Variety is the key with coverage and copy in your yearbook

By this time of the year, you are already deep into the production of your yearbook. For some schools, a healthy portion of the book should already be done.

But almost half the school year is left, which means most staffs still have events to cover and plenty of work left to do. It’s not too late to examine your coverage and writing to make sure it is providing an interesting variety to the reader.

Readers of your yearbook should see all of the following:

Full-length articles

Your feature stories can be written in a variety of ways, including:

• First-person account – written from the point-of-view of the author using the word “I”
• Second-person account – written in a style where the main subject is referred to as “you”
• Third-person account – the most common style, where the writer is the outside observer retelling the story
• Q&A articles

Secondary coverage

These shorter pieces of content focus on one aspect of a story, and add interesting information:

• Sidebars
• Lists
• Infographics (polls, quotes boxes, “fast facts”)

Captions

The copy that accompanies your photos should not just retell what is seen in the image, but add information to make it more meaningful:

• Think of them as short stories.
• Use action verbs.