![]() ![]() Go beyond what has happened and tell stories of people affected by a story, but never through a newsy angle. "Always remember that any type of inequality could become a useful base for an ‘Inspire me’ story. This man has saved 12 endangered animal species from extinction.Coronavirus: 5 firms booming despite the lockdown.From poverty to power: top footballers who started with nothing.Is it a personal success story or a solution story? For this user need, it can be something like "How X overcame Y to become Z", "Solving X: the first evidence", "You can contribute too it's not too late to stop X". A good 'Inspire me' headlineĪ good headline indicates to the reader what kind of story they'll find. If it's solutions journalism, useful formats could be a Q&A or interview with someone, a longread, or an evidence-packed listicle. Next, choose a perspective, do the research and start writing! Useful formats for an 'Inspire me' pieceįor a personal success story, the most typical format for an 'Inspire me' piece is a ‘first-person’ feature or a historical story, with lots of personal photographs and details. Are there any proven solutions and evidence of this?.What role can the reader play in all this? What contribution, however small, can they make?.If the news is really bad, is there something you can create to put the event in perspective or a solution that’s worth devoting column inches to? Is there a person who has actually made a difference here?.Who is this news about? Where are they from, is there anything they have overcome?.Getting started with an 'Inspire me' story Keep away from too much factual information, context or motivation. That means that your goal must be to move your audience with this article. Check the comments on your articles are people really sad or disappointed? It may be a good opportunity to show some positivity in a follow-up piece. If the news is about a specific person achieving something, a background piece or interview could be fitting as well. Also, when a topic is especially bleak, it's probably good to highlight some positive aspects of it. If your goal is to reach a younger demographic, 'Inspire me' is a valuable user need for you to explore. ![]() ![]() This works particularly well with a first-person account or a protagonist sharing their tips on how to solve something. ![]() Describe the problem and be honest about it, sure, but make sure you illustrate how there is still some goodness in it too. Mind you, it's not about glossing over or sugarcoating a problem. At its core, the 'Inspire me' user need is all about problem solving. It’s entirely possible to frame at least some news stories so that it leads with something positive and proactive - an uplifting story about the world can be really useful. Time and again research has shown that younger people find it hard to connect with legacy or establishment media because they think that leading with problems all the time gets a bit… well, a bit depressing, frankly. 'Inspire me' is absolutely necessary if you want to connect to younger audiences. Why should you write 'Inspire me' pieces? ‘Inspire me’ stories help audiences think more about their social responsibility, or make them feel proud of or for other people. It’s an approach that subverts the standard way news is reported and published - and as well as being refreshing, when done right should boost engagement in the subject both within the news publication itself, and hopefully in the wider world too. In solutions journalism, the 'Inspire me' need allows journalists to - as the name suggests - lead with a solution to a problem instead of reporting on that problem. These stories show you that there's more possible than you'd think - if they can do it, then maybe you can do it too - or that there are still people fighting the good fight. The 'Inspire me' piece is often a long-form, first person account about a person who has overcome something difficult and persevered, and triumphed even though the odds may have been against them. These articles are meant to leave you with a good feeling - of hope, of inspiration or just the idea that there is still good in the world. In this part, we talk about the user need called 'Inspire me', sharing useful formats, writing tips and - critically - when to use this approach. Check our page and download the whitepaper if you're interested! We did a webinar about the User Needs Model 2.0. We created a new User Need Model in March 2023. ![]()
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