- The first few sentences hooks the reader.
- The reader is told early what he or she needs to know and why.
- The column is concise and there are no redundancies.
- The column in objective. There is no opinion included.
- The ending answers one of the following questions:
- What does all of this mean?
- Who should do what?
- What should you do now?
- Whose phone should start ringing?
- The column relates to current news.
- The column is relevant to your purpose.
- The language is simple and geared for an 8th grade reading level (average level of newspaper readers).
- Three-plus syllable words are kept to a minimum.
- The column is written in a conversational tone.
- A telephone number and email address are included.
- A Extension County Web site address (or other appropriate Colorado State University site) is included.
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