Never forget that your audience probably doesn't give a sh????t about economics
Don’t forget: you’re creating your content for people who feel confused or disempowered by, or simply don't identify with economics.
We've already called our site Economy - that's more than enough to make the point that we're talking about the economy. So try to figure out a way to approach your subject that doesn't rely on that word all the time. What are you actually talking about?
So what kind of tone are we going for?
Straightforward – we love the Einstein quote: "If you can't explain it simply, you don't understand it well enough."
Playful – we don't think economics has to be boring. We want to knock it off its perch a little.
Friendly – we're excited about what economics could be if we changed the way we talked about it, and want to share that with our audience just like we would with our friends.
Inquisitive – we love asking questions – especially about the assumptions that people have about things. We want to encourage our audience to do the same.
Ten golden rules when making content for us
1. Keep your language friendly, conversational, accessible.
2. Make sure your piece has a central point or idea and stick to it.
3. Work out a structure that lets every point logically flow on from the next. Give the audience some breathing space – via gifs, subheadings, pictures, graphics – whatever works!
4. Don't repeat yourself. Once you've made a point, there's no need to keep making it!
5. If it's appropriate, crack a joke here and there.
6. Don't make assumptions or value judgements, i.e. don't say something is 'bad news' without acknowledging that it's your personal opinion. If you're going to, say who it's 'bad news' for, and why.
7. Don't tell people what to think: let them view your content and make up their own minds.
8. Ask questions, and try to get the audience to do the same.
9. Source as wide a range of perspectives as possible – think about who else is affected by your topic, and feature their voices as much as you can.
10. Don't forget our audience! We know we've said this before, but we can't say it enough.
For all the fiddly details on how to produce content for us, here's our Editorial Style Guide.
That's it! You're now ready to take on the challenge of making economics interesting, accessible, and relevant to everyone. Good luck!
