a
key point was reached within the first ten words. - Link usage ought to be considered. Maximum score possible can be ten points. The key to
earning the maximum is up for grabs. Although links are supposed to be a big deal for website
writing, many articles use very few. There's also the question (to me anyway) of the value of
links found within the article as opposed to a list of related links at the end of the article.
So there you have it -- an eight-factor system where the cumulative score per item is 100 points. An
average score of 80 or higher means you're doing something right. If you use this scoring method,
please be ruthless when evaluating impact and enterprise. So far in my competitive analysis projects,
these are the two factors that make a big difference when editorial strengths and weaknesses are
being compared.
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Three Cheers for E-Newsletter Diversity; More Editors Should Get on Board!
by Howard Rauch, President, Editorial Solutions, Inc.
Editorial Solutions receives and reviews 72 e-newsletters every week. The current goal is to build the
review list to 100. Then go from there! If you've ever edited a newsletter (I have), you think of each
issue as a self-contained package of information. Content is as diverse as space allows. So far in my
e-newsletter reviews, I find several approaches that differ from my view (not surprising).
Some issues totally use e-news blurb as content. Others use a more diverse menu, mixing news with
blogs, contests, webinar and white paper alerts, highlights from hot discussions occurring in forum
sessions. As for the self-contained deal, there's not too much of that. Readers ought to be provided
with some e-newsletter items where it's not necessary to link to another location.
Apparently one leading industrial publication agrees with me. Recently, the editors sent a reader
preference survey to e-newsletter participants. The questionnaire was dynamite! At one point,
readers were asked to express interest in 13 possible content categories. Included: Employment
opportunities, research services/survey data, industry news/key issues, upcoming webcasts and
podcasts, best practices/case studies.
In the matter of e-newsletter format, editors offered the following options: (1) headlines with links to
the articles; (2) short summaries of articles with links to full articles; (3) full articles presented in the e-
newsletter without need to link.
Readers also were queried on preferred e-newsletter frequency. Options ranged from once or twice a
week to more than ten times a week. I wonder how respondents voted on that topic.
Finally, editors posed the very important question: "Out of every four issues received, how many do
you typically read?" This inquiry probably should have gone further to determine whether an individual
reads each entire issue. If that's not the case, what content usually is bypassed?
I've only received one study this thorough to date. More e-newsletter publishers need to follow suit.
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Editorial Solutions, Inc.