Are guidelines timeless for attracting farm readers? By Jim Evans (First in a series on building readership)             As any classic book, novel or screenplay shows us, great writing is timeless. In some cases, it even gets better with time, like wine. Great writing is grounded on principles that work, can be clearly identified and set the pace for the entire field.                   What agricultural editing principles do you follow? What principles guide you when you plan articles, write and edit copy, choose visuals and lay out issues for farm readers?  For example: How do you design eye-catching covers that draw farm readers into the issue? How do you choose topics that attract keen reader interest? How do you organize and write your raw material for top readership? What principles do you use for writing effective headlines? How do you choose and use photographs and other visuals? Some timeless guidelines for measuring your copy?             Forty-five years ago, Donald R. Murphy, then editor of Wallaces Farmer (a state farm paper in Iowa), wrote a book, What farmers read and like. It became a valued resource – in fact, it was the “go to” publication -- for agricultural reporters, editors, advertisers and others. They found it concise, readable and interesting.             It captured insights from more than 20 years of readership surveys and experiments (1938-1961) among farm men and women of two Midwest states.  These studies analyzed editorial and advertising content.  They involved several research methods:  readership analyses, opinion and reader-interest surveys, and split-run experiments.               During those years of research, Murphy identified patterns that led to this book-length summary of farm readers' response to editorial and advertising copy.             Here are some of the key principles found for encouraging readership. How do they match your experience today?  Which seem relevant? Obsolete?             Covers that attract readers Use a timely theme for picture, head and copy. A strong headline, 42-point or bigger, seems desirable to emphasize the cover theme. The caption should be handled like a short article - use large type and enough detail to emphasize the theme. Change the cover style from issue to issue to make sure that the reader knows it’s fresh copy.              Subjects that appeal Hit hard on the major interests of your audience.  But try new material and new angles.  Make the material timely, fresh and loaded with human interest. Keep checking on the interests of readers.  For information on some points, you have to dig, use opinion polls and pre-tests of subject matter. Don't forget minorities. In a hog state, you can't give as much space to sheep as to hogs, but sheep still are entitled to some attention. Farm people are human.  Articles on family problems score well.              Headlines that pull in readers The good head should have plenty of white space around it.  The jammed up head suffers. The old two-line deck doesn't seem to have much value.  Try more lead-ins. Put a label on the story.  Is it about hogs, or dairy cattle, or fertilizer, or what? After labeling the story, try to get some color into the rest of the head.  Quotes can have value. Don't use words that the reader can't understand.  Technical language will not get across. If you want to attract a minority group - tobacco growers, honey producers, maple sugar makers - a head so labeled is useful in pulling them in.  But it may repel the rest of your audience.  Know what you are likely to gain and lose.             Does extra color help? A head printed in color won't raise the readership score. A head in reverse (white letters on color background) will not raise the score and may actually lower it. A head using black overprint on color may work once in a while. Color on a department headline, used on a spread without other color, may do some good. Decorative art work in color doesn't usually work. Functional color - such as red hog, actual color of farm machine - doesn't seem to make a difference. An overprint of black type on yellow may do some good. Color may pull in a few readers who are indifferent to the theme of the copy. A second color is a long shot.  If used, try it on a section of the book where color is scarce.             What kind of visuals? Have the person photographed doing something that makes sense in terms of the region where the copy is read. Men look at pictures of men, and women look at pictures of women. The photograph usually wins over the cartoon and drawing.  Whenever possible, it is better to use photographs rather than sketches to illustrate an article. Use pictures of farm men and farm women in working clothes occupied in farm and household chores. A big picture is worth three small ones. Every picture used should be identified. Farmers aren't always farming.  Human interest pictures of farm families at play, on vacation, at the fair, give variety. Never line up the officers of an organization in a row and take their pictures.             More experiments in readership It pays to check back once in a while and see if your articles on a particular subject are scoring as well as they did last year, five years ago, 10 years ago. The more farm people you interview and photograph to build up experience articles, the more it costs.  We think it pays, but it is hard to get adequate evidence. Personalized copy - details about Jim Smith - probably go over a little better than copy without quotes and case histories.  But remember that the hero of every article should be the reader, who should say, "This fits my case." Putting a rule around a box sometimes hurts and sometimes makes no difference.  The important point here is that a box almost never scores as high as a photograph. An advertisement that runs next to a good article is likely to benefit.  But when readership is high and continuous throughout the magazine, an ad anyplace will get readership in accordance with its merits.             Great dangers in editing Doing this year exactly what you did last year and failing to test new ideas. Imitating some drastic change made by a contemporary publication without testing its appeal to your particular audience. Being influenced by a few letters, some from folks with an axe to grind and some by a few subscribers who are either radically for or radically against some proposal. Failing to try to look five or 10 years ahead, to try to see what audiences and publications may be like then. Forgetting that sociology, anthropology, psychology and history are also fields in which farm editors need skills.  Farm families are people as well as hog raisers and corn raisers. What do you think? These guidelines applied to farm readership 45 years ago.a How do they compare with agricultural editing guidelines you follow today?  What changes, if any, have taken place or are taking place? These guidelines came from farm readers in the United States.  How do they compare with guidelines for reaching farm readers in your   country or region? Can you pass along other reports you have seen about farm readership    studies that identify guidelines for agricultural reporters and editors? Send your thoughts and experience reports to Jim Evans at evansj@uiuc.edu.  We will share them. Thank you. REFERENCE Murphy, Donald R.  What farmers read and like.  Ames: Iowa State University Press.  1962. (This professional development feature is produced through a partnership of IFAJ and the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, University of Illinois.) professional development feature is produced through a partnership of IFAJ and the Agricultural Communications Documentation Center, University of Illinois.) TOP