This document outlines an editorial strategy for developing communications for the eTwinning platform. It aims to build a consistent voice and identity, streamline knowledge sharing between audiences, produce engaging user-centered content, and establish eTwinning as an authority. Tactics proposed include qualitative research, content optimization, amplifying sharing opportunities through social media and newsletters, developing audience personas, introducing visual narratives and ratings, facilitating peer-to-peer content, and building expertise through curation, media coverage, and expert interviews. Metrics like traffic, engagement, and media mentions will evaluate success.

1. Developing an Editorial
Strategy for eTwinning
19 December 2013

2. The e-community
for schools in
Europe
• Platform for schools in Europe to engage
and collaborate on projects through ICT
• Operated by EUN, it works to:
– Provide online tools for schools to find
partners
– Set up projects and promote sharing of
ideas
– Peer-to-Peer community for teachers to
exchange best practice: online CPD
training (webinars/events), location
based workshops, and
awards/accreditation.

3. Communications
Who do we want to talk to? What do we want them to
think and do? What content is right for the job? How will
we package and issue it as a continuous, engaging
narrative?

4. Who does it
speak to?
• CORE: School staff in Europe
• Ministries of Education and country-based
National Support Services (x35)
• European Commission – Comenius initiative
11,000,000
pages of
multilingual
content!

5. What makes
us valuable
to these
audiences?
Knowledge
Inspiration
•Curriculum: Seeking ways to
meet key skills (ICT)
•News on educational policy and
tested approaches across Europe
in native language
•Route to awards, funding and
accreditation
•Lesson planning
•Peer-to-Peer learning,
ideas sharing &
facilitated collaboration
opps
•Free Tools – ‘out of
the box’ toolkits
Professional development
•Contribute to development of educational resources and
openly pilot success and learnings
•Share ideas and experience ‘nationally’ with opportunity for
school and professional recognition
•Free Training: workshops & webinars/e-learning

6. Editorial
Goals
1. To build a consistent, clear voice and
identity (‘who we are and what we do’)
2. Streamline and amplify opportunities to
build and share knowledge of eTwinning
activities between audiences
3. Produce ‘user-centred’ content that
creates unique experiences that will
engage users
4. Develop presence as a platform to
facilitate expertise and authority
EUN objectives

7. Build a
consistent,
clear voice
and identity
TACTICS
TOOLS
•Qualitative Research: focus
group user testing and
online survey
•Development of web editor
‘writing for the web’ style
guidelines
•Producing banner
homepage video animation
that introduces in narrative
format how e-twinning
works, not just ‘what it is’.
At end signposting where to
go to next so user journey is
directed.
•Free tools such as Survey
Monkey or utilise inbuilt
CMS questionnaire
function. Use of partnership
network to test?
•Develop style guidelines
and promote through web
editor training and making
available on staff intranet.
Contentcontrol through
CMS workflow.
•Agency or utilise inhouse
design resource. If latter
employ slideshare or
produce animated gif.
Animation Examples:
Rebtel
City & Guilds
METRICS
Qualitative : Can people articulate with ease what e-twinning is
and explain what they will find on the platform and how to
engage in the initiative? Obvious who the site is for? etc

8. Streamline
and amplify
opportunities
to build and
share
knowledge of
eTwinning
activities
between
audiences
TACTICS
•Review current structure and usage
of ‘Keep up-to-date’ section. Is there
unnecessary duplication, can existing
content be ‘repurposed’ or
simplified,
eg infographics, case study series
video/audio-bites.
•Research ‘sharing’ amplification
opportunities: social media,
partnership networks (‘friends’ +
National Support Services), RSS feed
and stream embedding tools
•Review newsletter structure ‘Knowledge, inspiration, CPD’ theme
- and implement automated sign-up
process with language segmented list
preferences(no more via email!)
•Develop ‘Peer to Peer’ voice through
blogging platform: curate content
from teachers
TOOLS
•Analytics (which sections/content are
receiving most hits, any noticeable
peaks in time planning) alongside
editorial process review.
•Using web contributor group and
partners develop editorial calendar
across news, media and newsletter
channels. This would include a
regularly scheduled mix of blog
(news), newsletter and ‘social’ (ie FB,
twitter, Google+ page hangout or
webinar). Social amplifiers for sharing
content, eg Followerwonk etc
•Newsletter questionnaire to review
content use and preferences.
Automated subscribe form (see
Mailchimp eg).
METRICS
Newsletter sign up eg:
Mailchimp
Quantative: measure by visits, CTR from community members,
engagement (eg comments, shares, RT, #tags etc), month on
month sign-up (building country view). Newsletter review =
qualitative research on content preference types.

9. TACTICS
Produce usercentred
content that
creates
unique
experiences
that will
engage users
•Develop audience personas by
country and analyse content
preferences and usage, ie if
thematic preferences factor this
into the editorial calendar as
part of ‘focus on’ series,
publication timings etc.
•Consider new ways of
introducing a more ‘visual’
narrative structure to drive
content access and
engagement. Ie in ‘Collaborate’
could be opportunity to use
map view to drive down by
country to see projects and
partnerships.
•Introduce content starring or
ratings
•Develop Peer narratives
through regular feature case
studies, CPD use eg through
live Q+A Google ‘on air’
hangouts late r shared
TOOLS
•Analytics
•Visual narrative may
require external technical
resource (ie map
navigation), as would
content rating (though
functionality in place for
project kits).
•Video, Google+ On Air,
Twitter, Newsletter.
METRICS
Site traffic, bounce rate, return visits, ‘goals’ – ie testing
country specific content, traffic referrals and content ratings,
G+ hangouts and clicks/views.

10. TOOLS
Develop
presence as a
platform to
facilitate
expertise and
authority
TACTICS
•Content curation and
partnership working: Build
authority through user
egagement and content
providers.
•Media coverage
programme: events and
activities, successes (case
study and figure stories),
research findings, annual
usage reports etc
•Use interviews, briefings
and conference/project
findings with key figures in
MOEs (policy makers) and
teachers themselves who
are employing eTwinning share through newsletter,
site sections, SM. This can
be in one-shot panels
filmed live through G+ and
shared, local teacher events
etc, awards etc
•Facilitate partner working
to amplify sharing of
experience and where to go
to find out more.
•Media relations building
METRICS
Referrals, Tweets, search engine rankings, commentary in
print and online media.

11. Current communication
channels
News
features
(blog articles?)
On page
Expert
Interviews
(mixed media:
video, audio,
articles)
(Features,
signposting, IA)
European
policy &
info hub
(European Corner)
Events
(Conferences,
Awards, Camps,
eTwinning
Campaign Weeks)
Partners
Media
(Friends of
ETwinning)
(news releases, press
packs)
REVIEW: Clear? Right people? Optimised distribution? Timely?

12. Thank you!