What is an informational text
Informational text - is an article written in the third person, where the author does not express his own point of view, but presents information based on verified facts. By reading it, the reader should get specific information on the issue of interest. The title of such material must reflect the essence of the article (for example, "How to choose sneakers").
Requirements for the information material
The volume of such a text usually exceeds 2000 characters, since it is difficult to disclose the issue in a smaller number. The optimal size is 3000-5000 characters, where there is no room for lyrics and empty sentences. The text should solve the person's problem, or provide instructions on how to do it.
Types of informational text
Articles are divided into several types:
- "Helpful tips" - they describe specific actions or steps for selecting and operating a particular product.
- Descriptive - consisting of a detailed description of the product and tell about its qualities and characteristics.
- Advertising and informational - texts, where the first or last paragraph indicates the site of the company, which can purchase the product or service described.
- Test-drives - listing the features of using the product and comparing it with peers. Such articles are large-scale, exceeding 7,000 characters.
There are also tutorials, manuals, reviews, ratings and analysis.
Structure of an informative article
The text must meet the following criteria:
- authenticity and truthfulness;
- clear presentation in accessible language;
- clear structure;
- ease of perception of information;
- benefit in every sentence;
- availability of examples.
The author's emotions and humor are unacceptable in an informational text. It is better to concentrate on the content, the description of the tips and valuable advice. It is not recommended to use marketing clichés such as "proven manufacturer" or "unsurpassed quality.
How to write an informative article
The creation of quality material consists of several steps. Each step should be approached responsibly, otherwise it will affect the final result.
Defining the target audience
A thorough analysis of CA will make the text useful and meaningful to the people it is intended for. It is better to introduce yourself to the reader and answer the questions he or she is interested in. You can seek information on social networks, communities, and thematic forums to learn about the issues people care about. Ideally, if the author has acquaintances from the target audience, you can get the necessary information from them.
The outline of an informative article
After analyzing the CA, you can begin to make a plan for the future article. For example, if the text is about a disease, the plan might look like this:
- General information about the disease.
- Main symptoms.
- Causes causing the disease.
- Prediction.
- Recommended treatment.
- Preventive measures.
Subheadings should be connected logically and correspond to the theme. Now you can write a draft of the future text.
Coming up with a headline
Many authors create it after writing a text, as it is easier to summarize the material. There is no universal solution, because each author is unique. The main thing to remember is that it should be catchy, compact, and fully disclose the essence.
Remember! Do not put a period after the title. An exclamation point or question mark is allowed, although it is better not to do so.
Formatting text
After writing a draft, the material should be formatted to make it easier for the reader to understand. This includes subheadings, headings, paragraphs, bolding, numbered or bulleted lists. Attention blocks should also be created to focus the reader on the information. They look in the form of footnotes: "Note", "Tip", "Useful".
To make the material readable, it is diluted with numbers, interesting facts, or illustrative material. Large blocks and sentences tire the eye, so they are better made up of five or seven sentences. Long and short paragraphs should alternate, so the text looks more attractive. The most valuable information should be in short paragraphs, so the reader is more likely to find it and he will be motivated to read the article. Excerpts from documents are made in the form of a quotation. They are combined with a background image, which perfectly complements the text.
Performing fact-checking
This is a thorough verification of the facts described. It is done to minimize the risk of inaccurate information. Speculation, fakes, and rumors have no place in an informational article. Accurate data is taken from primary sources. Professional terms are checked with special dictionaries to accurately represent their meaning. If possible, scientific publications and specialized media are studied. Pictures need to be verified as well. There must be no traces of photoshop and watermarks.
Read the text
An obligatory activity aimed at correcting errors, removing tautology, and simplifying complex sentences. It is better to make proofreading after a couple of hours or the next day. It is recommended to read the article aloud, so it is easier to detect stylistic errors and duplicate phrases.
It is necessary to check the endings, punctuation, correct hyphenation, and absence of extra spaces. Complex sentences are simplified. If possible, exclude participles and adjective clauses, as they complicate the reading. Any words without which the material will not lose its meaning should be removed. The text will become shorter, the concentration of useful information will increase, and the amount of "water" will decrease. This also applies to stop words. They interfere with reading, making the article "viscous".
Conclusion
News articles should be concise, informative, useful, and solve readers' problems. They should answer users' questions and present information in an easy and interesting way. They should provide as much useful information as possible with as little text as possible.