December Tweets Identify Most Common E-News Flaws
Halfway through my 8th annual B2B e-news study, common basic editing flaws have clearly revealed themselves. Of 250 articles scored, 89 reflect various headline-deck misfires. Another 92 exceed Fog Index limits; 76 are burdened by run-on opening sentences. Specific oversights are described in this extra long report. As I begin the second half of my study—I will ultimately examine 50 B2B e-news sites—the editing effort uncovered is no better so far. Of 40 articles examined, 30 received low ratings for enterprise; 15 had high Fog Index scores.
My study’s scoring system favors enterprise-reporting presence (ERP). New to the study this year is an ERP calculation that shows the percentage of articles reflecting enterprise. Target score established is 60.0%. Of the 25 sites examined to date, 19 managed scores no higher than 39.0%. A more detailed assessment of these results will appear shortly. Meanwhile, this month’s Twitter summary offers an idea-provoking list of editorial challenges.
B2B publishers mapping 2020 editorial strategy must consider that enterprise reporting superiority is up for grabs. Existing widespread shortfall is clearly confirmed via early scoring results from my 8th annual e-news study.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 31, 2019
Any B2B e-news site unable to quote a single source in most articles posted is sure to be crushed during competitive analysis reviews. Yet such sites manage to survive disaster, especially if opposition is equally at fault..
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 26, 2019
In their rush to fill e-news quotas with mildly-edited PR announcements, many editors ignore better stories that may be suggested by the rewritten stuff. Alert competitors can take advantage of these lapses when time allows.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 24, 2019
Are B2B e-news sites clearly needing editorial upgrade sufficiently funded to get the job done? I’ve launched a poll seeking clarification. End-user input definitely could be better. Comments welcome: editsol1@optimum.net.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 23, 2019
At half-time point in my annual 50-site B2B e-news study, enterprise presence is unimpressive. But realistically reasoning, are editorial staffs sufficiently budgeted to go the extra mile necessary to upgrade e-news delivery???
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 20, 2019
Of 250 articles viewed so far for annual B2B e-news study, 76 were docked due to source first/news later intros. Worst snafus occurred in post-show article opening sentences. Some took over 50 words before reaching key story point.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 18, 2019
Almost completed analyzing #25 of my 50-site B2B e-news study. Half-time report will be available later this week. Foggy writing still eludes editing scythe. Of 250 articles reviewed, at least 90 need serious sentence deflation.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 17, 2019
Coming later today — Eight Ways to Upgrade Your E-mail — Many B2B sites would be pushovers in any competitive match-up. These suggestions describe necessary improvements that continue to be ignored.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 13, 2019
B2B e-news editors should make more extensive use of informative embedded links. Too many sites settle for one link per article. Consumer mags have a much higher link usage target — sometimes exceeding ten per article.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 10, 2019
Have you tried yet to calculate your e-news enterprise presence? Of 22 sites analyzed so far for my 8th annual e-news study, #21 will be tough to beat via 70.4% rating. Target EP score is at least 60% of articles posted.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 9, 2019
For those who have in-house story-of-month contests, one of my clients narrowed the rules to cover just “blockbuster” entries. Rules were established in terms of article length and importance of including several end-user quotes.
— Howard Rauch (@fogindex8) December 6, 2019