If the front page doesn't contain interesting, useful articles, most people will glance at it, classify it as junk mail and throw it away without even reading one story. Just like USA Today or the Wall St. Journal , your front page should feature the issue's best articles that will draw in readers. Although putting these articles on the front page may boost the ego of the company president or sales manager, they probably won't draw in readers unless the person has some really monumental news to announce. It's OK to use these types of articles, just put them in the proper place in your layout. 6 Use at least one graphic per page Graphics include photos, artwork, charts, pull quotes or even a colored or shaded box behind an article.
Graphics are important for two reasons.
First of all, studies have shown that people are more likely to read an article if it contains a graphic such as a photo. That's because graphics, along with headlines, are the first things that readers' eyes are drawn to when they turn to a new page. Secondly, graphics within a story are important because they provide much-needed visual breaks from solid blocks of text. A page containing nothing but row after row of endless text does not look inviting to read. However, a story that contains strategically placed graphics that break up the text into smaller, less-imposing portions looks more visually pleasing and will attract more readers.