Tag: content

Take a walk on the dark side for the British Guild of Tourist Guides blog

When Dark Chester first launched, I write a guest blog post for the British Guild of Tourist Guides (BGTG) to explain my ideas behind the tour [pictured above in Chester].

Here’s an extract:

I wanted to compile a 90-minute dark-tourism tour, exploring some of the favourite folk tales, legends and superstitions that have fascinated Cestrians, that’s the people of Chester, for centuries. I also wanted to let visitors peer behind the visitor-friendly façade of some of our best- known attractions to uncover the darker and lesser-known stories of the macabre.

But don’t worry. The Dark Chester tour is no jump-scares pantomime, nor is it a dry, academic lecture.

It’s an atmospheric evening walk, mixing a dash of Horrible Histories with some League of Gentlemen-style dark humour.

Read the full blog post via the BGTG blog.

Liked this? Then read Dark Chester collaborates with My Haunted Hotel.

Media masterclass: How to tell a story and engage your readers

I’m running a new online course from March 1st in collaboration with Journalism.co.uk.

We will cover how to tell a story and the importance of human interest to that.

We will also look at the importance of knowing your reader and work on drafting a sample feature for you to pitch — to ultimately sell and make money.

This course will be taught online to keep it flexible for working media specialists and student journalists currently based at home.

If you’re looking to refresh existing skills, or develop some new ones as a freelancer, this how-to course, based on my insider tips from 20 years as a working journalist, could be the new-year resolution you were looking for.

You can find out more about the course by reading my guest blog for the site, in which my key point is:

Journalism is complex but the secret to good storytelling remains simple: engage your reader.

Read the full post here.

And sign up for the course: How to tell a story and engage readers.

Read my latest newsletter for a quick catch-up on my media and travel projects

Travel has been off the agenda for the last few months.

But I’ve still been working and planning, combining journalism projects, media training and tours.

For the quick catch-up, read my latest newsletter.

Please post your comments below and feel free to share with you network. Thanks.

How to make a content job read like editorial

I would like to think I have the words for any subject.

That is, after all, the nature of life as a jobbing freelance writer.

So, when I recently found myself at Helsby High School [pictured above], talking about the surface of their sports floor, I didn’t bat an eyelid.

It was a copywriting job for a Cheshire-based company and I was there to bring more of an editorial flavour to the content for the website.

The answer? A case study-style piece based round a series of sub headings. The story needed a clear format and lots of direct speech to play up the human interest of the story.

Here’s a flavour of the final copy:

When Helsby High School, Cheshire, wanted a dual-use, versatile space for sports and community events, Sports Surfaces (UK) had the solution.

The new floor has a minimum lifespan of 15 years and is much easier, as well as cheaper, to maintain. More importantly, it has had a transformative effect on the school.

There are the health benefits to students of greater physical activity, plus increased engagement with community events, raising revenue for the school in the process.

“We have seen how both staff and students feel more confident with less likelihood of injury,” explains Helsby Facilities Manager Howard Woodfine.

“And we now have more enquiries from outside clubs, like touch rugby and cricket.”