The ToIP Communications Committee recommends that once a ToIP deliverable is approved by the ToIP Steering Committee, it should be announced via a post on the ToIP blog/news feed. The authors of this blog post should be the authors of the deliverable and/or other members of the responsible Working Group.

This page is a simple set of guidelines for drafting this blog post to submit to the Communications Committee for final review and publication.

Start with Why

The “hook” for your blog post (and the headline) shouldn’t be “we finished this deliverable”. Rather the hook should be a simple, clear, compelling statement of why your audience should care about this new deliverable. For example, the hook might address:

• What is the industry problem (or problems) that this deliverable addresses?
• What is the key innovation or new ground that this deliverable covers?
• What is the gap in other specifications or standards that this deliverable fills?

See this ToIP blog post for an example.

Use quotes

Readers love to hear what real people have to say about your deliverable. Often your first quote can be in the paragraph after your opening “Why” statement. See this ToIP blog post for an example.

When you are drafting the blog post, don’t hesitate to “put words in people’s mouths” that say what you would like them to say. Then go and check with that person to see if: a) they agree with what you propose they say, and b) how they would like to “put it in their own words”.

Feel free to have three or four quotes in your post. This is also a great way to give visibility to key contributors to the deliverable.

Explain your “what” as clearly and simply as possible

Once you have the reader’s interest, make sure you are clear about what the deliverable actually is, where it came from, where it’s going, what it covers, etc. However:

• Don’t go into too much detail or you will lose the reader.
• Avoid “insider” jargon! Try to explain the purpose and relevance of your deliverable to someone who has never heard of ToIP (but has a general understanding of the Internet). If you must use an industry-specific term (for example, if one is in the name of your deliverable), define it in plain English.
• Use pictures or graphics to visually reinforce your message — “a picture is worth a thousand words”
• Add links to other helpful introductory materials (videos, summaries, wiki pages, FAQs) where a reader can go to get the next level of detail without having to read the deliverable itself.

Be clear and compelling about “so what?”

What readers really want to know is “What’s in it for me?”, i.e., how will this deliverable make a difference in the reader’s job/industry/market/passion?

The sooner you answer this question—and the more specific you can make the answer for each audience (business category, consumer category, government, non-profit, etc.)—the more your post is likely to resonate and be shared.

Avoid ideology

Specialized technology leads to a lot of opinions. Technology discussions should recognize trade-offs, areas yet to be defined, the evolving world of standards, etc. Don’t be afraid to highlight where ideas are preliminary or agreement on design has not reached broad consensus. 

Close with actions

Ask yourself, “What action(s) do we want a reader to take after reading this blog post?” Then make it as simple as possible for the reader to take that action by the end of the post. For example:

• If your deliverable is available in more than one output format (PDF, HTML, GitHub), include links for each one. Indicate the type and size of the file.
• If you are looking for feedback, describe how and where to provide it.
• If you want to invite readers to share this news, contact others, join your Working Group or Task Force, or propose follow-on work, provide clear instructions for how and where they can follow through.

Record a video whenever you can

We are in the age of short "try to be viral" videos. Your your message will spread more easily if your WG or TF creates a short video (at least one minute but no more than four)—even if it is just a recorded Zoom with a few talking heads and a few slides. Try to communicate the essence of your blog post in nice easily-digested "sound bites".

Amplify, amplify, amplify

Write your post with the tweets, hashtags, and LinkedIn summaries in mind. Launch them when you post, then have as many TF, WG, or ToIP members repost and retweet as you can. It’s also important to tag other groups or influencers to promote the content in multiple channels.