Do we need teasers or promos in page one?.Well-known design consultants Mario Garcia, Lucie Lacava, Hans Peter Janisch, Ron Reason and Adonis Durando discuss the role of teasers exclusively for www.newspaperdesign.ning.com
Teaser is a map: Mario Garcia
Yes, it is, the map to the journey. Must show what is inside the newspaper. An intelligent navigator is the key to a newspaper that sells its contents well and allows readers to decide what they will read first and how they will pace themselves.
Teaser is like a storefront window:Hans Peter Janisch
In many countries the subscription of a newspaper is a dying model. The consumer decides on a daily basis what media seems relevant for him today. Taken this into account, we must do everything to increase the single copy sale. One effective tool is to create attractive front pages that work like a storefront window. We need to show what is inside.
Many newspapers still do this, the way it has been many years ago. Take a look at magazines and understand their way to create promos and attract readers. They rely on such items and understand it much better to draw the reader into the product. Promos and teasers have their own rules: they need to be short, simple and easy to understand. Nobody stops to read long texts or tries to understand a complicated picture. How the teasers are designed and arranged on the page depends on the overall design and format of a newspaper. There are several ways to do this in an attractive and reader-friendly design. Go to the next newsstand and get inspired by all the magazines!
Teaser is the storefront window:Lucie Lacava
I cannot imagine a modern newspaper without promos. Even The New York Times has promos discreetly tucked at the bottom of the page. Teasers are essential to sell the contents of the paper and attract new readers. Promos should be well designed, positioned above the fold, and should not compete with the main news story. Like in a store front window, displaying only one or two items will not do, unless you are selling Louis Vuitton or Prada!
It is an essential furniture:Adonis Durando
Promos, teasers or cover lines are essential furniture in the front page. Its main function is to lead the readers into the inside pages. And if you think of front page as a plateful of meal, promos and teasers serve as an aperitif or an appetizer or a side dish. Some newspapers even use the best image in the inside to spice up a dull front page. And modern newspapers have adapted a format in which the A1 page is all made up of promos and teasers, and even the banner story is compactly written enough to whet the reader’s appetite and allows the reader to continue reading inside. The only occasion you can ditch the promos in the front page is when you purposely do it — say, you want to use a huge photo for a huge story to achieve a dramatic effect.
Follow four guidelines for good teaser:Ron Reason
In my view there must be some mix of promotional elements. These include:
1) an index, telling me which main features or sections are to be found inside, and where; this is typically static and appears the same each day.
2) the “best of the rest,” call them promos, teasers or skyboxes if you will, including a choice of several sports or features highlights beyond the news chosen for front page stories; this gives the reader something of interest in case the news of the day is not to their liking.
When considering what to promote, here are four guidelines for doing it right:
1) Be forward looking. If you are putting a sports score that is 24 hours old, don’t even bother. Your readers have already heard it. Tell me instead, what are the prospects for the team’s next game? Which player is in doubt for playing the rest of the season? Be forward looking.
2) Be unique. Think, what do we have in the paper today, that none of our competitors will have? Why should someone pick up my paper today, and not the competition? This often favors local stories, as well as enterprise feature stories.
3) Be surprising, and it’s OK not to give away the story – be mysterious. “What’s the secret to staying focused at work?”
4) Emphasize value. When you have depth and breadth, show it off. “Six problems in local government – and ways to fix them.” “Twelve gift ideas for the coming holiday, for any budget.” “12 companies to invest in – or stay clear of – in the new year.”
Unfortunately, the promos are often the last thing produced in many newsrooms, an afterthought, when they should be among the premium elements. Throughout the production cycle, gather as a team and ask yourselves: Will our front page promos compel the reader to pick up the paper and dive into it? Is it intriguing? Consider grading it from an A to an F, before publication, not after, and you will find yourself being more focused, and relevant, in your front page promotions each day.
