Creating Your Content: Tips and Tricks for Cohesive Storytelling

Here at UUS, we have an incredible number of groups, teams, and individuals working together to better our earth, community, and each other. Creating updates on your activities is important to keep the UUS community informed about what you’re doing! While the monthly UUS Newsletter is a great format for periodic updates, the UUS Blog is the best way to share your updates with the community whenever and however you’d like. No more waiting for a deadline; share away!

Let’s dig into the details of a blog post’s 3 most important components: Written Content, Visuals, and Content Planning and Scheduling! 

Written Content

The meat and potatoes of your blog post are your words. Whatever your writing style, utilize the stages of writing and editing to paint a picture for the audience. Structure your content to flow from one topic to the next, incorporating the feelings of the day and other personal elements. For example, if you’re writing an article about an upcoming event, don’t only discuss the details (time, location, etc.) Include elements of the “why?”

When you’ve written a statement you’re happy with, take some time to make thoughtful edits so that your meaning is crystal clear and direct. This is also a great time to check for typos, misspelled names, and other small errors. UUS staff don’t have time to edit blog submissions thoroughly, so checking your work is a good idea. However, mistakes happen and that’s alright! We’re human!

Visuals

Now that you have your written content done, let’s think about how visuals (photos, graphics, posters, etc.) will enhance your blog post.

Sometimes called a Hero Image, Banner, or Feature Image, the image at the top is what will be displayed the most prominently. This is what will display if you share the link in places like social media. Photos call for attention so pick an image that captures the essence of your post. Action shots of volunteers working, group photos with happy faces, or poignant images of a significant location are great options for that top image.

Additional photos are welcome and recommended! The photos you choose will help add context to your post and enhance the storytelling. If you have a few extra photos, include them when you’re uploading your blog post content. Add them to the body of the text or keep them as a gallery at the end of your post, both options are fine. In a previous blog post called “Let’s Embrace Photo Moments in 2024,” we have an FAQ section addressing common questions regarding kids in photos, whether a post should be polished, and we provide some examples for you to consider.

Content Planning/Scheduling

Maybe the most critical point of creating your post is 1. when you CREATE your content and 2. when you SUBMIT your post to the UUS staff. Capture the fresh memories, feelings, and thoughts, and don’t wait too long after an event or gathering to create your post! If your post is in anticipation of your topic or event, create that content as soon as details are available so your blog post can be circulated in the UUS community and social media channels. 

As a reminder, there are a lot of great things going on at UUS at any given time. It is important to remember that UUS staff will have limited time to spend on any one event so bringing a complete post with all your wanted materials like graphics, posters, and written content is extremely helpful!

The great thing about the UUS blog is that it is available to you regardless of timelines, deadlines, or seasons. If you want to share something, submit it! We hope that you consider these three points of blog creation when you create your content. You can always email communications@uusic.org if you ever have any questions about the blog or what to submit!