Posts are how NC State tells its story — not just on your site, but across the university. A well-crafted post can be picked up by other campus sites through the Newswire, reach audiences far beyond your own, and contribute to the broader narrative NC State shares with the world.

This training covers how to create news content that works well on your site and within that larger ecosystem — from choosing the right post structure to the metadata habits that make a story travel.

Watch the videos below in order and complete the practice tasks as you go. When you’re ready, the quiz at the bottom of this page will unlock your Storytelling feature pack.

Estimated time to complete: ~13 minutes of video, plus practice time.

Before you start: This training assumes you’re comfortable with the basics of WordPress and the block editor. If you haven’t completed the Base training, we recommend starting there.

The Difference Between Posts and Pages

Completion Time: (2 min)

You already know the mechanical difference between pages and posts. This video covers what that distinction actually means in practice — and why it shapes nearly every decision you’ll make when creating news content.

For a deeper look at when to use each content type, see Pages vs. Posts: Understanding Content Types in the NC State Theme.

Storytelling on the Web

Completion Time: (2 min)

Good web writing and good print writing share the same goal — but they get there differently. This video covers how to structure a story for the way people actually read online, and when the Immersive post template earns its place over a standard post.

Want to see the Immersive template in action? Browse recent stories on NC State News for examples of both the standard and Immersive post templates.

Note: The Immersive post template requires the Enhanced News Add-on, available on Premium tier sites. If you’re on the Free or Pro tier, the standard post template is the right tool for every story.

Choosing a Post Header

Completion Time: (2.5 min)

The header is the first thing a reader sees — and it sets the tone for everything that follows. This video walks through the four post header options and how to match the right one to your story.

Try it yourself: You’ve been assigned to cover three stories. For each one, choose a post header and write one or two sentences explaining your choice:

1. A breaking news item about a university research finding that just received national media coverage
2. A long-form feature profile of a faculty member and her lab’s work
3. A photo essay covering this year’s new student move-in weekend

Write your answers before moving on.

For a full reference on post header options, see Post Header Options.

Blocks That Serve a Story

Completion Time: (2.5 min)

The Storytelling feature pack includes blocks specifically designed for long-form narrative content — tools for creating emphasis, pacing, and visual interest within a post. This video covers the most important ones and, just as importantly, when not to use them.

For reference on the blocks covered in this video:

• Pull Quote Block
• Highlight Block
• Sandwich Narrative Block
• Aside Widget Block (Premium Tier required)
• Separator Block (Premium Tier required)

Additional blocks in this feature pack covered by documentation only:

• Audio Player Block
• Featured People Block
• Post Summary Block
• Related Stories Block
• Magazine Preview Block
• Category Callout Block

Tags, Categories, and Metadata

Completion Time: (2 min)

A great story with poor metadata is a story that doesn’t travel far. Before you publish any post, four fields deserve your attention — not just for your site, but for everywhere that post might appear.

Try it yourself: Review the draft post below. It’s missing or has incorrect information in four metadata fields that would prevent it from being Newswire-ready. Identify each problem and note what should be corrected.

[LINK TO EXAMPLE DRAFT POST]

For guidance on image sizing and format requirements, see Image Format and Size.

The Newswire and Digital Magazines

Completion Time: (2 min)

The Newswire is one of the most powerful tools available to NC State communicators — and one of the most underused. This video covers how syndication works, what it takes to become a contributing site, and when a digital magazine is the right format for your content.

Ready to contribute your site’s stories to the Newswire? Start with the Newswire documentation for an overview, then submit a request through go.ncsu.edu/ucomm-dev-request to get set up as a contributing site.

Interested in the digital magazine format? See Magazine Platform documentation for an overview of how issues work. (Enhanced News Add-on required.)

Ready to Unlock This Feature Pack?

You’ve covered the full storytelling workflow — from understanding how posts participate in the NC State ecosystem, to choosing the right header, to making sure your stories are structured and tagged to travel beyond your own site.

When you’re confident in the material, take the quiz below. A passing score of 80% or higher will automatically unlock the Storytelling feature pack on your site.

What’s next? If you’re also interested in collecting leads, managing events, or using automated content feeds on your site, explore our other required trainings:

• Professional/Advanced — Building Pages That Work
• Engagement and Events — Lead Generation, Events, and RSVP Management
• Dynamic Content — Set Up Your Site to Update Content Automatically