Mission-Driven Storytelling

Imagine you are throwing a party and you don’t know who is attending, why you are celebrating, or how you are going to let them know about the party. This is what I imagine it would be like creating a magazine (or any other communication) without knowing who you are writing for, what you want to say, and how you are going to get your message out. Having a thoughtfully crafted editorial mission statement helps guide the creation of your communications. 

Editorial not Institutional

First, let’s clarify that we are not talking about the mission statement of the organization. That is broader and focused on different answers for the why, who, and how your audience is served. The editorial mission statement helps to focus the purpose of the narrative. For example, our client, Medicine@Brown’s editorial mission statement  “Medicine@Brown reminds alumni why they went into medicine in the first place, and why they are proud they did it at Brown.” supports the institution’s mission statement, “To advance the health and well-being of people and planet.” 

When crafting the statement it was important to remind readers why they chose Brown because of its unique path to medicine through the liberal arts.

Simple and to the point.

It does not have to be a page-long document, in fact, it shouldn’t be. It should be a short and concise statement that you can refer to easily. The team at Medicine@Brown keeps their statement on the wall to remind people about the why and who for the magazine.

Here are examples from some of my favorite publications:

“New York Magazine obsessively chronicles the ideas, people, and cultural events that are forever reshaping our world.”

Frankie, a witty bi-monthly publication based in Australia: “We aim to surprise and delight readers with every issue, and to have a good old laugh while doing so. 

Atlantic still follows the core values of its mission statement written in 1857:

“The core principles of the founders are core principles for us: reason should always guide opinion; ideas have consequences, sometimes world-historical consequences; the knowledge we have about the world is partial and provisional, and subject to analysis, scrutiny, and revision.”

Focus and Filter

We all know one of the challenges with publishing an alumni magazine is that many campus partners want their stories included. And they should–it is one of the most highly viewed communications. But that doesn’t mean they should. The mission statement acts as a filter for potential content. Does this story work in the magazine? If it has to go in, how can it be crafted to fit?

We worked with another school to develop a mission statement for their re-envisioned magazine, “Bryant, the official magazine for alumni and friends of Bryant, strengthens their connection to the University and with each other by telling compelling, meaningful, and entertaining stories about how Bryant and its community are pursuing their passions and leading with character in business, life, and everywhere in between.”

This statement not only helps the communications team focus the editorial plan; it acts as a guide for campus partners. It is the rule book that everyone acknowledges and agrees to when moving forward.

Steps to Get There

When I was in graduate school I found one of the most difficult tasks was writing the learning objectives for my thesis project. But once I got the hang of it my lessons had a clear plan and defined outcomes. Writing a mission statement feels similar to me. You have to take time to really consider who you are writing for, the voice and tone, and the purpose. Developing an editorial mission is not just for magazines, it should be considered for all communications otherwise you are just sending messages into the ether. So before you get too far along take the time to consider, and document:

1. Your audience: Who is the communication for? (We’ll get into this more in our next Insight)
2. Statement of purpose: The why. Why does what you’re talking about matter to this audience?
3. The voice and tone: Frankie is one of my favorite publications because the tone is so spot-on for the readership. If you're talking to people already in your community do you need to be formal? Can you be more conversational?

Writing an editorial mission statement will take time in your already busy schedule but the investment is worth it. Once you have one it becomes your North Star and makes future communications (and conversations with campus partners) much easier.