School Yearbook Writing
Good yearbook writing can turn an ordinary yearbook into an extraordinary collection of memories.
What Makes Good Yearbook Copy
- Tells all sides of the story.
- Doesn’t include personal opinions.
- Includes quotes from real people.
- Tells people something they don’t already know.
- Provides an interesting angle or approach to the story.
Collecting Information and Interviewing for the Yearbook Story
- The information you collect will depend on the angle you choose for the story. Make sure all of your interview questions support your story angle.
- Interview numerous people so you’ll have plenty of information and quotes to use in the story.
- Before interviewing, gather as much background information as possible.
- During the interview, follow yearbook interviewing best practices.
- Take notes immediately following the interview so that you don’t forget anything.
Writing Effective Yearbook Copy
- Paint an accurate picture of the event with vivid, descriptive language.
- Use clear, concise sentences and short paragraphs.
- Use precise, specific language instead of general descriptors.
- Incorporate quotes to move the story forward.
Writing Yearbook Captions
- Yearbook captions are the most read copy and should be included with every yearbook photo.
- Begin with interesting and engaging words.
- Write concisely.
- Identify all of the people in the photos when there are five or fewer people featured.
- Use complete sentences. Multi-sentence captions add to the information and allow for quotes from people in the photos.
Writing Yearbook Headlines
- Headlines are usually made up of a main headline and a sub headline, with the main headline appearing three times larger than the sub headline.
- The main headline should grab the reader’s attention, while the sub headline should summarize the content on the page. View examples of good headlines and sub headlines.
- Intrigue the reader with a play on words.
- Use present tense and active voice.
- Eliminate unnecessary words.
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