Stretch Your Story

Digital media has changed the way we create and communicate stories to one another. From Snapchat blips to WordPress blogs, content creators need to conform their message to the stipulations of the platform. Natively, shorter more impactful content has been shown to perform better with audiences. Although long-form pieces have been regaining their popularity and effectiveness, not every reader will want to dedicate the time to mull through a 1,500+ word article.

So how do we get our content in front of interested audiences without sacrificing important points? Well, you’ve simply got to stretch your story. When I say stretch your story, I don’t mean make it longer. I mean make it flexible.

To do this, think about the main points that your story is trying to get across and whittle your long-form piece down to the bare bones. What are you trying to say? Who is your audience? Where can they learn more? How is this important? From there identify where your story is going to live. This will determine how you will pitch your story to editors or how you will promote it on social media.

This week, I took one of my own long-form pieces and stretched it to fit in 6 different formats: 300 words, 150 words, 50 words, a Facebook post, a Twitter post, and an Instagram post. When looking at the below, you will see how I’ve pared down information to make it relevant, interesting, and a high-level view of what is discussed in the actual article. Note that for the social media posts I’ve included hashtags, appropriate character length, and language used on the platform (using phrases like “link in bio”). Each version is a standalone piece that can successfully communicate subject, tone, goals, and point of view.

Stay tuned for the full long-form article later this month.

The Long and Short of It

300 WORDS

Before the days of women’s suffrage and the recognition that women were in fact, not property, the female body was not studied with the same intensity as the male counterpart. This left women to deal with whatever cards they were dealt, and hope that they didn’t drop dead. Up until the 1950s, “wastebasket diagnoses” like hysteria, which attributed a female patient’s illness to the very fact that she had a uterus.

From hormonal breakouts to intense chronic pain, women experience a whole gamut of ailments. While some symptoms can be traced back to identified causes like menstruation, we as a human race have just begun scratching at the surface of female healthcare. But why has it taken so long for us to uncover so little?

The answer to that question is complex. While we have undeniably made progress in the last 100 years, female healthcare has been a point of contention for centuries. Excluded from key clinical drug trials until 1993, the female body was considered to be an unfit test subject, leading to a lapse of effective treatments. There are also a large number of unique issues that prevent specialized medicine and procedures to be normalized, with the root of many of them being insufficient sexual education.

Today, only 17 states and DC require that public schools’ sexual and HIV education classes be medically accurate. Only 34% of America’s student population is receiving accurate information regarding this crucial subject. Without a proper foundation of sexual education, society will believe misconceptions and biased viewpoints regarding how women biologically function and judge how they choose to lead their personal lives.

Through the experiences of many, the #MeToo movement is helping to stress the importance of sexual education, the advancement of female health, and ensuring conscientious doctors.

150 WORDS

While we have undeniably made progress in the last 100 years, we as a human race have just begun scratching at the surface of female healthcare. While some symptoms can be traced back to identified causes like menstruation, there’s a lot we don’t know. A number of unique issues prevent the advancement of specialized medicine and procedures, with the root of many of them being insufficient sexual education.

Today, only 17 states and DC require that public schools’ sexual and HIV education classes be medically accurate. Without a proper foundation of sexual education, society will believe misconceptions and biased viewpoints regarding how women biologically function and judge how they choose to lead their personal lives.

Through the experiences of many, the #MeToo movement is helping to stress the importance of sexual education, the advancement of female health, and ensuring conscientious doctors.

50 WORDS

Today, only 34% of America’s student population receives medically accurate sexual education. Through the experiences of many, the #MeToo movement is helping stress the importance of sexual education, the advancement of female health, and ensuring conscientious doctors.

FACEBOOK POST

Insufficient sexual education has contributed to our meager development in understanding the female body. Effecting society, healthcare, and legislation, here’s how #MeToo is ensuring the advancement of the health and well-being of American women.

TWITTER POST

Insufficient #SexEd is making American women sicker, with only 34% of our country receiving medically-accurate information. Here is what #MeToo is doing to change that. #FemaleHealth #GirlPower

INSTAGRAM POST

Only 34% of our country’s student population is receiving medically-accurate information in their #SexEd classes. Contributing to the meager development of #FemaleHealth, insufficient sexual education has lead to the spread of misconceptions about the female body & biased viewpoints about how women should lead their personal lives.

Check out the link in our bio to learn how the #MeToo movement is ensuring the advancement of the health & well-being of American women. #GirlPower