Business games, practical analysis, and creative discussions at Oleg Dmitriev's master class

On March 9, Oleg Dmitriev, creative director of the "International News Production" track of the "Modern Journalism" Master's Programme, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Media at HSE, the Advisor of the Media Group "Rossiya Segodnya", Candidate of Philological Sciences, conducted a master-class on "The Art of Copywriting: How to Create Popular Texts and Interesting Headlines".

© Ekaterina Peskova for the Media Institute

 

Students had a fascinating time with discussions, games, and parsing texts. We selected some valuable tips that Oleg Arkadyevich shared with future journalists. 

        1. The text should start with the main information - the top line. 

We are spoiled by Russian education in a good way, where we were taught to write an introduction, the main part, and then the conclusion. This is not the case here. In order to hook the reader with the text and the title, it is necessary to start with the main information. The peculiarity is that the information is remembered in portions. The breakdown by paragraphs or allocation of bullet points works very well. 

        2. It is important to be able to tell a story in your writing. 

It is the story that helps make the text successful. Having a certain theme, engaging facts, and details is the essence of modern media. The reader sees that a dialogue is being built with them. 

        3. Learn to admit mistakes! 

If you make a mistake, either admit it or apologise. Learn how to do this. Do not be afraid of mistakes. It may happen that you will be noticed and remembered because of it. 

        4. Keep it simple. 

Readers like to be told simply about the complex. An example of this is the success of the Galileo programme. Material written in simple and clear language will always be in demand. 

       5. Who are you writing for? 

The question of the target audience is very important. Always ask yourself who you are writing for. Imagine yourself in the reader's shoes. Nothing we write should be at odds with human perception. 

       6. No value judgements. 

Avoid emotional colouring of your text. Allow the reader to draw his or her own conclusion. 

       7. The pyramid has turned into a trapeze.

The news text is built according to the principle of an inverted pyramid (the most important thing is at the beginning, then the details). However, the media has moved on, and you can cut off part of the pyramid at any time and turn it into a trapeze. You can write a short story or a more detailed one. 

       8. 5 W and 1 H is the structure of any story. 

The first sentence in the text will be the main idea, followed by 5 W's and 1 H. These are the English question words: What?, Where?, When?, Who?, Which?, How? Each of these questions must be answered with attention to cause and effect. The sequence of events cannot be broken. 

       9. Topic and angle. 

You must distinguish between topic and pitch angle. The topic is what you are writing about. The angle is the question you are responding to in your piece. Pay attention to this.

Attention: Open enrolment in Oleg Dmitriev's course, The Art of Copywriting: How to Create Popular Texts and Interesting Headlines. Starts on May 24, 2023. 

Read the details and apply for the course here.

Author: Yanina Drankeevich, a first-year student of Master's programme "Contemporary Journalism" 

Translation: Polina Semenova, a first-year student of Master's programme "Contemporary Journalism"