Let’s get to know the platform KSL NewsRadio uses to publish on KSLNewsRadio.com.
First, you’ll need a login to the back page of WordPress. If you don’t have one, Kira Hoffelmeyer or Becky Bruce can help you out.
Your login credentials will be your KSL company email. Kira or Becky will preset a password for you that you must change. If you forget it, you can always get it reset.
Here’s the first page you will see is the dashboard. Color and setup will vary based on user preferences.
To start a new article, you’ll need to drop down the “Posts” menu on the left.
From there, hit add new. This is what you’ll get.
Now go ahead and write with the goal of getting down at least 300 words for SEO optimization.
In longer stories, you can make your article more easily found when someone searches by using SEO. One of the easiest ways to do that is by adding subheadings.
Heading 2 is the best option for SEO purposes.
If you don’t know what hyperlinks are, they’re when this happens. (If you click that, Wikipedia will tell you what a hyperlink literally is.)
All you have to do is highlight a word or phrase you want to link… and then either hit the hyperlink function or hit Ctrl K (PC) or ⌘K (Mac).
Then you just copy the URL you’re linking to in the space and hit the enter button.
On the right side of your article, there should be a field titled “Featured image.”
Select that, and search for a photo.
Add alt text for SEO optimization and a detailed caption with a photo credit.
If you have a photo that you want to upload to WordPress, follow the video below.
You can also embed photos inside your article with a similar approach.
In food, you eat with your eyes first, and when it comes to information on the internet, the same is true.
]In many ways, a good photo is more important than an attention-grabbing headline when a person is scrolling through their social media feeds. So pick and take good and thoughtful images that convey what the story is about.
We need to ensure that all of our images are properly sourced and attributed. We don’t want to be stealing anyone’s intellectual property.
When searching for images that are safe to use, consider KSL.com, KSLTV.com, Deseret.com, AP, CNN, and Getty Images.
Do *NOT* use Creative Commons images.
If you aren’t sure, ask. Make sure if you’re pulling images from any one of our news partners, you check the usage guides on AP and CNN, as well as on KSL.com and KSLTV.com. We have a great collection of images to use already uploaded to WordPress, you can also search there as well.
If you are searching our own site for a file photo to use and it DOES NOT include information about who took it, who’s in it, where it is and when it happened, don’t use that photo.
Once you’ve selected your image, click “edit image,” then “crop.”
You’ll want to crop the image to the dimension ratio 16:9, then click “crop” again to save the adjustment. This ensures the photos all show up appropriately on the front page.
Include identities of people in the photo, if known. If not, write “unidentified.”
Example: John Smith arrives at the courthouse in downtown Mapleton on Wednesday afternoon with his daughter Amy and an unidentified person.
Include the location where the photo was taken. Example: …at the courthouse in downtown Mapleton.
Include when the photo was taken: Example: A”pril 6, 2022″, or “Wednesday afternoon.”
Give some context to the cutline. Example: Smith is facing charges of trespassing.
Always include the name of the photographer/photographer’s news agency/if necessary, file photo. Example: Photo: Sammy Smith/Boston Globe/File
There are two ways to add videos to an article.
One: You can have a video in place of a featured image. This can happen when you add an embed code to the “featured video” portion in the backend of WordPress.
If the video is within the article, then its embed code was placed in the “text” portion of the script.
Now it’s time to pick your categories. If you don’t pick one, then it’ll be published, but it won’t show up on the homepage or be accessible by any other way than a direct link.
The first one you pick becomes your primary category. You can manually override that when you select another category. Don’t select more than 2-3 categories.
An excerpt is part of a storytelling package, along with your headline and photo. It should stand independently from the headline but add to it to entice readers to click on your article.
The excerpt is also something taken into consideration for SEO. Make sure to include your search phrase in the excerpt and pay attention to the length of the excerpt. It can’t be over 156 characters but needs to be over 120. Think of it like a tweet! (Well, the original tweet length.)
If you started the article, you’re automatically the author of it. But maybe you’re writing it for someone else, or it’s an AP or CNN article. You can change the actual author (preferred) or you can put in a manual byline to override the author.
If you don’t change the author, and instead opt for the manual byline, know that someone’s title or website could still show up, even if you change the name.
It will just look a little funny to see someone from the Associated Press or CNN with KSL NewsRadio underneath their name. Instead, opt for changing the author portion to a more appropriate author, like Associated Press.
Yoast SEO is used to tell you how well optimized your article is for searching purposes and Google references. The greener the better! It also gives you a “Readability” rating. It identifies things like passive voice use, and long, complex sentences.
You can preview your article before you publish it. Near the same area where the publish button is, there’s also a preview button. It’ll show you exactly what your article will look like to a reader. It’s very helpful when you’ve embedded videos or photos within the article text.
You can also check to see if the work has been plagiarized, by hitting ‘Copyscape Check.’ There is a cost associated with this feature of WordPress. If you feel there’s a reason to run it when you are editing for somebody else, let your digital manager know and they can walk you through it.
Clarity and consistency count. And that’s why news media sites just about everywhere use style guides, mainly the Associated Press Stylebook.
Rather than read the AP Stylebook cover to cover, let’s hit the Top 10 Most Important Things to Remember About AP Style.