Session 1 — Your Site, Their Voice,Your Voice

"Content design is about using data and evidence to give the audience the content they need, at the time they need it, in a way they understand." Sarah Richards — Content Design (2017)

What is content design?

It's not writing. It's problem-solving.

Start with what your reader needs, not what you want to say
Ask: what question is this person trying to answer?
The content succeeds when they find the answer and can act on it

Two kinds of need

1 User need
What does a resident of M24 actually want to know?

2 Organisational need
What does Middleton Co-operating want to communicate?

Good content satisfies both. Great content makes them feel like the same thing.

Your audience — who's actually reading?

The curious resident

Heard about Middleton Co-op. Wants to know: what is this, and is it for me?

The potential member

Ready to join but needs to feel confident. Wants: is this trustworthy, and how do I take the next step?

The returning supporter

Already engaged. Comes back for updates: what's new, what's happening, how can I help?

Why your site already works

The red and green is distinctive — it doesn't look like every other third-sector site
The language feels local and human, not corporate
The projects and causes are clearly named and findable
It reflects a genuine community, not a brand exercise

Your job as a content editor is to protect and extend these qualities — not accidentally undo them.

What can go wrong

Copying and pasting from Word (brings hidden formatting)
Writing long paragraphs because it feels more "professional"
Using headings as styling instead of structure
Forgetting that most people are on a phone
Publishing first, proofreading never

💡

The one thing to take away from this session Before you write a single word, ask: what question is my reader trying to answer? Write the answer to that question. Everything else is decoration.