The Story Plan

Earlier this year, in Mission-Driven Storytelling, I stated that the editorial mission statement is the North Star for the creation of communications. If the mission is the North Star, the story plan is your compass. A considered plan builds the framework for developing stories that are unique to your institution. In terms of producing a magazine, this framework also helps the communications team to produce it in a sustainable and timely manner because they are not reinventing the wheel from issue-to-issue.

The Backbone of the Plan

Whether you are creating this plan internally or working with a consultant, it needs to begin with a deep dive into your school. What makes the institution unique? Traditions? The campus? Key players? All of this guides the creation of a unique story plan. You want to bring people to campus—whether it is for the first time with enrollment materials or for the hundredth with alumni communications.

When we kick-off a project with a new client we meet with leadership, conduct focus groups with faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni. What are the common messages we are hearing? What are they interested in knowing about? How can we authentically bring the school to life through storytelling? We also tour the campus to get a sense of the place and spaces that can come into play in the nomenclature and design. 

Making a Plan 

After we have a deep understanding of an institution and the goals for the project, one of our strategic editorial experts will translate the findings into the story plan. Translating the experience and nostalgia associated with the school is an important aspect for creating a close connection for the reader. This includes developing distinct sections for the magazine, like Sewanee’s “On the Mountain,” versus a more generic title like “News & Notes.” We then delve further into creating sections that are unique for the school. 

One of our partners, Maureen Harmon, managing partner, Dog Ear Creative, worked with 2communiqué to develop editorial plans for Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business back in 2021 and later for Sewanee, the University of the South, a liberal arts university in Tennessee. 

It was important to represent the experience of a business school through sections that highlighted ideas, peoples and network: Innovations, Paths, and Connections. While for Sewanee, Dog Ear wanted to capitalize on readers’ strong affinity for the school and bring them back to campus with departments, like “Threads,” “Relics,” “Porchlight,” and “Guides.” 

“Sewanee has such a strong sense of place,” says Mo Harmon, “So it was important to really highlight the parts of campus and the traditions that you can only find at that university.” A section called Guides, for example, asks a student to be the readers’ guide to cool spots on campus. Threads, on the other hand, really focuses on the school’s tradition of honoring academic success with a gown that students then wear on campus. 

A business school educational experience is much different, so when Dog Ear was asked to develop an editorial plan for Georgetown Business, they worked to capitalize on the ideas that would resonate with the audience, including a section called ”Buying and Selling,” which highlights a faculty member’s expertise and and asks for their latest thoughts on business trends, or “Pivot,” which highlights alumni who successfully switched careers. 

“For both schools, it was important to develop a strong identity in the editorial plan that could then be expanded through the visual elements of the design," says Harmon.

Implementing a Plan 

For the redesign of Roanoke College’s magazine we partnered with Content Strategist, Laura Cole, to create a story plan that brought more pacing and structure to the magazine and brought people back to campus. “College News” became “On the Quad,” “Alumni News” became “Forever Maroons,” and new departments include: “Dogwood,” which is named after the state flower and tree and spotlights places around the state with Roanoke connection; “Rooney’s Round-up,” which is named after the college’s mascot and offers up athletics highlights; and “Four Questions,” which is an allusion to the four sections in their shield and provides a quick end-of-book Q&A.

Editor, Lindsey Nair, developed the launch and subsequent issues utilizing the plan as a road map.

“The new editorial plan forces me to think differently, seek out new and more diverse people to profile, and find ways to make each issue more timely,” Nair shares.

She has developed three issues with the editorial plan as her guide, making adjustments along the way, including dropping the Editor’s Letter to make room for letters from readers, adding a spread for snapshots, and flexibility with a second feature.

Nair notes, “The plan has been both inspiring and adaptable.”

Making it Sustainable

The communications teams we collaborate with are small and mighty, many overseeing enrollment, development, campus, and alumni communications. Few have a dedicated team producing the magazine, therefore clearly defined story plans are imperative for relevant communications in a timely manner.

Our partner, Editorial Consultant, Vicki Glembocki, developed editorial plans for Kent Place, Medicine@Brown, and Nobles, to name a few. The depth and structure of each plan differentiates the magazine not just from other schools but also other communications from the school.

Director of Communications, Rachel Naggar, is a team of two responsible for overseeing all of the School’s communications (when we last spoke she was about to work on campus signage to guide people during a big construction project) along with publishing a 72-page biannual. 

Naggar notes, "Having a clear editorial story plan keeps me grounded in the purpose of the issue while giving enough flexibility to explore stories as they emerge. It ensures each piece connects to the whole, and it helps me stay focused, not just on what we're telling, but why we're telling it. It’s also incredibly helpful when working with our photographer or illustrator to visualize the tone and feel of the issue before a single image is taken or designed."

Roadmap to Purpose

Readers are in a constant state of communication overload. Communication teams are juggling multiple projects, squeaky wheels requesting that their stories be included, the pressure to use AI, the need to reflect readers' interests. It can be easy to lose sight of what matters most. An editorial plan with help to keep the focus.