See handout on alt-copy

Readers, especially those in college, don’t have much time to invest in reading the paper. They want to get the information fast. To that end, alternative copy is a great way not only to liven up the design of the publication but to get a lot of information out quickly. Almost every story warrants some form of alternative copy.

The party formerly known as Brent Road was anything but as Raleigh Police continued to tighten the noose on the back-to-school bash for the fourth year.

Police checkpoints on Gorman Street, were seen as early as 6 p.m. on Saturday, staffed by a mix of RPD and Campus Police officers.

While manning the main checkpoint at the intersection of Gorman and Kaplan Streets, one block from Brent Road, RPD First Class Officer D. Green simply noted that “it’s quieter” than years before.

Around 10 p.m., as sparsely spaced cars crawled by the checkpoint, Green did not expect things to pick up for the night. The blockade, rarely more than eight cars deep, randomly queried drivers for licenses and registrations, yielding a few minor violations but no arrests

Pull Quote

This quotation, pulled out of the story, captures a colorful comment from the story. It draws pulls readers into the story in and makes them want to read the story.

Table

This story is about Brent Road and how less students have been participating. Notice how well the dwindling numbers are shown in table form.

Bulleted list

Help the reader get through a lot of information in a short period of time. With a bulleted list, the reader can bounce from one item to another. Making key words bold makes gathering of the critical information go even faster.

Bio Box

Again, the alternative copy should provide a quick glance, in this case, a quick biography of the person.