Design Tips

Tips and best practices for creating engaging news content

Create news articles that capture attention and drive engagement. 🎨


Visual Design

Image Best Practices:

✅ High Resolution

Use 1920x400px or higher

✅ Relevant Content

Match image to article topic

✅ Consistent Style

Maintain brand aesthetic

✅ Compressed

Optimize file size (<500KB)


Writing Headlines

Compelling Titles

Formula for Great Headlines:

[Action Verb] + [Specific Detail] + [Player Benefit]

Examples:
✅ "Unlock New Weapons in Season 5 Update"
✅ "Join Double XP Weekend - Starts Friday!"
✅ "Meet the Winners of October Art Contest"

What Works:

✅ Good
❌ Avoid

"New Raid Boss: Dragon King"

"Update Available"

"Limited Time: 50% Off Cosmetics"

"New Sale"

"Patch 2.5: Major Balance Changes"

"Game Update"


Content Structure

Article Layout

Effective Structure:

  1. Hook (First 2 sentences)

    • Grab attention immediately

    • State the main point

  2. Key Information

    • What, when, where, why

    • Most important details first

  3. Supporting Details

    • Additional context

    • Features, changes, benefits

  4. Call to Action

    • What should players do?

    • Clear next steps


Formatting Tips

Make It Scannable

Bullet Points & Lists

Players scan content. Make it easy:

Good:

New Features:
• Auto-matchmaking system
• Voice chat support
• Cross-play enabled
• New cosmetics shop

Bad:

This update includes auto-matchmaking, voice chat, 
cross-play, and cosmetics shop features.

Highlight Important Info

Before:

The new season starts on November 15th and includes 50 new items, a battle pass, and exclusive rewards for the first 1000 players.

After:

The new season starts November 15th and includes:

  • 50 new items

  • Battle pass with exclusive rewards

  • Limited rewards for first 1000 players

Break Up Text

Good:

  • 2-3 sentences per paragraph

  • White space between sections

  • Easy to read quickly

Bad:

  • Long walls of text

  • No breaks

  • Overwhelming to read


Visual Hierarchy

Size & Emphasis

/* Visual Hierarchy Example */
Headline:     Large, Bold (32px)
Subheading:   Medium, Bold (24px)
Body:         Regular (16px)
Caption:      Small, Light (14px)

Main Headline Here

Supporting Subheading

Regular body text goes here. Easy to read and well-structured.

Small caption or additional details in lighter text.


Color & Emphasis

Use Colors Strategically

ℹ️ Information

General announcements

✅ Success/New

New features, wins

⚠️ Warning

Maintenance, issues

🚨 Urgent

Critical updates


Timing & Frequency

When to Post

Best Times:

  • 🌅 Morning (8-10 AM) - Players check before work/school

  • 🌆 Evening (4-8 PM) - Players return home

  • 🎮 Weekend (12-6 PM) - Extended gaming sessions

Posting Frequency:

Game Type
Recommended Frequency

Live Service

2-3 times/week

Regular Updates

1-2 times/week

Stable/Mature

1-2 times/month


Content Types

Mix It Up

Variety Keeps Players Engaged:

  • 📦 40% Updates - Patches, new features

  • 🎉 30% Events - Competitions, limited-time

  • 👥 20% Community - Player spotlights, contests

  • 🎬 10% BTS - Development stories, teasers


Call-to-Action

Drive Action

Strong CTAs:

🎮 Play Now

"Update available - play now!"

📢 Join Event

"Register for tournament today"

💬 Share Feedback

"Tell us what you think!"

🔗 Learn More

"Read full patch notes"

CTA Formula:

[Action Verb] + [Benefit] + [Urgency]

Examples:
✅ "Download now and get exclusive rewards!"
✅ "Join today - only 100 spots left!"
✅ "Update now to access new content!"

Accessibility

Make Content Accessible

Checklist:

  • Alt Text - Describe images for screen readers

  • Contrast - Ensure text is readable

  • Link Text - Use descriptive links (not "click here")

  • Font Size - Minimum 16px for body text

  • Simple Language - Clear, concise writing


A/B Testing

Test What Works

Test These Elements:

  • 📝 Headlines (which gets more clicks?)

  • 🖼️ Images (which drives engagement?)

  • 🎨 Layout (which is more readable?)

  • 📢 CTAs (which converts better?)


Common Mistakes

❌ Vague Titles

"Game Update Available" tells nothing

❌ Wall of Text

Long paragraphs lose readers

❌ No Images

Visual content gets 94% more views

❌ No CTA

Tell players what to do next


Quick Checklist

Before publishing, verify:


Examples

Great News Articles

Title: "Version 2.5: New Desert Map & Weapon Balance"

Summary: "Explore the scorching Dunes of Karak, try rebalanced weapons, and enjoy performance improvements in our biggest update yet!"

Content Structure:

  1. 🗺️ New Map - Desert environment details

  2. ⚖️ Balance Changes - Weapon adjustments

  3. Performance - FPS improvements

  4. 🐛 Bug Fixes - List of fixes

  5. 🎮 CTA - "Download now and explore!"

Title: "Halloween Event: Double Rewards & Spooky Skins!"

Summary: "Celebrate Halloween with us! Earn double XP, unlock exclusive skins, and compete in special challenges. Oct 25-31 only!"

Content Structure:

  1. 🎃 Event Dates - Oct 25-31

  2. 🎁 Rewards - What players can earn

  3. 🏆 Challenges - Special missions

  4. 👻 Cosmetics - Limited skins showcase

  5. CTA - "Join now - limited time!"


Resources

Tools:

  • 🎨 Canva - Create featured images

  • 📸 Unsplash - Free stock photos

  • ✂️ TinyPNG - Compress images

  • ✍️ Grammarly - Check grammar

  • 📊 Hemingway - Improve readability


Next Steps


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