Writing Tips
Help readers feel more connected to the brand story by creating smart, compelling content. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you write.
Every statistic has a story to tell.
When we use data points and statistics we tend to lean on them too much. Instead, start by telling the story, and then support it with impressive rankings and fast facts.
We succeed when we’re specific.
We have a message and a mission. We stand for something. And we aren’t afraid to tell people exactly what that something is.
Uncover our story.
Enough about the college experience: what about our college experience? What makes us different should come across in both the information we present, and how we present ourselves — our voice, tone and personality.
Don’t bury the lede.
Before we ask our audience to wade deeper into bullet points and blocks of copy, we set things up with a theme or headline. This gives readers a reason to read on.
Three Things to Aim for
1 Tell a story.
Our people live their work and illustrate our mission in diverse and compelling ways. Make them known.
2 Show the difference.
What we do matters. Prove it through the difference our work has made.
3 Be specific.
UC Davis is a school like no other — and we show it in how we talk about ourselves. Use concrete imagery, relatable personalities, and stories with clear beginnings, provocative endings and perfectly deliberate middles.
Three Things to Avoid
1 Touting too many stats.
We have great rankings and superior numbers that other institutions would love to have. But stats are less than 52 percent of the story. We use them as underlines, not headlines.
2 Relying too much on facts.
Information must be accurate, but it needn’t be dry. Before you give the details, give readers a reason to care.
3 Playing it too wide.
We can’t be everything to everybody, and we shouldn’t try to be. Identify your audience early, think about what they need to know, and speak to their passion.
Our Brand Across Our Colleges
Here’s a look at how we might employ our different headline approaches to a tactic as simple and direct as an outdoor billboard.
Here’s a look at how we might add subheadlines to several headline lockups.
Flexing Our Tone by Audiences
Our messages remain constant, but our tone should take into account the intended audience. Here are examples of how that can be accomplished, with guidance for the different aspects of our voice that should come to the fore.
Feeling Good About Your Work: A Checklist
Before a piece of communication leaves your hands, be sure you can answer yes to the following questions, to make sure the voice, tone and message are on point.
Does the piece align attributes with clear benefits, to demonstrate our core value proposition?
Is the tone of voice appropriate for the audience?
Is the writing reasonably conversational and free of jargon?
Does this piece use rankings and statistics as support for the larger story?
Does it speak to the unique experience of UC Davis?
Does it use one of our headline style conventions?