Most marketing is done digitally these days, but there is still value in print … perhaps even more than ever before. If it’s been a while since you’ve written for print — or you’re new to it altogether — there are some nuances you’ll want to keep in mind when crafting your piece. Here are our eight steps to writing a print article. 

 

1. Narrow your topic.

While there’s plenty of leeway when it comes to word counts for blog posts, print is another story. Make sure your topic isn’t too broad to cover in the amount of space you have. If you’re writing for an established publication, check to see how much real estate you have to work with. Some publications (particularly physician/industry newsletters) tend to be more text-heavy while others favor lots of imagery and white space (think Real Simple magazine). If you don’t have any samples to reference or specific direction, aim for about 400 words per page. Pro tip: If you’ll need to get source approvals later on, we suggest writing 25–50 words under count to leave room for additions on the back end.

 

2. Determine what will go on the page(s).

Online articles are typically presented in a vertical fashion with little visual variation throughout except for H2s and bullet points. And this is perfectly functional as readers generally arrive at a web article by search or by clicking a link that brought them there in the first place. In other words, they’re already interested before they start reading. 

With print, on the other hand, your article has just shown up in the mail, on their desk, at a community event, etc. and they need to be convinced it’s worth their time to read it. Not only that, you need to convince them fast, before they have time to flip the page or toss the publication in the trash. 

The more elements you have on the page, the more opportunities your readers have to get hooked into reading your article. So decide how you’ll arrange your information to catch a reader’s eye (Q&As, quizzes and charticles are always solid options). Plan to include a sidebar with bullet points or a chart. (As a rule of thumb, include one sidebar for every one to two pages of print.) Add a stand-alone call to action. Write meaningful captions for photos. 

 

3. Outline your article.

Some writers skip this step, but we recommend outlining for a couple of reasons. One, it helps you avoid the dreaded empty-page syndrome (i.e., writer’s block) when you go to start writing. Two, organizing your thoughts will save you from conducting research on details that have no chance of making it into your article. Of course, you’ll want to be flexible enough to accommodate information and ideas that arise during your research and interviews, but having a framework will allow you to streamline the research process and write interview questions that will keep your conversations focused and efficient. 

 

4. Research, write, interview.

Just as you would with any digital piece of content, now it’s time to conduct research, interview your subject matter expert(s) and write.

It’s generally OK to use a bit more flowery language in print as compared with digital, at least when it comes to consumer copy, since you only need to appeal to human readers and not algorithms. 

As you write, give some thought to how your designer might depict your article visually. What do we mean by that? For straightforward articles, the artwork and design motif might be obvious. A patient success story, for example, likely will feature the patient with her physician or doing something she enjoys. But for stories that don’t lend themselves to natural artwork, it can help to create a thread that runs throughout the story to help illustrate your message. As an example, we might talk about being on a path to good health and include subheads with metaphorical references to roadblocks or forks in the road. This opens up options for your designer to explore when searching for imagery to go with the article.

 

5. Write a winning headline.

Engaging display type (headlines and subheads) is essential in print. Remember, its job is to pull readers into the article. But you won’t have much space to do it. Long titles are great for blog posts but shorter titles allow for more flexibility in print layouts. The good news is that you don’t need to concern yourself with working in any keywords, so the possibilities are virtually endless. 

 

6. Lose the links.

We’ve gotten so used to Ctrl + K-ing over the years that we sometimes forget and include hot links in our print article drafts. Since you can’t link to your source material for things like statistics, you’ll need to write out the source — study name, date, sponsor, etc. — either within your copy or as a footnote to your article. 

And even though you can’t link to your website in print, it is important to include a call to action directing readers where to go for additional information, to make an appointment, to like you on social media, etc. Work with IT or generate a short URL so readers don’t have to type super-long links into their browser (trust us, they won’t do it). 

 

7. Send out for reviews.

Even if you didn’t conduct an interview for your article, chances are you’ll need to run it by a subject matter expert and/or a higher-up before it goes to print. You know your organization best, so be sure to send for all necessary approvals, including legal. 

 

8. Proofread, proofread, proofread.

We always recommend rereading your work before sending copy on to design. But you’ll want to give your print article another good read post-layout, too. And this time, in addition to reading it over yourself, we highly suggest adding a professional proofreader to the mix. Believe us when we say this step will save you money, embarrassment and even potential legal trouble in the long run!

 

Print article writing checklist

Writing for print requires a bit more forethought than writing for the web, but the results are oh so worth it. Craft a print article by following these steps:

• Narrow down your topic to make the most of your word count.
• Think about page layout and identify potential sidebars, calls to action and other visual content.
• Create an outline that includes all of the above.
• Conduct research and interview your subject matter expert(s).
• Write your draft.
• Dress up your copy with an eye-catching headline and subheads.
• Tell readers where they can find more information online.
• Get approval from your SME and anyone else who needs to review.
• Bring in a professional proofreader to ensure no errors make it to print.