Elka Olsen Carroll: Creative Director, Copy

Long copy format should be written and designed intentionally and conceptually, so a reader understands the content whether they read every word or just skim the headlines.

When I coach writers, I encourage them to think visually and ask these questions: 1. “How can I use headlines to tell a story for the skimmer who only reads the headlines?” 2. “How can I use pull quotes to humanize our brand and give credibility?” 3. “What is our call to action and our path to purchase? Are we making the ask too complicated?” 4. “How can we layer in interesting subheads and walkout lines?” 5. “Can you deliver information in sidebars, bullets, and graphic concepts that the art director can play with that will help break up the content for the reader?”

Copy/visual elements I’ve added to our long format copy are standalone graphics that can be repurposed in social or across other content. For example, take a look at the truck rerouting graphic and the IoT truck. Those are the types of visual concepts that give the design group something to illustrate, helping tell a faster story for our readers.