Overview to article creation

Here we provide a general overview of the article creation process:

1. Plan your article
   Think before you write! Devise your article into 3+ sections against a clear purpose and make sure it would benefit the reader in some way.

2. Adopt a neutral perspective
   Remind yourself of who the reader is, our preferred tone to engage with them, and what they likely know or don’t know.

3. Title
   Set the scene and begin with what’s most important – don’t assume prior knowledge or spin a complex narrative from the outset.

4. Subtitle
   Creative subtitles complement the title and set the scene

5. Summary
   Summaries are easier to write once the article is complete, because you’ll have an idea of the article scope. However, summaries should be original, not duplicate existing article text.

6. Article

   • Introduction
     Begin with what’s most important

   • Body text sections
     Write your article across multiple sections.

   • Make the most of formatting options: links, bulleted/ordered lists.

   • Embed images in the text – bring your text to life!

   • Make sure your headings are clear, not abstract. Readers skimming your article need to know what’s what.

   • Ask yourself if the reader needs to know something, and whether they have enough information to make an informed decision to (a) visit, (b) purchase etc.

   • Outgoing statement
     Craft a natural ending without ending abruptly. Insure interested readers know what to do next for more information.

• Photo caption check
  Every photo benefits from a descriptive caption and is important for accessibility

• Keyword check
  Make sure your article uses appropriate keywords and keyword phrases for your topic matter. Ensure these are used in section headings where possible.

• Review
  Proofread your article

• Links
  Find ~5 links on Japan Travel that would be appropriate to link to and add them in – the more specific the better and added as an in-line link – never use “click here”.

Last modified on Aug 17, 2020