The need for clear and engaging content
Whether it’s informative, inspiring or emotional, we focus on engaging content which connects with our audience. It reinforces EU policy messages by reminding people that progress is possible. It emphasises our mission and work in a positive, outcome-focused way by showing that life- and world-changing results are achievable.
Our audiences expect clear, friendly and concise information. They trust us to provide them with information about the EU’s work, policies and impact in a way that is both accessible and engaging, without losing our authority or watering down the messages we need to convey.
Experts and layman alike appreciate clear and simple language, which has a more positive impact on people as they are more likely to remember and act on the information communicated.
Stories
Storytelling builds connections among people, and between people and ideas. Stories convey the culture, history and values that unite people, so the best way to connect with people is by telling real stories. Our stories should demonstrate the agency of individuals and communities as active participants in the development process – from an individual to global level. Through these stories, we can show how the EU is creating opportunities and improving lives, in a way that people identify with, remember and act upon.
Identifying stories
When identifying stories to share, consider which stories demonstrate the most significant change on individuals or communities. Ask questions to identify what the change is, how it came about, and when it occurred.
Narrative or journalistic approach
- The narrative approach is a classic storytelling format. There is a main character, who has an objective and a challenge to overcome before reaching their destination.
- The journalistic approach is based on a narrative that moves from human stories to illustrate the broader picture of the project and impact.
Format – written, photo, video
Stories can be presented in different formats, according to the material available. Photo stories, video micro-narratives, or classic written stories are all supported formats. The audio-visual material should always be good quality.
Examples
Do
- Be positive - inspire the audience by emphasising positivity and agency of individuals.
- Be human - focus on people and the impact our work has on real lives.
- Be active – use an active voice to create succinct, reader-friendly sentences.
- Be authentic - present a realistic picture of challenges faced.
- Be relevant - capture attention by highlighting shared aspirations.
- Be strategic - tell stories which help convey a broader message.
- Be concise – don’t overload the audience with unnecessary information. Use simple, straightforward sentences.
Don’t
- Sensationalise - don’t suggest that a situation or person is helpless.
- Over-simplify - don’t suggest the story or situation has a single, inevitable conclusion.
- Use jargon - the audience is interested in the story, not the acronyms. If you need to use acronyms, spell them out in the first instance, even if you are sure readers know what they mean.
- Present yourself as a saviour - the hero of the story is the person it focuses on, not the donor or organisation.
Before submitting your story, run through the following checklist:
- Priorities and purpose: Consider whether this story contributes to the wider EU communication priorities and objectives. What is the purpose of the story – what do you want the audience to think, feel or do after reading?
- Clear writing: Write your story in a clear way. Everybody should understand it.
- Personal story: Include quotes from the ‘hero’ and other actors (e.g. teachers, family members, business partners, etc).
- Great photo(s): Strong images (see guidelines on photography) are essential to illustrate a written story or a series as a photo story.
- Minimum 3 photos/video(s) of 1MB minimum
- If possible, one of the photos should be minimum 1920 x 420 pixels for the banner at the top of the page and should also look good as a landscape picture
- Include full captions/descriptions, as well as copyright and credit information, for the photos
- Background information/context: Provide basic information (avoiding jargon) about the EU-funded project the story is linked to, either woven into the body of the story or as a supporting fact box.
- Search engine optimisation: Search engines are the most common way people find content. Imagine what words people might type in to find your story ('keywords') and try to incorporate them in your text in a natural way.
- Accessibility: Our content should be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The photos should have captions and high contrast (a strong difference between dark and light colours). The writing style should be accessible: use lists and a good heading structure.
- Template: Did you use the template for stories? It is important that we present content to our users in a consistent way
Projects and programmes
Projects and programmes show what we do in a certain region and/or country. They provide context and results to show why we are doing it and the impact we have made, illustrated with facts and figures. They are factual yet engaging, providing concrete examples of our work on the ground.
Top tips
- choose a short but clear title
- summarise the body text with a lead which entices the reader to continue
- set out the objectives and results – underlined with powerful quotes from people involved, if available
- use headlines and paragraphs to structure the text
All projects and programmes include a ‘Key information’ box giving information on the total budget, the EU’s contribution, the duration and the implementing organisation.
Before submitting your project or programme make sure you have:
- Checked and verified all statistics and sources to ensure reliability of content
- Included an introduction, project objectives and results expected or achieved
- Included the basic project information: total budget, EU contribution, duration, implementing organisation, funding instrument
- As with stories, cover these points:
- Priorities and purpose: Consider how this project/programme contributes to wider EU communication priorities and objectives and highlight this in the copy.
- Clear writing: Write clearly, avoiding jargon, so that everybody can understand what the project or programme is about.
- Great photo(s): Strong images (see guidelines on photography) are essential to illustrate the programme/project.
- Minimum 3 photos/video(s) of 1MB minimum
- If possible, one of the photos should be minimum 1920 x 420 pixels for the banner at the top of the page and should also look good as a landscape picture
- Include full captions/descriptions, as well as copyright and credit information, for the photos
- Key information: Provide: total budget, the EU’s contribution, duration and implementing organisation(s).
- Search engine optimisation: Search engines are the most common way people find content. Imagine what words people might use to find this project ('keywords') and try to incorporate them in your text in a natural way.
- Accessibility: Our content should be accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. The photos should have captions and high contrast (a strong difference between dark and light colours). The writing style should be accessible: use lists and a good heading structure.
- Template: Did you use the template for projects? It is important that we present content to our users in a consistent way
